Artikel
Music-therapy in oncological settings: Advances in empirical evidence and clinical implementation
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Veröffentlicht: | 20. März 2006 |
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Gliederung
Text
Music is a general human experience, deeply linked to individual development. In all stages of mankind it has been used as a tool for expression and creativity but also for intensifying personal well-being. Professional approaches to influence physical states and mood with playing or hearing music, however, look back on a short history of about 50 years and still lack a broad empirical ground. Nevertheless, in the last years there was a growing body of research, specially in the field of oncology. Controlled clinical trials could prove beneficial effects mainly of receptive (relaxing, regulating, palliative) music-therapeutic interventions on acute pain and chronic depressed mood. Effects of active (expressive, functional, improvising) music-therapy seemed to depend more on the personal matching and a thorough preparation before the onset of intervention. Data like these were collected primarily in oncological settings of acute treatment and rehabilitation. Recently several reviews and meta-analyses supported these encouraging findings, but called for a significant increase in controlled research activities. After discussing the adequacy of qualitative and quantitative research strategies and pleading for a pluralistic approach, we will present a taxonomy of methods and aims of music-therapeutic interventions in different settings. Finally we will give a condensed insight into our clinical work with patients in the entire course of high-dose therapy and stem cell transplantation, which is part of our integrative model of psychosocial support.