Deep Calls to Deep in Music: Live Prescriptive Music at the End of Life
Yao Sharon Seewai, Yale University
Can and should music be prescribed as medicine? Or, can the realms of the arts and sciences integrate to bring about healing? The presentation explores this possible integration by looking at the practice of music thanatology which is defined as follows:
“Music-thanatology is a professional field within the broader sub-specialty of palliative care. It is a musical/clinical modality that unites music and medicine in end-of-life care. The music-thanatologist utilizes harp and voice at the bedside to lovingly serve the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the dying and their loved ones with prescriptive music.”
The exploration started with a search for systematic reviews on the use of music in healthcare, followed by a search for related articles in practical theology journals. However, journals in healthcare and theology use very different language and approaches. A seeming dilemma of body and spirit came to the fore: does music work because certain frequencies of sound correspond to healing certain bodily functions? Or does music work because it is somehow inherently spiritual? In response, the presentation attempts to bridge the two fields by grounding the discussion in an integrative view of body and spirit. Then, it presents a preliminary overview of music in healthcare through the lens of healthcare journals: music is primarily evaluated within evidence-based and task-oriented research paradigms. This approach has generated valuable information about how music could enhance healing, but it also presents challenges when spiritual care is urgent at the end of life. Thus, this presentation proposes seeing music as art as well. A Christian theological reflection based on the experiences of music thanatologists suggests that such artistic use of music in music thanatology is a process of contemplative attunement to God and the patient. Such reflection draws from Practical Theologian Erik Olsman’s understanding of resonance and Theologian Jeremy Begbie’s use of music to talk about transcendence., This artistic view of music in music thanatology complements the scientific aspect by attending to the process of care. At the end, I will propose micro-phenomenological research on the process of music thanatology practice as a possible way forward.
“Music-thanatology is a professional field within the broader sub-specialty of palliative care. It is a musical/clinical modality that unites music and medicine in end-of-life care. The music-thanatologist utilizes harp and voice at the bedside to lovingly serve the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the dying and their loved ones with prescriptive music.”
The exploration started with a search for systematic reviews on the use of music in healthcare, followed by a search for related articles in practical theology journals. However, journals in healthcare and theology use very different language and approaches. A seeming dilemma of body and spirit came to the fore: does music work because certain frequencies of sound correspond to healing certain bodily functions? Or does music work because it is somehow inherently spiritual? In response, the presentation attempts to bridge the two fields by grounding the discussion in an integrative view of body and spirit. Then, it presents a preliminary overview of music in healthcare through the lens of healthcare journals: music is primarily evaluated within evidence-based and task-oriented research paradigms. This approach has generated valuable information about how music could enhance healing, but it also presents challenges when spiritual care is urgent at the end of life. Thus, this presentation proposes seeing music as art as well. A Christian theological reflection based on the experiences of music thanatologists suggests that such artistic use of music in music thanatology is a process of contemplative attunement to God and the patient. Such reflection draws from Practical Theologian Erik Olsman’s understanding of resonance and Theologian Jeremy Begbie’s use of music to talk about transcendence., This artistic view of music in music thanatology complements the scientific aspect by attending to the process of care. At the end, I will propose micro-phenomenological research on the process of music thanatology practice as a possible way forward.