"[Music therapy] can make the difference between withdrawal and awareness, between isolation and interaction, between chronic pain and comfort - between demoralization and dignity." -Barbara Crowe, past president of the National Association for Music Therapy [1].

Music encompasses the essence of life. The writer composes music in order to express feeling through song and verse, which often affects and may even reverse our own emotions-from sad to happy, tense to calm, and vise versa. For instance, most would agree that classical music has a soothing affect on the mind, and the stress and worries of the listener are often ameliorated during and long after listening takes place. Thus, the power of music may not only make a difference in how we feel, it may also have the ability to heal mental suffering.

The process of healing a patient's mental suffering through exposure to music is called music therapy. Music therapy is used to treat patients with different types of disorders, such as cancer, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke, autism, immune deficiencies, chronic pain, and in the case of developmentally delayed and handicapped individuals [1].

The benefits of music therapy include helping the reduction of stress and anxiety and the management of pain. Walter Quan, Jr., an oncologist-hematologist at St. Luke's Medical Center in Cleveland said, "The mind/body relationship is particularly important in terms of looking at the immune system to treat cancer. Patients who are under less stress, and in a brighter mood, appear to do better in terms of their anti-cancer therapy"[2].

In order to reap the full benefits of music therapy, the surrounding environment where the sessions take place is an important consideration. The room must be distraction-free, and the instruments should be in good quality and should also have a variety of timbre, or quality of sound that can be distinguished from another sound that has the same pitch and volume.

Music therapy also calls for the development of a good relationship between patient and therapist. During the typical therapy session, the therapist uses improvisational, creative, and experiential music to treat the patient. Music therapists recognize individualized factors, which are considered in the overall treatment strategy for the patient. Once the therapist finds a regiment for his or her patient, she uses various methods such as creating lyrics, singing, dancing, and listening to music in order to help patients recognize their problems [3].

In order for one to enter the field of music therapy, one must hold a bachelor's degree or higher in music therapy from one of over seventy American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) approved college and university programs. The aspiring music therapist studies three areas: musical foundations, clinical foundations, and music therapy foundations and in addition, must complete 1200 hours of clinical training, including a supervised internship. Graduate degrees in Music Therapy focus on advanced clinical practice and research. Upon graduation, one will take the national examination offered by the Certification Board for Music Therapist. Successful completion of the exam would qualify one to receive the MT-BC (music therapist-board certified credential) [1].

Music therapy has been a successful treatment for many. Alicia Ann Clair Ph.D., director of music therapy at the University of Kansas, commented on patients who suffer from dementia, suffering from a loss of memory, concentration, and failure of judgment [5]. Dr. Clair said, "Many of these patients can't talk, don't recognize their families, and simply withdraw into themselves. Many professionals simply give up, figuring they can't make contact."

Music therapy gives them a little piece of their life back. Dr. Clair continued, "Even in cases of late-stage dementia, I've had unresponsive patients engage in drum circles, seen them ballroom dance, and had those who'd lost the power of speech sing emotionally significant songs from their past" [2].

Imagine life without music-music that inspires, encourages, and strengthens us. Life without music would be incomplete for music not only entertains but is also a powerful healing form of medicine.

Lisa is currently a freshman majoring in pre-health information management.