Could Music Therapy Help with Addiction and PTSD?

Could Music Therapy Help with Addiction and PTSD

The best drug rehabs in Florida and elsewhere are always looking for innovative ways to help patients with substance use disorder. Florida Springs in Panama City, Florida includes a yoga room for relaxation and other impressive amenities. I recently came across a study that looked into music therapy as a method to help people with both PTSD and substance use disorder, and I can tell you that the best drug rehabs are always looking for new therapies that might help their clients. 

I recently wrote about the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder in patients that also need treatment for substance use disorders, and I also showed evidence in that same article that people with PTSD are more likely to develop a substance abuse disorder. 

The specific study that I looked at noted that there is evidence that people who have both post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder often experience something called hypervigilance, which can include increased feelings of fear and difficulty regulating emotions. I will also note that my previous article on PTSD noted many factors that increase the complexity of treating people with these dual diagnoses. The scientists that designed this study first worked with experts to create a music therapy program based on specific brain biology findings of what music best helps people calm themselves down. Both male and female patients with both substance use disorder and PTSD participated in the study. The DSM-5, which I have brought up in previous articles, was used to measure the severity of the addiction and PTSD being suffered by these people who volunteered for the study. The DSM is the diagnostic and statistical manual of psychiatric medicine and is the current standard for measuring the severity of symptoms and illnesses in the mental health field. 

According to the study, “A significant difference in measurements for the PSSI-5 overall symptom severity was found pre- and post-intervention. Furthermore, participants showed significant improvement in subscales of hyperarousal, mood and cognition, and attention.” These subscales of arousal, mood, and cognition are all directly related to the hypervigilance problems that were targeted by music therapy in this study. Subjects also showed increased ability on various tests that were administered before and after music therapy sessions. The best drug rehabs in Florida, including Florida Springs Wellness and Recovery Center, might be interested in music therapy, especially when it comes to patients with dual diagnoses including PTSD in particular. The American Music Therapy Association and Oxford University in England were both involved in the study and the publishing of the material I used for this article. If you or a loved one is looking for great substance abuse rehab options in Florida or elsewhere, please look to the programs page on this website for more information. 

By T.A. Cannon (Contact me at TACannonWriting@gmail.com)