Mindy Peterson, NCTM

Photo by Pauli Nie on Unsplash

Many studies have shown music’s effectiveness in pain reduction, but researchers haven’t always understood HOW and WHY music helps. Dr. Joke Bradt explains the latest science behind music’s pain-relieving effects, including three key mechanisms – and how we can maximize music’s therapeutic potential.

Guest

We’ve talked previously on this show about how music can be used as an intervention for pain, but it has been a few years since those conversations. And while many studies show music’s effectiveness in pain reduction, researchers haven’t always understood how and why music helps. So a recent study really caught my attention. Researchers in this study mapped the evidence and identified three key mechanisms that help explain music’s pain-relieving effects. Here to tell us about the latest research in this area – and what it means for using music to manage pain – is the lead on this study, Dr. Joke Bradt. Dr. Bradt is Professor and Director of the PhD program in Creative Arts Therapies at Drexel University. She is a board-certified music therapist and a leading researcher in music therapy and pain management. She has completed several NIH-funded clinical trials in this space. Dr. Bradt leads the NIH-funded Music4Pain Research Network and is internationally recognized for advancing the science of music-based approaches for pain management.

Notes

We discuss:

• Why understanding how music eases pain is more complicated than it may seem, given the complexity of both music and pain.
• The three mechanisms identified in recent research that help explain music for pain relief: positive emotional responses to music, a sense of control or agency through music choice, and synchronizing movement with music.
• Why giving people the freedom to choose music they enjoy may be an important component of music-based pain management.
• How actively engaging with music – through tapping, drumming, playing, moving, or singing along – may provide greater pain relief than simply listening to music.
• What the research tells us about using music for pain management in both acute and chronic pain, and where important gaps in the evidence remain.
• How a better understanding of the mechanisms behind music and pain relief could lead to more targeted, personalized, and effective music-based interventions.
• Practical ways listeners can use music to potentially influence their experience of pain – and what researchers still need to learn about music, the brain, and pain processing.

Connect/Other Resources

• Dr. Bradt leads the Music4Pain Research Network, a National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health-funded, multi-disciplinary network that helps advance music and pain mechanistic research. Its mission is to enhance understanding of how music-based interventions help reduce pain and improve pain management.
• The Music, Creativity and Wellness Lab at Drexel University
• Read the article: Why Does Music Ease Pain? Drexel Researchers Map the Evidence
• Read the full study, which was published in PAIN Reports
• In addition to Bradt, contributing to this research were researchers from collaborating music and pain research networks ENSEMBLE and audioanalgesia, including authors from Indiana University, the University of Washington, McGill University, the University of Memphis, the University of California-Irvine, the University of California San Diego, The University of Padova and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. This research was supported by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) and the Office of Behavioral & Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH); the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA); the Office of the Director (OD) of NIH. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of NCCIH, OBSSR, OD, NIH and NEA.

Other episodes we mentioned or that you may enjoy:

• Ep. 167: Having Surgery? Use music to reduce anxiety and pain perception; with Alice Cash, PhD, LCSW
• Ep. 150: Chronic pain relief and management through music; with Nancy Jackson, PhD, MT-BC
• Ep. 151: What are the benefits of singing for our health and wellbeing? with Dr. Diana Allan
• Ep. 88: It Hurts So Good: When and why is sad music enjoyed? With Kimberly Sena Moore, PhD, MT-BC
• Ep. 190: I Heard There Was A Secret Chord – Dr. Daniel Levitin on His New Book and the Science Behind Music as Medicine
• Ep. 130: What are music psychotherapy and vocal psychotherapy, and how do they work? with Dr. Diane Austin, D.A., LCAT
• View all episodes related to Science & Health

In-Episode Promo

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Coda

Joke says: Rather than just listening to music, try to actively engage with the music by singing or tapping along. This active engagement amplifies the health benefits of music!

Closing Words

Thank you so much to Dr. Bradt for all she does to enhance lives with music through her research and music therapy work. Pain – whether it’s acute or chronic pain – is something all of us experience in this human journey; some more than others. And I’m so grateful for people like Dr. Bradt who are helping people use music as a tool for managing that pain.

If you know of someone who would enjoy this episode, please share it with them! It’s one of the best ways to help us reach new listeners and spread the transforming power of music in everyday life.

You can always connect with me on email (mindy@mpetersonmusic.com), Facebook, Instagram, X, or LinkedIn; and by signing up for my occasional e-Newsletter.

Thank you so much for joining me today. Until next time, may your life be enhanced with music.

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