The role of music listening in the music therapy process for people with anxiety disorders : The therapist’s perspective

Abstract

Introduction Anxiety is a commonly diagnosed mental health disorder, but it remains underrepresented in music therapy research. Music listening (ML) seems to be an effective tool for anxiety self-management, but there is evidence that high anxiety level may complicate the self-regulation process. The links between ML in music therapy and everyday life have received little attention. The aim was to study what roles ML can have throughout a music therapy process for anxiety treatment, according to music therapists.

Method The data were collected by interviewing eight music therapists with experience of patients with anxiety disorders. The data were analyzed with the six-step approach to thematic analysis. The results were grouped into three categories: information carrier, musical identity development, and self-care tools.

Results ML appears to have three roles in music therapy for the treatment of anxiety: ML is a familiar part of the patient’s everyday life and provides valuable information about the patient’s inner world and their current state to the therapist; in therapy, ML represents safety, promotes conversation, and works as a bridge towards more active methods; and as a result of the therapeutic process, ML returns to patients’ everyday lives as a developed tool for self-regulation.

Discussion ML seems to function as a low-threshold activity, through which patients with anxiety disorders can share and reflect their mental state. With the assistance of a music therapist, they can learn to use music more beneficially in their anxiety self-management and develop a healthier musical identity that can foster their emotional health.