New Research on Music, Emotions, and the Brain

Earlier this month, researchers at UC San Francisco published a study in Science Advances, revealing that the brain has special neurons devoted to predicting notes in a melodic pattern. The brain does this based on what it already knows about melodic patterns, similar to speech processing.

This isn't a purely logical exercise because those auditory neurons are interacting with our emotions. While we are in the act of anticipating what comes next musically, our emotions are evolving as well in connection to the music.

Music is all about context. We hear a familiar song and it brings back memories and associated emotions. The research implies that even if we hear a new piece of music, our brain is already anticipating what we might hear, and how we will feel, based on our musical experiences so far.

When I choose music for a Focused Music Imagery session, I need to consider this information carefully, as the music serves as both the container and the stimulus for the client's imagery experience. When I first meet a client, I ask about their musical background and preferences. I think about this information when I choose music for our sessions. If the client has a negative association with the cello, I obviously won't choose music with cello for our initial session. However, if the cello comes up in conversation during a later session and it seems therapeutically relevant for the client to explore their associations with this instrument, I may choose a piece of music with cello to explore, if the client agrees that would be an appropriate focus.

Before I begin an FMI experience, I will play the client an excerpt of the music to check if it fits their desired focus before proceeding. Even if I choose a piece of music the client hasn't heard yet, they will still have associations arise based on what they've heard before. Music is such a personal experience, and so it's essential to consider client preferences as part of the work.