Music Therapy For Addiction

How Do Different Types Of Music Therapy Work In Addiction Treatment?

Compositional Music Therapy

Compositional music therapy works as part of addiction treatment because it acts as an intervention for externalising internal thoughts (e.g. addiction motivators) into a creative outlet through:

Compositional music therapy enables those in recovery to create and perform original music during 60-90 minute sessions, mostly in group sessions.

89% of studies demonstrate positive effects of compositional music therapy on anxiety, coping mechanisms, and stress management [2].

Group compositional music therapy remains effective in abstaining from drugs and promoting individual confidence about future abstinence 3+ months following treatment [3].

One study exploring the effects of motivational-educational songwriting found that this music therapy reduces cravings and improves withdrawal symptoms, with effect sizes of 0.244 to 0.456 [4].

Through creating music, patients are able to showcase personal stories surrounding addiction and creatively communicate these through lyrics, melodies, and emotion through performance.

Improvisational Music Therapy

Improvisational music therapy works as part of addiction treatment because it encourages patients to create spontaneous music over 60-90 minute sessions, allowing rehab patients to utilise current emotions in the creative process.

Improvisational music therapy results in a mean average of 4.3 and 4.0 out of 5 for enjoyment and motivation ratings for both music therapy and concurrent use of CBT [5].

46% state that improvisational music therapy helps members feel part of the group; these groups are typically conducted with the same group as CBT sessions in rehab, enhancing community support [6].

Improvisational music therapy works alongside CBT as both improve symptoms of [7]:

Both improvisational music therapy and CBT work by addressing negative thoughts and emotions, concurrently reducing symptoms of addiction-related depression by 26% [8].

Qualitative research reveals 6 Cs are utilised in improvisational music [9]:

The 6 Cs in improvisational music making are transferrable skills used in traditional group therapies (e.g. CBT) and post-rehab settings, making for a beneficial starting point for re-socialisation.

Over 50% of members remain in recovery one year following the use of improvisational music therapy classes when combined with modern psychotherapeutic approaches [10].

Receptive Music Therapy

Receptive music therapy entails listening to pre-recorded or live music under therapist guidance, and is used as part of addiction rehab as it helps to elicit specific emotional responses and memories that support the rehabilitation process.

Receptive music therapy reduces self-reported fear by 40% and worry by 36%, showing that this type of music therapy is used to lower current anxieties surrounding addiction treatment [1].

83% state that receptive music therapy allows participants to find healthier ways to deal with emotional distress and general stress linked to addiction recovery, such as overcoming depression [11].

Receptive music therapy works as part of a rehab programme because it reduces symptoms of anxiety in 84.6%, even though 11% of those participants did not report pre-session anxiety [12].

Typical receptive music therapy sessions last between 30 and 60 minutes and take place 2-5 times per week during the inpatient period, depending on the rehab facility.

As Abbeycare does not offer music therapy, such courses should be self-managed following the rehab programme, though staff will help signpost to licensed therapists in your area.

Recreative music therapy is a form of learning and adapting songs to reflect current personal experiences in addiction recovery.

Positive therapeutic outcomes from recreational music therapy have been found in the following areas [13]:

Recreative music therapy is a beneficial tool when used in the earlier stage of psychotherapy (week 2) following detox, as it prepares participants for group CBT.

Positive group differences are seen in those with educational and recreative music therapy regarding motivation to achieve and maintain sobriety throughout rehab and post-rehab settings [14].

Silverman (2009) showed that recreative music therapy in rehabilitation also improves self-reported perceptions of therapeutic alliance building, as well as eagerness/readiness to change and achieve sobriety [15].

Chege et al. (2022) showed that intervention motivation increases by 25% compared to treatment as usual when using recreative music therapy, indicating it is an engaging and motivating tool throughout all rehab process stages [16].

How Does Music Therapy Help During Addiction Treatment?

Reducing Cravings

Music therapy reduces substance-related cravings by 20% following two weeks of treatment, and this occurs due to regulating emotion through activating the limbic pathways responsible for craving and memory [17].

Farahmand et al. (2020) found a 26% decrease in cravings when 8 sessions of music therapy are completed over the course of rehabilitation [18].

As drug-related cues cause a 7.3% increase in metabolic activity in limbic regions responsible for memory, music therapy aims to avoid direct drug-related cues in order to provoke positive music-evoked autobiographical memories, as these also work as a distraction in rehab [19].

Silverman (2022) studied the effects of music therapy on craving management and found effect sizes up to 0.456, showing there is a medium to strong effect of this intervention [20].

Music therapy also improves sleep ratings by 31%, positively affecting cravings by lowering physiological stress on the body [21].

Triggering Emotional Responses And Autobiographical Memories

Pasqualitto et al. (2023) showed that music's ability to manifest strong emotions is caused by varying levels of metabolic activity in brain areas responsible for autobiographical memory retrieval [22].

Using music therapy to remember past events helps users connect personal history with current emotions without the need to talk and explain these feelings.

Hasanah et al. (2020) showed that music therapy reduces cortisol levels by 16%, resulting in physiological benefits on stress management [23].

Mean serum dopamine levels increase by 15.5% following receptive music therapy [24].

Animal studies on rats suggest that music therapy increases intracellular dopamine concentrations by 24.1% and serotonin concentration by 29.9%, indicating benefits of music on positive emotional responses in the brain [25].

What Type Of Music Is Beneficial In Addiction Treatment?

Who Benefits From Music Therapy For Addiction?

How Does Music Therapy Work As A Supplementary Element In A Traditional Rehab Programme?

Music therapy is used in a rehab programme to help increase engagement in group cognitive behaviour therapy sessions, as 46% of participants state that it helps create group connectivity through nonverbal communication [27].

Music therapy supplements traditional CBT used in a rehab programme by supporting withdrawal management with coping strategies (e.g., listening to calming music and practising meditation with music).

One to two sessions a week supplement a traditional programme by teaching music as a method of distraction—a technique not typically used in CBT, though CBT concurrently promotes the importance of distraction in stress management.

As a supplementary element to traditional rehab, music therapy replaces the harmful behaviours of drug use with a rewarding activity of creating music, listening to music, and using music therapy sessions as a break from traditional CBT sessions.

Music therapy increases positive cognitive emotional regulation by 13.4%, supplementing CBT by practising creatively reframing negative beliefs about the self and others [18].

Music Therapy In Addiction Rehab Results

Lesiuk (2010) suggests that continued use of music therapy post-rehab helps to prevent relapse, either through self-guided listening or through attending classes in aftercare [28].

65% of those using addiction music therapy rehab report a decrease in sadness, and 51% report an anxiety reduction, suggesting improvements in mental health and reductions in relapse triggers [29].

Farahmand et al. (2020) demonstrated a positive impact of music therapy on overall self-reported quality of life, increasing by 8%, suggesting music therapy offers broader benefits on overall well-being [18].

Negative cognitive emotional regulation decreases by 15.9% following a course of music therapy in rehab [18].

87% of music therapy participants continue to use music as a form of therapy personally after rehab has finished, indicating that it is a sustainable and self-driven tool used in aftercare [30].

When used in rehab, music therapy can help to subside cravings and urges within 15 to 30 minutes of playing [31].