Music Therapy and neurodegenerative disorders

The documentary “Alive Inside” also explains how music can help heal those with neurodegenerative diseases. In the documentary, a patient, Denise, suffered from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. 

When her doctor gave her an iPod and pressed play, Denise began to cry. She sang, spoke, and wept as she listened to the music. She soon stood up and began to move her body to the beat of the music. 

Suddenly, Denise pushed her walker away and began dancing on her own. Denise had been using a walker for years. Her doctor was amazed. The music gave her the confidence, joy, and strength to hold herself up. 

“To bring in music [to schizophrenia patients], it was instantaneous to see their brain connect to the here and now. So instead of being in their hallucinating paranoid state, they were present,” Blanchette said.

Therapists often use music therapy for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Dementia. Still, it is also used to give people struggling with mental health a way to express their emotions.