Sue Hoadley, a Certified Music Practitioner trained by Music For Healing and Transitions Program (MHTP) provides therapeutic music at the bedside of cardiac, ventilator, coma, chronically ill and dying patients. She started and directs the program at Heart Hospital of New Mexico where therapeutic music is delivered through live harp and Native American flute, the C.A.R.E. channel in all patient rooms, and headphones in the operating room. She also works at Kindred Hospital, a long-term acute care hospital, caring for ventilator, coma and wound care patients.
Music is most effective in non-pharmacologic pain and anxiety management when played live for the individual patient. Sue uses the principles of entrainment to carefully match her music to the patient's respiration and heart rate. She then plays in varying pitches (frequencies) to match the person's own resonant frequency. The music is created in real time, prescriptively, for the individual patient's condition. It is also very effective with cancer, coma, ventilator, psychiatric and surgical patients even while under full anesthesia.
Healing or “anxiolytic” music is played at 50-70 beats per minute, is very simple in texture, soothing in timbre, and uses harmonics and modes. Depending on the needs of the patient, it is played non-metrically or with meter, and generally without recognizable melodies.
There is a growing body of scientific evidence proving the efficacy of therapeutic music.
Studies have shown statistically significant results where anxiolytic, relaxing music:
