Music and Mindfulness for Anxiety

Overseen By Teresa Lesiuk, PhD

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Miami

Disqualifiers: Low anxiety, Experienced meditators

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Approved in 1 Jurisdiction This treatment is already approved in other countries

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

Duration: 2 weeks

9 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

Do I need to stop taking my current medications for the trial?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Music and Mindfulness for Anxiety?

Research shows that music therapy can effectively reduce anxiety and improve mood in various conditions, including cancer care and thought disorders. Additionally, music therapy has been shown to influence brain processes, suggesting it can play a significant role in treating mental health issues like anxiety. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is music and mindfulness therapy safe for humans?

Music therapy, which includes music and mindfulness practices, is generally considered safe for humans. It is a non-invasive treatment that has been used to help reduce anxiety, stress, and pain in various clinical settings, including hospitals and intensive care units. ^{1 6 7 8 9}

How is the Music and Mindfulness treatment for anxiety different from other treatments?

The Music and Mindfulness treatment for anxiety is unique because it combines music therapy and mindfulness meditation, offering a non-drug approach that can improve emotional well-being and reduce anxiety without the side effects associated with medications. This treatment is particularly beneficial as it provides a holistic method to address anxiety, using music to engage emotions and mindfulness to promote relaxation and stress reduction. ^{5 10 11 12 13}

What is the purpose of this trial?

The purpose of the study is to explore the effect of music and mindfulness meditation on anxiety and mindful interoception in undergraduate music students.

Research Team

Teresa Lesiuk, PhD

Principal Investigator

University of Miami

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for undergraduate music students who experience anxiety. The study aims to see if combining music with mindfulness meditation can help them.

Inclusion Criteria

Participants must be novice meditators, having fewer than 10 total meditation experiences

Participants must be proficient English-readers and -speakers and be full-time enrolled students

I am a student.

Exclusion Criteria

Having more than 10 total meditation experiences

I feel my anxiety has been under 7 out of 10 recently.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

1-2 weeks

Treatment

Participants receive music in combination with mindfulness meditation for up to two weeks

2 weeks

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in anxiety and mindful interoception

1 hour post intervention

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Music in combination with mindfulness

Trial Overview The intervention being tested involves using music along with mindfulness meditation techniques to determine their combined effect on reducing anxiety and improving mindful awareness of bodily sensations in the participants.

Participant Groups

Group I: Music in combination with mindfulness group Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Participants in this group will receive music in combination with mindfulness group for up to two weeks.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Miami

Lead Sponsor

Trials

976

Recruited

423,000+

Findings from Research

Music therapy has been shown to be an effective treatment for various conditions, including chronic pain, migraines in children, and chronic tinnitus, supported by moderate to large effect sizes in multiple meta-analyses.

The growing body of evidence suggests that music therapy should be considered as a viable intervention in clinical settings, with future research needed to compare its effectiveness against standard treatments.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Outcome research in music therapy: a step on the long road to an evidence-based treatment. Nickel, AK., Hillecke, T., Argstatter, H., et al.[2011]

Music therapy is an effective complementary treatment for cancer patients, helping to improve mood, reduce stress, pain, and anxiety, and enhance relaxation during their treatment process.

Integrating music therapy into supportive cancer care can significantly promote overall wellness and improve both physical and emotional well-being, contributing to a better quality of life for patients.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Music therapy in supportive cancer care. Stanczyk, MM.[2022]

Music therapy has shown potential as an alternative treatment for various mental illnesses, including depression, autism, schizophrenia, and dementia, based on a review of neuroscientific and clinical studies.

While music can influence neurobiological processes in the brain, further research is needed to determine its long-term effects and whether it can replace traditional treatments.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Mental health implications of music: insight from neuroscientific and clinical studies. Lin, ST., Yang, P., Lai, CY., et al.[2011]

There is a significant lack of quantitative research on the effects of music therapy for individuals with mental illnesses, despite its potential to treat various clinical populations.

This study analyzes high-quality research methods from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to propose improved methodologies for future music therapy research, aiming to strengthen the evidence base and enhance treatment for mental health patients.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Quantitative comparison of cognitive behavioral therapy and music therapy research: a methodological best-practices analysis to guide future investigation for adult psychiatric patients. Silverman, MJ.[2019]

Music therapy significantly reduced anxiety levels in hospitalized patients with thought disorders, as shown by a decrease in visual analog scale (VAS) scores from 3.1 to 0.897 after the intervention (p = 0.008).

This intervention is a low-risk alternative to traditional treatments, offering positive outcomes without the side effects associated with medications or other restrictive measures.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Music Therapy as a Nonpharmacological Intervention for Anxiety in Patients with a Thought Disorder. Pavlov, A., Kameg, K., Cline, TW., et al.[2018]

Excess noise in hospitals negatively impacts health, contributing to increased heart rate, blood pressure, anxiety, and pain, highlighting the need for effective noise management.

The proposal for a 'Department of Sound' aims to reduce hospital noise and implement music therapy, which has been shown to alleviate stress and anxiety for patients and staff alike.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Reducing noise pollution in the hospital setting by establishing a department of sound: a survey of recent research on the effects of noise and music in health care. Cabrera, IN., Lee, MH.[2005]

Music therapy significantly reduces anxiety levels in patients on mechanical ventilation, as evidenced by improvements in both the Brief Anxiety Scale and Visual Analogue Anxiety Scales, with p-values indicating strong statistical significance.

In addition to lowering anxiety, music therapy also positively affected physiological measures, including reduced diastolic pressure, mean arterial pressure, and breathing rate, suggesting it may enhance overall patient comfort and recovery.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

[The effectiveness of music therapy in reducing physiological and psychological anxiety in mechanically ventilated patients]. Wu, SJ., Chou, FH.[2009]

Music therapy serves as a complementary treatment for critically ill patients in intensive care, enhancing the effects of conventional medical treatments.

The intervention has both physiological and psychological benefits, suggesting it can improve overall patient well-being during critical illness.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Music therapy in ICU. Coughlan, A.[2015]

In a study involving 126 mechanically ventilated patients in intensive care units, preferred music playlists were analyzed to understand their impact on managing anxiety through patient-directed music listening interventions.

The findings highlight the importance of music selection in therapeutic interventions, suggesting that involving a board-certified music therapist can enhance the effectiveness of music listening protocols in clinical settings.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Analysis of Preferred Music of Mechanically Ventilated Intensive Care Unit Patients Enrolled in a Randomized Controlled Trial. Heiderscheit, A., Johnson, K., Chlan, LL.[2023]

Music Therapy (MT) has shown potential in improving social and emotional well-being, particularly for individuals dealing with social anxiety, a prevalent mental health issue.

Incorporating ethnic music into therapy could enhance the effectiveness of music therapy, highlighting the need for strategies to integrate MT into public health programs to better address social anxiety.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Music Therapy and Public Health: How to Bridge the Use of Ethnic Music for Social Anxiety. Arizona, A., Hanurawan, F., Hidayah, N., et al.[2023]

In a pilot study involving 36 children aged 8-12 with anxiety disorders, Multimodal Music Therapy (MMT) showed a significantly higher remission rate (67%) compared to treatment as usual (TAU) (33%), indicating its potential effectiveness.

The benefits of MMT not only appeared immediately after treatment but also persisted for four months, suggesting lasting effects, although both MMT and TAU showed similar improvements in other outcome measures.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A randomized controlled trial of multimodal music therapy for children with anxiety disorders. Goldbeck, L., Ellerkamp, T.[2019]

A secondary analysis of a mindfulness-music therapy intervention involving 31 young adults with cancer showed that factors like higher baseline physical functioning, anxiety, fatigue, and female sex were linked to greater improvements in anxiety levels after the therapy sessions.

The study suggests that the delivery format of the intervention (in-person vs. virtual) also influenced anxiety reduction, indicating that tailoring future mindfulness-music therapy interventions could enhance their effectiveness for young cancer patients.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Exploring Influencing Factors of Anxiety Improvement Following Mindfulness-Based Music Therapy in Young Adults with Cancer. Knoerl, R., Mazzola, E., Woods, H., et al.[2023]

A 10-day online mindfulness-based stress reduction program combined with music therapy significantly reduced stress and depression levels in 120 cancer patients compared to a control group.

Participants in the intervention group also reported improved psychological well-being, indicating that this combined approach can be an effective psychological intervention for cancer patients.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program on Stress, Depression, and Psychological Well-being in Patients With Cancer: A Single-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial. Yildirim, D., Çiriş Yildiz, C., Ozdemir, FA., et al.[2023]

References

1. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Outcome research in music therapy: a step on the long road to an evidence-based treatment. [2011]

2. Poland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Music therapy in supportive cancer care. [2022]

3. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Mental health implications of music: insight from neuroscientific and clinical studies. [2011]

4. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Quantitative comparison of cognitive behavioral therapy and music therapy research: a methodological best-practices analysis to guide future investigation for adult psychiatric patients. [2019]

5. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Music Therapy as a Nonpharmacological Intervention for Anxiety in Patients with a Thought Disorder. [2018]

6. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Reducing noise pollution in the hospital setting by establishing a department of sound: a survey of recent research on the effects of noise and music in health care. [2005]

7. China (Republic : 1949- ) pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

[The effectiveness of music therapy in reducing physiological and psychological anxiety in mechanically ventilated patients]. [2009]

8. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Music therapy in ICU. [2015]

9. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Analysis of Preferred Music of Mechanically Ventilated Intensive Care Unit Patients Enrolled in a Randomized Controlled Trial. [2023]

10. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Music Therapy and Public Health: How to Bridge the Use of Ethnic Music for Social Anxiety. [2023]

11. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A randomized controlled trial of multimodal music therapy for children with anxiety disorders. [2019]

12. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Exploring Influencing Factors of Anxiety Improvement Following Mindfulness-Based Music Therapy in Young Adults with Cancer. [2023]

13. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program on Stress, Depression, and Psychological Well-being in Patients With Cancer: A Single-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial. [2023]