FAMILY MENTAL WELLNESS Music Heals: Positive benefits for mental health BY DAVID DINSMORE . PHOTOS PROVIDED.
OKC PHILHARMONIC CHILDREN’S CONCERT
Mickelthwate’s son – who dealt with a mild form of Tourette’s syndrome as a young man – explored the science of the link between music and health with a project that evaluated the impact of music on the tics experienced by kids with Tourette’s. “We start to hear music while we’re in the womb,” said Nowels, who has worked as a music therapist for 18 years with patients of all ages. “We’re surrounded by it. We don’t think about it. You’re in the car. You’re in the store. You’re watching TV. It’s everywhere. It’s something that’s part of us.” Even the rhythm of one’s own heartbeat ties them to music, Nowels said, and there are therapeutic techniques tied to heartbeat. Research has shown steady beats can aid in physical therapy and recovery from injury as patients work on motor functions. “The brain automatically picks up on that steady beat, and it’s a great tool for movement,” explained Nowels. “That’s why so many people In a clinical setting, the nature of music therapy works in conjunction with other plans of treatment patients may be undergoing to help improve outcomes across the board. “We can come in and give them something unexpected, and by the end, they are smiling and interacting more and wanting to participate,” said Nowels. “It’s always exciting when we can find something that motivates them because in the beginning it can be kind of hard after their accident or illness to get them back up and believing that it’s going to be OK. It’s OK to smile again.” Though the focus of much of Nowels’ work comes from the clinical realm and making sure patients are receiving appropriate therapies and plans, the impact of having a little music added to the treatment or recovery of a child resounds within the family members surrounding them. “It can help take their mind off what they’re working on and focus on something else,” said Nowels. “It’s not clinical or nerdy to say this, but it’s good for the soul. It takes you out of your slump and lets you have a little fun. It takes you out of the bad.” incorporate upbeat music in exercising.” Therapeutic benefits
Music engages 20 to 30 networks in the listener’s brain, according to the work and research of famed author and neurologist Oliver Sacks. Local licensed and board-certified music therapist Rachel Nowels can attest to the power of music to boost mental health as she spends every day demonstrating to her patients and their families the link between the two through her work at Bethany Children’s Health Center. Though some may conjure images of “bare feet and flower crowns” when they think of the work of a music therapist, Nowels said the position “is very nerdy” and involves a lot of research, goal assessment and evaluation. Nowels specifically works with children in a pediatric environment and focuses on helping kids with issues related to trauma and coping. “Music is a great tool to help people understand emotions a little better,” said Nowels. “Emotions are so abstract, and kids think in such concrete terms. It’s hard for them to understand the concept of frustration or being sad. We can use instruments and different interventions to help them explore something, like what ‘mad’ sounds like on a drum.” The power of music During his career in music, Alexander Mickelthwate, music director of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, has witnessed moments in which music has directly impacted someone’s health. In one instance, an audience member at a concert Mickelthwate was conducting attended the performance with his father, who was dealing with advanced Alzheimer’s. The father’s mind cleared once the music began, and he began to converse quietly and normally with his son, with whom he had not held a meaningful conversation in some time as a result of the disease. The son told Mickelthwate that after the performance ended, he saw his dad recede back into the grips of the disease.
22 METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / NOV-DEC 2022
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