National Therapeutic Recreation Week is here again, and there’s no better time to begin your mental and physical wellness journey. For individuals with mental health issues, National Therapeutic Week raises awareness about the various therapeutic programs available to address their mental health. It also provides an opportunity to explore creativity. One example of such an activity is SoundPath music therapy.
Here, you’ll learn what SoundPath is, who it helps, and its benefits.
Introducing Soundpath Music Therapy
Soundpath is an innovative music therapy offered to clients at Transformations Treatment Centers. Unlike traditional music therapy, Soundpath isn’t a stand-alone treatment. It’s designed to accompany conventional therapy sessions to encourage ongoing progress and active participation in the recovery journey.
Soundpath provides clients with a creative outlet to explore their emotions and discover their stress and substance triggers. For some, these subjects are difficult to explore in a traditional therapy session. Writing songs and creating lyrics from one’s own life experiences can lead to crucial breakthroughs in treatment.
What Makes SoundPath Unique?
SoundPath sessions take place in a professional studio with state-of-the-art equipment and recording devices. Sound engineers help clients find the right sound to accompany their lyrics, then layer them together as a professional studio would. The final recording is edited to perfection before the client has a final listen. From there, they can make changes, save the recording to share with loved ones, or post it to our SoundCloud page for the world to hear.
Participants in SoundPath have the option to perform their songs live at the facility during our regular talent shows. This experience offers positive reinforcement, boosting their confidence and providing a fresh perspective on non-traditional treatments for addiction and mental health.
Clients in the SoundPath recovery program are also involved in evidence-based therapy models, such as:
- Medication-assisted therapy
- Dialectical behavioral therapy
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
Four Parts of SoundPath Music Therapy
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) highlights four major interventions involved in music therapy for mental health.
They include:
- Lyric analysis: Talk therapy is the traditional approach to treating mental health issues, but some topics can be difficult to express or discuss. Lyric analysis provides a less threatening way to process emotions and thoughts.
- Improvisation music playing: When emotions cannot be put into words, instruments can help. Some individuals express their feelings more easily by using certain sounds. They might use drums, rain sticks, or other percussive instruments to express emotions such as grief or internal conflict. They may also use a piano or violin to express other emotional states.
- Active music listening: Music has the remarkable ability to regulate our moods. Its repetitive and rhythmic nature directly engages the brain’s neocortex, leading to a sense of calm. On the other hand, certain songs can elicit anxiety or anger. Listening to music that makes us feel good can temporarily improve our state of mind.
- Songwriting: Songwriting, much like journaling, offers a chance to delve into one’s emotions. The creation of lyrics is often inspired by personal experiences or thoughts, and the selection of instruments complements these lyrics.
Each intervention provides benefits. Some are short-term, and others are long-lasting.
Benefits of Soundpath Music Therapy
Soundpath music therapy helps individuals become more expressive in talk therapy sessions and make better progress in recovery. By combining the two, they gain benefits beyond traditional music therapy.
These benefits include:
- adopting positive coping mechanisms
- improving nonverbal and verbal communication
- overcoming self-limitations
- improved sense of confidence
- decreased anxiety
- fewer depressive symptoms
- improved self-image
- discovering substance abuse triggers
- improved overall mental wellness
Soundpath Success Stories
Through Soundpath music therapy, Transformations Treatment Center has continued to help hundreds of individuals recover from substance addiction and improve their mental health.
“I’ve been able to unleash my inner music with SoundPath.” – Eric L.
“Amazing experience. The SoundPath team had something to do with me sticking out staying here as well as realizing I can experience music without the limitations of drugs. I thought before that, I needed drugs to enhance music, but it killed it instead. SoundPath had a major influence on my getting an extension here at TTC. Music has opened my head to positive things and the music classes, writing, opening up and receiving support from the group were just as, if not more enticing than the recording time itself.” – Francis C.
“Before SoundPath, I didn’t even know I could sing let alone have the thought that my musical abilities could be intertwined with the recovery process. The recording studio itself has nothing but good vibes and is extremely conducive to happiness…. The hardest question asked in early recovery is, “Who are you?” Thanks to SoundPath Recovery, I, formerly believed to be a lost cause, am so much closer to answering that question.” – Anonymous
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