Natural Therapies: Music Therapy

Music can communicate a persons hurts, loves, fears, regrets and confidence.

Music is a tool that strikes at the heart of traditional Aboriginal education and is important in the maintenance of social and community order and structure.

Music records history, maps geographical sites of importance, records and aids the telling of stories. Music aids communication amongst neighbors and friends as well as strangers.

Music symbolises expression in Aboriginal culture and is often a way of giving meaning to life through stories.

Voice tells the stories - it is a way of communicating - you can sing yours and another’s story.

The didgeridoo within Music Therapy is used for relaxation purposes and its powerful rhythmical beat is a tool to facilitate a feeling of connectiveness to life and different aspects of Aboriginal culture.

The guitar too, provides a calming sound that relaxes clients and enables them to think more clearly about their situation. From that state, a counsellor can introduce strategies to help clients cope with everyday lifestyle issues and the feeling of anger, frustration and anxiety.

Clients can also be shown how to use music at home to relax and focus on a positive way forward.

AADS uses music therapy within some of the AOD programs to assist clients with the healing process. Music can bring into focus another dimension of oneself and is therefore a powerful healing tool. Music can bring distraction and calmness to the mental and physically painful process of AOD treatment.