The Healing Power of Music: Dio’s Story

Music has a powerful therapeutic effect. The story of a 15-year-old boy who underwent brain surgery followed by a stroke testifies to the power of music to support, uplift, and heal at the most critical time of one’s life. 

The Therapeutic Power of Music 

Music has a powerful therapeutic effect. Many clinics around the world today incorporate evidence-based music therapy to help their patients. The benefits of using music are multiple and range from lowering blood pressure to managing pain and anxiety to enhancing communication and coordination skills in patients. Music also helps develop better-coping mechanisms, gain self-confidence, and an increased sense of control1. From the perspective of neuroscience, music affects the brain in a complex way, since the various aspects of music are processed by different areas of the brain: rhythm is processed in the the cerebellum, emotional signals created by the music are decoded in the frontal lobes, and pitch is understood within a portion of the right temporal lobe2. Certain music rhythms and tempos can bring the listener’s brainwaves in sync with the music, thus inducing brainwave states that are conducive to relaxation and healing.  

Therefore, music contributes to the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of patients who undergo medical treatment or recovery. Music therapy can be implemented in various forms, such as listening to music, singing, dancing, composing, or even playing musical instruments. While the first official use of formal music therapy began in the United States War Department in 1945, at the end of World War II, the therapeutic benefits of music have been known to humanity for thousands of years. Many cultures, including Ancient Greece, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Israel, and Native American Tribes, have included music in their healing ceremonies and rites.3 A notable example is the statement that “Music is physics for the soul,” used by the Egyptian priest–physicians.  

The following case study of a 15-year-old boy testifies to the power of music to support, uplift, and heal in the most critical phase of one’s life.  

Diobeth’s Healing Story 

Diobeth is a 15-year-old video game and music enthusiast who used to spend much of his time on schoolwork, household chores, and hanging out with his friends. Then one day, all of a sudden, he went from daily football practices and weekly games to being unable to open his right hand, which became weak and shaky. His family initially thought it could be a football-related injury, but since his condition only got worse over the next couple of days, they got increasingly worried and decided to take him to the Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles.  

It was there that they received a shocking and frightening diagnosis: Dio had a mass on his brain, requiring surgery. Three days later, Dio underwent brain surgery. “I thought removing the tumor would be my biggest struggle, the surgeons would take it out, and I could get on with my life,” Dio describes how he felt before the surgery. 

While his 13-hour brain surgery went smoothly with no complications, his recovery in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit did not go as expected. His body began experiencing unforeseen difficulties. His heart rate and blood pressure began to rise, and he had an unbearable pain in his feet. It turned out that he had a stroke, and his situation became serious.  

The stroke left Dio unable to feel or use the right side of his body, where he also experienced severe sensitivity to even the lightest touch. This dynamic boy suddenly went from being active to having to use a wheelchair. The stroke also left him unable to communicate—a frustrating and overwhelming condition for a once lively and talkative teenager. He was suffering from two stroke-related conditions: aphasia and apraxia of speech. 

Dio spent the next few months admitted to the hospital in an acute care setting since he was too sick to return home. He had to undergo rehabilitation, including physical therapy and speech and language therapy. He spent a minimum of one hour a day, six days a week, in the Rehabilitation Center, working with speech and language specialists.  

Before his stroke, Dio had taught himself to play both the piano and guitar and listened to music any chance he could. When one of the speech pathologists involved in Dio’s therapy found out about Dio’s inclination to music, she began to integrate music into his therapy. “Music helped him communicate so much better, but it also restored his confidence, something he had lost after the stroke,” she says. Together, she and Dio sang some of Dio’s favorite songs. Shortly after beginning his therapy, Dio became known as the “Ed Sheeran of CHLA,” an adoring tribute to the famous red-haired musician. By the end of his initial six weeks of inpatient speech and language therapy, not only was Dio more secure in himself, but he had made tremendous improvement in his communication skills—he could now speak more fluently, able to connect several words and phrases. 

Two months after his brain surgery, Dio completed his speech and physical therapy and was discharged from the hospital. He continued therapy for an additional 28 weeks and finally met his goal of going back to high school. Although he cannot play sports anymore, he still roots for his high school team and the Seattle Seahawks, and plays the guitar and piano, though his right side remains weak. 

Dio aspires to become an architect, and he keeps working to strengthen his body and mind. Music remains his friendly sidekick, regardless of the activity or task at hand. He says, “Music made me be able to talk normal again, It got me over that monstrous mountain I had to climb. And now that I’m past it, I’m even more positive, confident, and passionate about life and all that’s ahead for me.” 

Source

Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA)