has taken him further in his art.
“I paint every
Using Music Therapy for Through New Eyes continued from page 1 day, and I continue to paint with music on all
“She’s so cheerful and encouraging about using the time,” he says. “The music takes me places
Relaxation and Stress Management music to develop movement. The music therapy
brightened my life.”
and gives me motivation that I would never have
known otherwise.” His recent paintings have
been shown at both the Shelby Gallery and
Benedikte B. Scheiby, MA, MMEd. DPMT, CMT, LCAT Importantly, music not only helped stimulate his
physical recovery, it also had enormous emotional The Creative Center: Arts in Healthcare in
respond with anxiety and fear. Music can elicit benefits as well. “In the early phases of this when New York, and at the Johnson & Johnson World
the body’s natural counterbalance to stress: The I was so frustrated and able to do very little, just Headquarters Gallery in New Jersey.
Relaxation Response. It is defined by being in listening to incredible music itself was freeing. After working hard for more
a physical state of deep rest where the physical While I had the jazz or classical music going, I than two years, Cliff has
and emotional response to stress changes wasn't concerned with my day-to-day advanced from being almost
and may cause changes in heart rate, blood liabilities. I could forget completely immobile to
pressure, rate of breathing, metabolism and myself and move outside having a much greater range
muscle tension. A music therapy practitioner my problems. It was very of movement, and, thankful-
can alleviate stress and help a person achieve therapeutic just to feel ly, he continues to advance.
the benefits of relaxation and stress reduction normal and enjoy myself for He can now brush his beard
through a variety of specific active interventions a little while every day.” and teeth, wash his face,
that involve music. After several months at Beth hold a fork or spoon and
Abraham, he transitioned eat food, aim his hand
You can still help yourself with stress
home, and now has a regimen movements better, sit in
management and relief by exploring such
of therapy there and at the a regular chair without
self-help techniques as:
Spinal Cord Injury unit at Mount support, stand in a
• Take notice of how listening to various types Sinai every week. There is full-time standing position in a
of music and nature sounds with or without care at home to help him manage machine, hold a drink-
Research has demonstrated that a variety of music can help you relax. daily functions. Luckily, home for ing glass and turn
music therapy relaxation and stress manage- • If you play an instrument, record a piece of him is an airy, open Manhattan pages in a book. Most
ment approaches are effective for people music that you find relaxing. Then listen to studio loft in a building he pur- important, he is able
requiring rehabilitation. In addition, these the tape when you need to relax. chased with a group of fellow artists to hold a paintbrush
approaches are also effective for staff and care- back when Ed Koch was mayor. There, on his own. Every
givers. Benefits include decreased heart and
• Listen to relaxing background music at work tiny victory has
or during lunch break. Add some body he and Virginia live in an art-filled,
respiratory rate, blood pressure, anxiety, one-story space, with polished wood resulted from
stretching at the same time. This also works
agitation and depression, along with general floors and curry-colored walls. Large, an exhausting,
just before going to sleep.
stress reduction, improved coping skills and modernist paintings reminiscent of the repetitive and ultimately
better psychosocial adjustment. Music has also • Participate in local community programs and artist Miró hang on the walls. Some of rewarding struggle, and every move-
shown to be an effective sedative component centers that offer stress management and these are his works from “before.” But ment has relied on music to help provide the
in pre-operative and operative procedures. relaxation activities accompanied by music. many of his post-accident paintings adorn inspiration for continuing. His next challenges
Music with a strong beat can stimulate the • Place your hands on a drum and become the space as well. “I’m painting better now than are to be able to turn on and off his own lights
brain and ultimately cause certain physiological aware of the many rhythms that exist within ever before,” he says. “I have changed my think- and reach for a book to get through wakeful
processes to attune to the rhythm of the music. you such as your breathing and heartbeat. ing about my work and people’s reaction to it. nights, transition more easily between bed and
This phenomenon is called entrainment. Slow There is a rhythmical symphony that is the I’m painting for myself now, not for others, and chair, and increase his range of motion for paint-
rhythms can also encourage the slow brainwaves homeostasis of our biology. Breathe deeply I’m doing the best work I’ve ever done.” Cliff ing. One day he’d love to be able to unscrew a
that are associated with meditative states. and play this rhythm for 3 or 4 minutes. has even begun teaching painting again in his paint cap and squeeze a paint tube again too.
You may reconnect with your inner natural loft space, working with a biweekly group that “In one year, I completed 60 paintings, enough
Stress may come from anxiety, fear or other
rhythms, intuition, and feelings, and comes to him for instruction. to mount this show, even with all the therapy
emotions. Sudden or long-term illness can
ultimately feel renewed. His new paintings enjoy a rare sense of freedom, I’m doing. The work fills my life, and as long as
certainly be stressful, especially if the patient is
experiencing pain or problems with breathing. • Consult with a music therapist to find color and movement. He works in watercolors I keep at it, I think I keep improving.”
Tension caused by pain manifests itself not only effective recorded music for your needs. For because “they glide over the paper,” with a grid Cliff Enright has come from adversity to see his
in the part of the body that is experiencing the instance, Beth Abraham’s “Therapeutic Music sometimes overlaid on the paper to better life and his art through new eyes. “The great
pain; it can be felt as stomachache, headache, Programs for Persons with Dementia” DVD is accommodate his range of motion, which artist Paul Klée, who also loved music, said that
or neck or shoulder tension as well. Likewise, interactive and can be shown both to patients remains limited. “Working through the grid he wanted his drawings to be childlike,” he says.
when there are problems taking a full breath or and their caregivers. became like viewing a scene though through the “I think I’ve achieved his dream, in my own way.”
if the respiration rate is too fast, the body may panes of a window,” he says, and that thought
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