Music Therapy at Houston Methodist Hospital

Offering emotionally-fragile patients a deeply personal experience through a sound dome.

Music transforms the soul. It puts people in touch with their deepest emotions during their darkest hours, even when they feel less than human. It connects them to humanity.

Music gave hope to victims during the Holocaust. It stirs our souls as we listen to the songs of our country, helping us to rise and feel stronger. And, music therapy has healing power for patients at Houston Methodist Hospital.

Music therapy delivered through a sound dome.

Psychology Today says scientific evidence supports the use of music therapy in some forms of mental conditions. Thanks to a sound dome located in the inpatient behavioral health unit at the hospital, patients can harness the power of music during one of the most emotionally traumatic times in their lives.

Houston Methodist Hospital’s music therapists do double duty in acute psychiatry. The therapists encourage each patient to formulate a personalized playlist. Then, the patients are led to the sound dome where they can allow the music to play a part in their therapy.

For thirty minutes, a patient is able to listen to their music alone, which offers an intimate experience for the patient. The patient hears only the music without interruption and those outside the dome can’t hear the music inside the dome.

Patients are often suicidal or unable to be involved in their own self-care.

Corinna Keenmon, M.D., medical director of the behavioral unit, says “These conditions can range from severe depression, an actual psychotic disorder like schizophrenia, or a mood condition like bipolar disorder.”

Keenmon also serves as an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Baylor College of Medicine. She says a patient may also be in the unit because of circumstance, like the death of someone close to them or a breakup. These life-altering events can produce a similar type of emotional crisis as those seen with mental illness.

Houston Methodist’s behavioral unit gives patients more control and a more personal experience.

The music therapists at the unit want to offer patients a more wholistic way to stabilize their emotions. Music is the vessel offered.

Music is a deeply personal experience for each person. What might relax one person will be quite different for another.

While many of us might envision a Nessum Dorma or Audra Day type of melodic experience, the playlists come just as the patient has ordered, often filled with rap and heavy metal. Utilizing the patient’s favorite music helps them to respond in a more positive way as they go through therapy.

Keenmon says music therapy allows a patient more control. The music often sends triggers to the patients and the therapists help the patients to identify them.

Keenmon credits the music therapists at Houston Methodist for the positive results the sound dome has already given to patients.

“To be able to take somebody from a moment of crisis and create something beautiful out of it is remarkable,” she said.

Have a loved one receiving treatment at Houston Methodist and want to be near them?

Because of the ground-breaking treatment offered at Houston Methodist, patients come to the Space City from all over to receive therapy. It’s understandable that relatives sometimes want to be close to loved ones receiving treatment at the hospital.

In the meantime, family members need a place to call home in between visits to their beloved. A Houston short-term rental is a great solution.

Many family members have already chosen a short-term luxury rental because the homes have everything that’s needed to unwind in comfort and style. What’s more, many of our single-family listings are located close to Houston Methodist.

Contact Luxurway to view our homes. We’d love to help you find the best short-term luxury home during your visit to Houston.