Ring My Bell: Experiences as a Music Therapist, Cancer Patient, and Survivor
Loading...
Author
Davidson, Kahlilah
Date
2023
Degree
Master of Arts in Music Therapy
Abstract
While music can be found to enhance many aspects of the medical environment, even by a
caring staff of non-music therapists (Zhang et al., 2018), music should be considered a treatment
modality by any clinician who introduces it in the medical environmen.t Clinicians should
continue take steps to stay well-informed on the evidence, supporting benefits, and potential
harm of the uses of all integrative treatment approaches, including music therapy, as the field
continues to evolve and new research continues to explore the effects of music on emotion in
patients with cancer (Kievisiene et al., 2020). The purpose of this study was to examine my
experiences as a music therapist receiving cancer treatments accompanied by music that was not
my choice. This study is an autoethnographic inquiry. Through a process of examination and
reflection, data was gathered from “real-time” journal entries documented in and around the time
an adverse emotional and physical reactions were observed during radiation treatment while
listening to music that was not my personal preference. The autoethnography process is
discussed and suggestions for further research are offered.