EFFECTS OF MUSICOTERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION, MEDITATION AND RELAXATION IN PEOPLE

WITH PHYSICAL FUNCTIONAL DIVERSITY

by M Jos Estivariz da Silva

ABSTRACT
This study examines the effects of music therapy, in the short term, on the degree of relaxation by measuring the heart rate in
7 patients with different physical disabilities such as multiple sclerosis, ictus and Fredreich's ataxia.
Criterion of inclusion::Patients with similar characteristics that through verbal agreement willing to participate in the study
were distributed into two groups: Group A - four people, two men and two women. Grouo B - two women and one man
between 35 and 57 years of age same level of physical and cognitive affectation. All can verbally follow one Relaxation (R)
and guided meditation (M).This intervention aims to cover three areas: physiological, psychological and emotional. Patients
passively receive eight sessions of music therapy, one per week, from 10 to 15 minutes, led by a music therapist and
co-therapist.Techniques of R and M used: Tone of voice calm, paused and slow melodies with electric bass and effects
pedals, with posterior feedback.The two groups receive 8 sessions, under two conditions: Group A - four sessions of music
guided M & R. Group B - only music and guideline concentration (respiration). Alternate order of sessions. Evaluation:
effect of TM on the cardiac pulse measured by a pulsometer before and after each session. Other: muscle tone, sensation
body, breathing or feelings, measured with Likert scale (1 to 5) by means of observation sheet that corroborates the obtained
pulse. Independent variable: music, M and R. Methods of relaxation, two techniques: progressive muscle relaxation and
training Autogenous (visualizations).Results: Comparing the before and after each session observed an evolution between
each group and notable differences between both. Immediate significant effects: reduction of mean heart rate: 10%,
Other:80% observable by patients and music therapists. Conclusion: The use of live music combined with M and R
techniques in Patients with physical functional diversity in music therapy sessions, reduces the Cardiac rhythm and improves
the degree of relaxation. With an increased number of sessions, you can achieve patients allowing an enrichment in their
quality of life. It would be possible to open a field of research that combines the musical benefits with those who contribute
the M and R scientifically tested.

KEYWORDS
Physical Functional Diversity1, multiple sclerosis, stroke, quality of life, meditation, relaxation and music therapy.

INTRODUCTION
The motivation that led me to choose this issue is because this disease has as one of its characteristics the muscular rigidity.
Mobility difficulties that can cause pain, with an impact on the quality of life of the patient. This is mainly due to injuries in
the motor central nervous system, medulla and brain. The affected person perceives it as a sensation of stiffness or increased
tension in the muscles, which impairs the movement, subtracts skill and increases your fatigue. When accompanied by
example of muscle spasms, a person with Multiple Sclerosis describes a feeling of stretching or jerking that can sometimes
result painful. Functional Diversity Physical is the denomination today, but it is still called with other terms such as physical
disability or motor impairment.

The objective of my study would be to show the benefits in the degree of relaxation obtained in adults with functional
physical diversity: multiple sclerosis, ictus and Friedreich's ataxia. After the application of music therapy using techniques of
yoga, meditation and relaxation. The subjects to be studied would be a group of users of the Camf in Legans, Spain who
suffer from this disease. I think that the physical body is not opposed to intelligence, feelings, or soul. Everything is
included. Therefore, to become aware of one's own body means to open oneself to the the totality of the being, is to take the
road to its reality. It does not matter where and when you start taking that road (from a wheelchair, a bed, seated). Within
that Everything is the Unity and you have to go in search of it.

The movement must be born from the inside, trying to develop the Muscular intelligence helping them with breathing,
silence, concentration and music.This study is a path to the interior. I intend to prevent their bodies escape from feeling, help
them to live consciously and not to run away from reality.My hypothesis is that with music therapy sessions and receptive
techniques of relaxation and meditation these effects may decrease. They can be given a tool you can use when you need it
by increasing your awareness body and well-being.
HEALING BY SOUND
I would like to mention in this section some studies that have been done with regarding the healing power of sounds. These
studies are based on the principle of resonance, which says that a vibration with greater intensity and harmony can infect
another more diffuse and unhealthy. Tell us about the ability that has all vibration to achieve a greater reach and that if in its
way passes through the vibrations of the body this manages to provoke a vibration similar in each part of the organism, that
is in its specific range. In few words the power that has a frequency to modify to another frequency. These sounds modify
our brain waves, which helps to different levels of consciousness, where the states of healing and mystics, offering us greater
receptivity to self healing. In April 2009, Massage magazine released an article on the benefits Healing of sounds, as a new
method of healing - in spite of being a Ancestral therapy. Its Author, Zacciah Blackburn relates how sound healing is
growing and extending to old and modern technologies. Analyze how sound is used to treat autism, depression, and other
health. Mitchell Gaynor is also mentioned, thanks to his work with sound for the treatment of cancer, in which it documents
remarkable improvements using only sounds with their patients. His book lists the various ways in which sounds change
physiology, reduce anxiety, heart rate and breathing, reduce cardiac complications, lower blood pressure, increase blood
pressure immune cells and reduce stress. Both Tibetan bowls and vibrating sounds like the sitar emit harmonic sounds that
have beneficial effects in our being and on our chakras It is impossible to hear sounds and frequencies that are outside our
auditory field or ability, however through the harmonics we can resonate with them. They are very used in meditation,
because they cause sounds unique and rich in harmony that are capable of bringing the body into a state of absolute
well-being and peace, helping its user to have a healthy vibration, in all levels organic, mental or psychological, emotional
and spiritual.

EMPIRICAL FRAMEWORK
Although there is not much research done in this area involving both disciplines: music therapy and techniques of
meditation, yoga and relaxation, whether there are certain studies that investigate such techniques related to pathologies
related to neurodegenerative diseases. My study is to investigate the contribution of music therapy using live music as well
as resort to alternative techniques such as relaxation and meditation. The two groups under study have similar characteristics
of disability. All of them lend themselves voluntarily to the investigation. They take 8 group sessions, on Wednesday
afternoons from 6.30 pm to 8 pm for two months. The sessions last between 40 and 45 minutes and the intervention between
10 and 15 Minutes. In an alternate order, patients receive passive live music played by me with the electric bass and effects
pedal with a sitar sound on most of the sessions. During four sessions other than the music, I guided the session with a
relaxation or a meditation. In the other four patients the receptive form they only listen to me playing melodies with the bass,
of calm and paused tone, to a pulse of 40 approximately.

METHODOLOGY
The research was carried out applying the receptive, listening method. Mainly, quantitative experimental in which I analyzed
the cardiac pulses before and after each session to subjects. Data were analyzed using a observation sheet, in which the
process of each of the patients was observed during the 8 sessions. I used two relaxation methods: 1. Progressive muscle
relaxation. It consisted of gradually relaxing whole body from feet to head trying to make your brain will order the loosening
of the muscles by bringing attention to each zone of the body. 2. Autogenic training (visualizations). Previous relaxation to
visualize different meditations like the cleaning of the chakras, choice of a favorite or comfortable spot or a ball of was
passing through his body filling with peace and tranquility.

RESOURCES
The resources used have been provided by the music therapist and the co-therapist. The instruments selected have been my
Pensa 5 string electric bass, electroharmonics effects pedal ("Ravish Sitar"), voice, rain stick, and tibetan bowls.

MEASUREMENT
The design was performed with a pre-post session evaluation during which during 8 sessions their cardiac pulses were
measured with a pulsometer before and immediately after the relaxation by an evaluation form. Also I asking open-ended
questions directly to users about their physiological, motor and emotional perceptions and their response to the techniques of
relaxing. The external observations of the music therapist and co-therapist. The independent variables were: Music,
meditation and relaxation. The dependent variable was the cardiac pulse. As can be seen in figure 1 of the first session the
cardiac pulse output decreases slightly except in patients in the second group for stress that supposes them, according to their
comments, to take the elevator by themselves alone and get late to the dining room. (sample)
 DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULT
It should be noted that this figure is only significant in conjunction
with the contribution of other observations such as the motor,
emotional and perceptions not only of the patient but also of the
music therapist and the therapist as shown in the evaluation sheets.
Because there has not been a control group study to compare the
results of a group with another that received relaxation and music
therapy and one that was not, the study will be based also in checking
if the alternate sessions of music therapy, R and M with voice guided
and unguided have any effect on the results.

Patient C analysis In the evolution of this patient we can verify that

his heart pulse has between 2% and 12%, except in the pulse
increased at the end of relaxation. In the first session he complains
that it hurts him the head and it bothers the heat a lot, curiously at the
end of the relaxation says that his head no longer hurts. In most
sessions he moves his arms to the sides of the wheelchair to a greater
or lesser extent until he finds a comfortable posture. Always closes
his eyes. Breaths abdominally thing that encourages relaxation and
also usually comments that he has had extra-corporeal experiences,
has seen all his life, feel much pleasure, with the mind in blank, feel
at peace and very relaxed, like floating. His mood is usually animated
except on one occasion when he did not come to the session and we
saw that he was psychologically affected by something, which he did
not want to share. He often comments that he likes the music and
shows his satisfaction to see the "good spirit" that feels in the room. As you can see from the graph, his heart rate drops total
average 6% so that his response to this type of techniques is very positive. With respect to the others it is the one who has
lowered its pulsations the most. It could be said that since this patient enjoyed the sessions would be advisable to continue
practicing them individually and in groups. (see full thesis)

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

It should be noted that relaxation and meditation interventions lasted between 10 and 15 minutes. I think they are training
techniques that take their process and time. The time can be increased gradually if appropriate. For this group has been a
small training, since some of them do not receive this type of techniques in their daily life. There has been a evolution in its
trajectory and in it, in most cases, have I could say that, potentially, relaxation techniques (yoga and training autogenous,
specifically) can provide benefits in different dimensions of neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis or
Freidreich can improve their quality of life. Likewise, emotional symptoms, such as depression or anxiety, may be lessened
as has been observed in the study. However, there is little research concerning relaxation techniques and its use in the
treatment of symptoms in patients with functional diversity physical. I believe that in the future there are several issues that
need to be considered in relation to the treatment of physical functional diversity with relaxation and meditation; For
example, the possibility that others non-music therapists, such as physiotherapists, relaxation techniques in their
conventional interventions and to compare results with music therapists in coordinated work. In addition, it would be
interesting determine when it would be more appropriate to start with relaxation techniques within the evolutionary process
of the disease, if it is possible to identify subgroups of physical diversity that would benefit most from relaxation technique
or what relaxation technique is most appropriate in the treatment of patients with physical functional diversity. In addition, it
would be interesting to control the medication consumption (dose, time elapsed, differences between the subjects, etc.) by
the subjects that integrate the studies, as well as if they have previously performed or are undergoing physiotherapy
treatment, since can act as confounding variables it is difficult to make strong statements about the effectiveness of
relaxation in the treatment of physiological, motor, emotional and affective factors as well as in the increase of the quality of
life of patients with physical functional diversity, because there is not much research on this. I think that a large field of
research can be opened with numerous variables to study in this field that can be designed to address this type of Pathologies
in the future.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES

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LINKS OF INTEREST PHYSICAL FUNCTIONAL DIVERSITY MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS:

http://www.elsevier.es/es-revista-revista-iberoamericana-fisioterapia-kinesiologia-176-articulo-sclerosis-multiple-techniques
-relaxation-13140181 (May 2015)
http://www.esclerosismultiple.com/noticias/detalle.php?id_not=620. (May 2015)
http://www.cun.es/enfermedades-tratamientos/enfermedades/esclerosis-multiple(May 2015)
http://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=4994809 (May 2015)
http://www.dmedicina.com/enferencias/neurologicas/esclerosis-multiple.html(May 2015)
http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1138604509000021?via=sd&cc=y
http://www.revistareduca.es/index.php/reduca-enfermeria/article/view/883(Mayo 2015)
http://saludyvidabarcelona.blogspot.com.es/2013/05/musicoterapia-ymeditacion. (May 2015)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1138604509000021(June 2015)

ATAXIA DE FREDREICH
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/english/ency/article/002052.htm(June 2015)
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003206.htm (June 2015)
http://salud.discapnet.es/Castellano/Salud/Enfermedades/EnfermedadesDiscapacita/ A / Ataxia / Pages / Cover%
20ataxia.aspx. (June 2015)

MEDITATION
http://www.abc.es/20111122/ciencia/abci-beneficios-meditacion-para-cerebro- (July 2015)
http://www.formarse.com.ar/crecimiento/LAMEDITACION.htm (July 2015)
http://www.geyseco.es/musicoterapia/ (July 2015)
http://www.vidanaturalia.com/meditacion-para-sirve-meditat-and-which-beneficient-the-meditation /(July 2015)

BOOKS:
Aljoscha A. Schwarz, Ronald P. Schweppe, (2002) Heal with music, Ediciones Robinbook, 1 Jan.
Blackburn Zacciah, (2009) Massage magazine, Sound Healing: A Therapeutic Tool For the future
Bruscia, K. (2007). Defining music therapy. Mexico: Editorial Pax. Jimnez, C. (2008).
Davis, W .; Gfeller, K. and Thaut, M. (2000). Introduction to Music Therapy: Theory and Practice.
Barcelona: Boileau.
Gaynor Mitchel. (2001) Healing sounds: Discover the therapeutic power of the Sound, voice and music, Uranus.
Osho (1998), Meditation: The Art of Ecstasy. Osho Gulaab