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Music therapy

Makom drum circle at the JCC

Everyone who’s had an emotional response to a song (admit it, P.M. Dawn totally hits you right there) knows what’s up. Jeff Samanen, LCAT, who works with kids at youth development organization the Door, notes its effectiveness in tapping into the feelings of verbally guarded clients: “Music cuts through to the core of what issues people have,” he says. This may be in part because the human brain processes tunes and language via different pathways, providing an alternative method to talk therapy. A trained practitioner is able to draw conclusions based on a client’s interaction with music, and then to work through issues using it as the central medium—sometimes accompanied by talking, sometimes not. “Music therapy is key in pain management,” adds Samanen. “Studies have found that patients going into surgery who have had music therapy are calmer, and less anesthesia is necessary. Which is a very good thing.”

Where to find it: “It’s not just, ‘Take two Beethovens and call me in the morning,’ ” says Samanen. “There isn’t a specific kind of music that’s more therapeutic than another.” While it has little to do with music therapy, you can reap the positive effects of a melody first by recognizing what music resonates with you. “Get into a meditation pose and let yourself feel the music; focus on it,” he says. If you find making music even more soothing than listening to it, join a group with a warm, welcoming approach, like the Makom drum circle at the JCC (334 Amsterdam Ave at 76th St, 646-505-4444; two Thursdays a month, check jccmanhattan.org for schedule. $12). Or join in a free jam session like Folk Open Sing (Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture, 53 Prospect Park West between 1st and 2nd Sts, Park Slope, Brooklyn; 718-636-6341. First Wednesday of the month, 7–10pm). If you want to try true music therapy, find a practitioner through the American Music Therapy Association (musictherapy.org).