Reaching Spiritual Realms Through Music Therapy and Music in Palliative Care

Spiritual care focuses on helping people to connect with what they find sacred or important and brings an overall feeling of health and well-being. Music is a fundamental part of being human and can profoundly support this endeavour. Music can inspire, soothe, transport, and enable transcendence. Some project anthropomorphic properties onto music, describing it as a friend or saviour; it can convey understanding, validate, and give a voice. Music can powerfully elicit memories and accompanying emotions, enable emotional release, and connect people with significant others, places, values, and religious beliefs. Alternatively, music that does not resonate may need avoidance; and music associated with devastating loss may need silencing while it safely holds painful states, available for returning to when ready. The chapter describes music therapy in the care of serious illness, with a focus on contributions to generalist spiritual care. Additionally, the chapter includes suggestions for how specialist and generalist spiritual carers can use music to extend spiritual support. Research findings and case illustrations demonstrate that music therapy and thoughtful music-based applications can extend the multisensorial scope of reaching and supporting spiritual realms in those affected by serious illnesses.