Epilepsy Talk

How Music Soothes Your Seizures…  | January 19, 2022

Music is food for the soul, the mind and the body.

Great music, when carefully selected, can change our moods, energize us, calm us, improve our mental focus, lift us up spiritually, and help us become more healthy.

Not surprisingly, music has also been found to have a profoundly positive effect on people with epilepsy.

In fact, one research study even found that when patients are treated with music therapy as well as conventional anti-seizure meds, as many as eighty percent of seizures were reduced by seventy-five percent!

It may be because the brain doesn’t have any single center for processing music.

Instead, the areas of the brain that process music are widely scattered.

So, when the brain is subjected to music that is highly structured, such as Mozart’s Sonata for Two Piano’s, the brain process is actually aided.

In fact, research has suggested that Mozart’s K448 piano concerto can actually reduce the number of seizures!

And amazingly enough, music played at a moderate or moderately fast tempo, without too many abrupt changes in dynamics (loud and soft) can aid in normalizing EEGs.

That’s because it helps us to relax and ease tension, equalizing the brain waves. (Look for Concertos, Sonatas and Symphonies.)

Music can also change behavior.

The right kind can turn depression into joy, anger to calmness, hate to love, and fear to courage.

Beautiful music has an effect on all people and it can soothe and take away feelings of frustration and anger.

What Kind of Music?

What ultimately works in choosing music for healing is to select what you like and what helps achieve the mood or balance that you want.

Relaxing music such as Mozart, Baroque and Classical music, can help to steady your conscious awareness and increase your mental organization.

Music such as New Age, Romantic, Jazz and even “chill-out” music can stimulate Alpha and Theta brain wave states, leading to reduction of mental imbalance and stress.

When you want to relax or slow down your pace, start with music at a moderate or faster tempo to match your metabolism, and then gradually switch to slower and slower music.

When you want to wake up or have more energy, start with slow, quiet music and then gradually switch over to louder pieces with a faster tempo.

For best results, do not listen to music for more than three hours at one time.

If you find that you’ve had music playing for more than three hours, turn it off and take a break.

The brain responds to variety and too much of any one stimulus produces a kind of fatigue and even irritation.

Ultimately, you are unique.

Experiment with different types of music, and be aware of the effects each style of music has upon your mental, emotional and physical well-being.

Listen to yourself. You are the ultimate guide and healer.

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Resources:

http://www.epilepsyhealth.com/music-healing.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/1251839.stm

https://www.epsyhealth.com/seizure-epilepsy-blog/the-link-between-music-and-epilepsy

https://www.mdedge.com/neurology/epilepsyresourcecenter/article/102146/epilepsy-seizures/can-music-help-people

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