The Healing Art of Music

Spiritual/emotional pain
Unrelenting physical pain
Anxiety/fear/agitation/restlessness
Lack of harmony in family
Difficulty accepting approaching death
Difficulty coping with the stress of illness/loss/change

In a hospital or hospice setting, these indicators are among those that appear on referrals for chaplain visits. What may surprise you is that the same indicators also appear on referrals for music-thanatologists. These two professions often address the same issues, but with different approaches. While chaplains may work with the entire patient population, music-thanatologists focus on end-of-life patients in health care settings. Chaplains most often communicate verbally with their patients. Music-thanatologists communicate mostly through the use of harp and vocal music. The collaboration of the two disciplines is becoming a common occurrence in more hospitals and hospices throughout our nation.

What is music-thanatology?

Music-thanatology¹ is a professional field within the broader subspecialty of palliative care. It is a musical, clinical and spiritual modality in end-of-life care. The music-thanatologist utilizes harp and voice to lovingly serve the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the dying and their loved ones with the prescriptive delivery of music.²

"As a chaplain it is a great honor and a privilege to work alongside our music-thanatologists," says Rev. Daleasha Hall MDiv BCC, lead chaplain at Sacred Heart Hospice in Eugene, OR. "The support and healing presence they bring to our work environment and the bedside of dying patients is unique and prescriptive. Their awareness of physical, spiritual and emotional movement throughout the end-of-life journey is proactive, beautiful work that complements the work of chaplains and the entire interdisciplinary team."

The music-thanatologist

Music-thanatologists certified by the Music-Thanatology Association International (MTAI)³ have undergone at least two years of rigorous training. Studies span a wide range of musical, medical, spiritual, clinical, academic, personal and professional material.⁴

What is prescriptively delivered music?

Prescriptively delivered music is live, contemplative harp and voice music that responds to the patient's physiological, emotional and spiritual needs moment by moment. The warmth of this living music can bring solace, dignity and grace to those nearing the end of life. The alternation of sound and silence encourages the listener to simply receive on a deep level.

Whether conscious or unconscious, the patient is always in charge of the musical direction because we connect at the level of breath, pulse, temperature, pain, effort and tension; attributes that we all share through our basic humanity. With this focus, the music can address the needs of each individual. In this way, the music seeks to be an expression of beauty and love; and as such, it transcends diverse affiliations of faith and culture.⁵

"The music-thanatologist's expertise in melding the presence of the patient with the presence of contemplative and prescriptively delivered music creates, for all present, a powerful experience," says Rev. David Waggoner PhD, chaplain at Sacred Heart Medical Center, Springfield, OR. "The music-thanatology vigil crafts an aesthetic, an atmosphere at the bedside that is distinct from any other activity that happens in the room of a dying patient."

Music-thanatology in the health care setting

In an interdisciplinary team setting, music-thanatologists work closely with other caregivers. In hospital and hospice settings, chaplains, nurses, social workers, doctors, family members and patients make music-thanatology referrals.

Loved ones and caregivers who may be experiencing grief, loss, change, and a desire to support patient and family are encouraged to be present for the vigil. A quiet setting assists the music to be effective, and allows patients and families to reflect and process on a deep level during the silence between the musical offerings. The patient and others are invited to simply receive the music.⁶ Chaplains are often part of the vigil, bringing God's presence into the setting. If requested by the patient or family, the chaplain may pray or perform a religious ritual, such as anointing of the sick, and that becomes woven into the vigil, which may last from 30 to 60 minutes.

"The role of music-thanatology is not an adjunct or alternative form of spiritual care," says Rev. Eddie Harrod BCC, chaplain at Sacred Heart Medical Center, Springfield, OR. "It is, in its own right, creative, focused and effective spiritual care that has a primary role in attending to the spiritual needs of the dying."

Chaplains listen and watch attentively for the spiritual needs of patients and families. They provide words of support, pastoral presence, understanding and prayer. Music-thanatologists also watch and listen deeply to the needs of patients and families. They respond with music that can touch the soul.

To learn more about music-thanatology: www.mtai.org
To learn more about music-thanatology training: www.lanecc.edu/ce/music

Jane Franz, a certified music-thanatologist, is the coordinator for Strings of Compassion, the music-thanatology practice that serves Sacred Heart Medical Centers at Riverbend in Springfield, OR; and University District Campus and Sacred Heart Hospice in Eugene, OR. Franz is also the co-director of the Music-Thanatology Training Program through Lane Community College in Eugene.

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Notes

¹ Thanatology comes from the Greek word Thanatos meaning "death." Thanatology is a contemporary word defined as "the art and study of death and dying." <sup>^

2</sup> MTAI website: www.mtai.org <sup>^

3</sup> The Music-Thanatology Association International (MTAI) is a professional association and independent certifying body for the field of music-thanatology. As such, MTAI established the field's standards and competencies for professional certification. In addition, MTAI offers continuing education, including an annual conference; and the peer-reviewed Journal of the Music-Thanatology Association International <sup>^

4</sup> The training is designed to prepare students to meet the Standards and Competencies of the MTAI. Lane Community College, Eugene, OR, is the first institution of higher education to offer this training throughout the Northwest. Students receive over 600 contact hours upon completion of this two year, non-degree training, which includes 20 didactic weekend intensives in Portland, OR, and clinical internships. The training includes over 300 hours of on-site experience in hospitals and hospices working alongside an MTAI certified music-thanatologist mentor and the interdisciplinary team. The faculty consists of MTAI certified music-thanatologists, doctors, nurses, chaplains and others who work closely with music-thanatologists. <sup>^

5</sup> Ibid. 2 <sup>^

6</sup> Ibid. ^{^}

This article originally appeared in Healing Spirit, the magazine of the Association of Professional Chaplains, Vol 5, issue 1, Spring 2010. Reprinted with permission of APC.

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Music at the End of Life

The president of the MTAI has recently published a book on the field of music-thanatology.  More information can be found by following this Link to the publisher’s website, or by skipping over to her listing on the Associates Worldwide pages here at mtai.org. 

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Outside the Loop Radio

Scroll toward the bottom of this:link to an archived audio webpage (after the 3rd picture), where you will find the mp3 of an interview with Margaret Pasquesi & Tony Pederson. You can choose to download the file or just “Play in Popup.” 

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The Sound of Angels Moving Matter—Music and Medicine at the End of Life

Click:here - for an article featuring the work that Rebecca Hazlitt, CM-Th is doing in Colorado.

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Music-thanatology can Soothe the Dying

The work of music-thanatologists Sharilyn Cohn and Barbara Cabot, both of Portland, OR, is featured in this article at The Japan Times Online.

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