You probably already know that music is a kind of therapy in and of itself, but did you know there’s a profession dedicated entirely to using music as a clinical therapy? In fact, music therapy has been around since Hippocrates pioneered its use circa 400 B.C., although it wasn’t officially recognized as a form of therapy until WWII when music was used to lessen the effects of PTSD. Today, there are over 5,000 certified music therapists in the United Sates working in a range of hospitals, schools, retirement homes, hospices, private practices, and even prisons.

Music therapy is known to be effective when treating a wide variety of primarily mental health issues. Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, PTSD, autism, nervous disorders, depression, and coping with physical pain are just a few of the detriments music has been proven to help treat. If you’ve never seen the documentary, Alive Inside, it does a fantastic job showing the power of listening to music in early- and late-stage Alzheimer’s patients. Here’s a snippet taken from the movie:

Music is able to have such an effect on us because, unlike most of our other mental functions, music doesn’t reside in one section of the brain. Instead, when we hear music, it wraps around our entire brain, strengthening the weaker sections, helping Alzheimer’s patients like Henry recall memories, stroke patients to rebuild their ability to speak, and autistic children to develop interpersonal skills.

So what does Music Therapy actually look like? It can take many different forms. At its simplest, music therapy can be listening to music. But there are many more methods out there used for various other conditions. This is where the “certified” comes into “certified music therapist.” Music therapists generally stick to four main modes of therapy.

1. Improvisation can be used for developmentally-delayed children to build a sense of spontaneity, help them learn to express themselves creatively, and develop social skills.

2. Re-creation can help speech impaired individuals build motor skills.

3. Composing music can help cancer patients and individuals struggling with substance abuse to build commitment, overcome fears, and learn to work within limitations.

4. Simply listening to music can promote emotional stability and lessen stress.

There are so much more benefits to music and learning music, and I wish I could write it all out in one article. But there’s no denying music has a powerful effect on the human psyche. There’s a reason why every culture under the sun has developed its own unique music and why everyone you know at least likes music. I know I could write an entire novel on the ways music has impacted my life.

If you’re curious and want to find out more about music and the effects it has on the brain, you can check out this infographic from Oxford University, and if you want to find out how you can help reach out to people like Henry, check out Music & Memory. This is the organization that produced the movie, Alive Inside and you can donate money, an iPod, or even volunteer your time for them if you so choose. If you want to find a certified music therapist in your area, or maybe look at becoming one yourself, the American Music Therapy Association has everything you need to know.