You may have heard the word regulation all over the place. It is a hot topic these days and everyone has a method or opinion on it.
Regulation is essentially the ability to manage and control a persons behaviour, responses and internal state. Allowing our body and mind to become more flexible and adaptable can enhance resilience which in turn encourages overall regulation.
Music therapy utilises music and musical techniques for physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals. When it comes to regulation, music therapy can play a significant role in promoting and developing regulation skills in several ways:
1. Emotional Regulation: Music has a powerful impact on our emotions. It can help identify, express and process emotions effectively. Music therapy offers safe and structured environment where you can explore and process feelings. Music can evoke different and sometimes surprising emotions. Music therapy can provide opportunities to connect with and regulate emotional states.
2. Sensory Regulation: Being hypersensitive or hyposensitive to sensory stimuli may be due to a sensory processing difficulty. Music therapy can help regulate sensory responses by providing organised and predictable music and rhythms. Music therapists can use specific types of music, rhythms, and patterns to help modulate your sensory experiences, reducing overstimulation or increasing sensory engagement.
3. Attention and Focus: Music therapy can improve attention and focus, which are crucial for regulation. By incorporating rhythmic patterns, melodic structures, and other musical elements, therapists aim to strengthen your attention and promote sustained focus. By actively participating in musical activities, you can learn to follow specific cues and sustain their attention over time.
4. Self-Regulation Skills: Music therapy offers opportunities for individuals to develop self-regulation skills. Playing musical instruments, singing, improvisation, and participating in rhythmic activities require regulating actions, timing, and responses. Actively participating fosters self-awareness and self-regulation.
5. Social Regulation: Music therapy in group settings, provides opportunities for social interaction and regulation. Collaborative music-making activities involve turn-taking, listening, and responding to others, practicing social skills such as sharing, cooperation, and negotiation. By engaging in musical experiences with others, you can develop social regulation skills, including impulse control, emotional empathy, and conflict resolution.
6. Relaxation and Stress Reduction: Music has the ability to induce relaxation and reduce stress. Slow, soothing music or specific relaxation techniques, such music and imagery or music assisted relaxation, can help to regulate your arousal levels and manage stress. By engaging in calming musical experiences, you can learn to self-soothe and achieve a state of relaxation when needed.
Music therapists are trained to assess and tailor interventions to each client's unique circumstances, ensuring that the therapy promotes regulation and overall well-being. If you would like to know more or are interested in trying music therapy please contact me.
Claudia Jones
Rhythmic Reboot Music Therapy