Music therapy is a clinical, evidence-based form of treatment that uses music interventions—such as listening, singing, songwriting, and playing instruments—to help people reach specific therapeutic goals.(Source) These sessions are led by a board-certified music therapist who is trained to use music safely and effectively within a therapeutic relationship.

According to the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), music therapy is the evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program.(Source)

In addiction treatment, music therapy is not just about putting on a playlist. Your therapist intentionally selects or creates musical experiences that match your needs, preferences, and treatment goals. This can include:

• Creating music: You may write lyrics, compose simple melodies, or collaborate with your therapist or peers to create songs that reflect your experiences in recovery.
• Singing: Using your voice—whether you consider yourself a singer or not—can be a powerful way to release emotions, build confidence, and connect with others.
• Listening to music: Guided music listening can help you explore emotions, memories, and beliefs in a safe, structured way. Your therapist may invite you to notice how different songs affect your mood, thoughts, and body.
• Moving to music: From gentle swaying or tapping your toes to more structured movement or dance, moving with music can help reduce stress, release tension, and reconnect you with your body.
• Discussing lyrics: Song lyrics can feel like poetry that tells your story. Your therapist may use lyric analysis to help you explore themes like loss, hope, resilience, and identity in recovery.(Source)
• Playing instruments: Even if you have never played an instrument, you can learn simple patterns on drums, piano, guitar, or other instruments. This can support self-expression, focus, and emotional regulation.

At Cardinal Recovery, music therapy is one of several therapeutic tools we may recommend as part of your individualized treatment plan. You never have to sing or perform in front of others if that feels overwhelming. Your therapist will meet you where you are, respect your boundaries, and help you participate in ways that feel safe and manageable.

Music therapy is considered a complementary or adjunctive treatment in addiction care. That means it is used alongside primary therapies—such as individual counseling, group therapy, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and trauma-focused therapies—to support your overall recovery.(Source)

Substance use disorders affect the brain’s reward system, including dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved in pleasure, motivation, and learning.(Source) Over time, repeated drug or alcohol use can make it harder for the brain to experience pleasure from everyday activities, which can contribute to cravings, low mood, and relapse risk.(Source)

Research suggests that engaging with music can activate brain regions involved in reward, emotion, and motivation, and may increase dopamine release in some contexts.(Source) In a structured therapeutic setting, music therapy can help you:

• Experience positive emotions without substances
• Practice new ways of coping with stress and cravings
• Reconnect with sources of joy, meaning, and identity beyond drug or alcohol use

Music therapy can also support treatment for co-occurring mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and bipolar disorder, which are common among people with substance use disorders.(Source)

### How Music Therapy Fits Into Your Treatment Plan

Only a credentialed music therapist can provide music therapy. At Cardinal Recovery, our music therapist collaborates closely with your broader treatment team—which may include physicians, nurses, psychiatrists, therapists, and case managers—to align music therapy with your overall goals.

Depending on your needs, music therapy goals may include:

• Reducing anxiety, agitation, or restlessness
• Improving mood and motivation to engage in treatment
• Supporting emotional processing related to trauma, grief, or shame
• Strengthening attention, memory, and other cognitive skills affected by substance use
• Building healthy social connections and communication skills
• Supporting relapse-prevention strategies and coping skills

Sessions may be individual or in small groups. Your therapist will consider your musical preferences, cultural background, triggers, and comfort level. For example, if certain genres or songs are strongly associated with past substance use, your therapist will avoid or carefully explore those selections with you to reduce the risk of triggering cravings.

Music therapy is flexible and can be adapted for different levels of care, including residential treatment, partial hospitalization programs (PHP), and intensive outpatient programs (IOP).(Source) It is never used as a stand-alone treatment for addiction, but as a powerful complement to evidence-based therapies.

Music can shift our mood in seconds, but in therapy, it does much more than that. When guided by a trained professional, music therapy can support healing across emotional, physical, spiritual, cognitive, and social domains.(Source)

Below are some of the key benefits people in recovery may experience.

### Emotional Benefits

• Accessing and processing emotions: Music can help bring forward feelings that may be difficult to name or talk about, including grief, anger, shame, or hope. Once these emotions surface, your therapist can help you process them safely.(Source)
• Feeling less alone: Many people describe feeling deeply understood by certain songs or lyrics. Exploring these in therapy can reduce feelings of isolation and increase a sense of connection.
• Mood improvement: Structured music therapy interventions have been associated with reductions in symptoms of depression and anxiety in various clinical populations, including people with substance use disorders.(Source)
• Healthy self-expression: Writing songs, choosing music that reflects your story, or playing instruments can help you express yourself without turning to substances.
• Stress management: Relaxation-focused music therapy—such as guided imagery with music or slow, calming playlists—can reduce perceived stress and promote a sense of calm.(Source)

### Physical Benefits

Music affects the body as well as the mind. In a therapeutic setting, it can support:

• Heart rate and blood pressure regulation: Relaxing music has been shown to lower heart rate and blood pressure in some individuals, which can be helpful during early recovery when the body is adjusting to sobriety.(Source)
• Improved sleep quality: Calming music before bedtime can support better sleep onset and quality for many people.(Source)
• Pain management: Music therapy has been used in medical settings to help reduce the perception of pain and the distress associated with it.(Source)
• Motor and speech support: For some people, especially those with neurological conditions or injuries, rhythmic music can support movement, coordination, and speech patterns.(Source)

While music therapy is not a medical treatment for conditions like asthma or chronic pain, it may help reduce stress-related symptoms and improve overall comfort when used alongside medical care.(Source)

### Spiritual and Meaning-Making Benefits

For many people, music is deeply spiritual. In recovery, music therapy can help you:

• Explore your personal beliefs, values, and sense of purpose
• Reconnect with spiritual or faith traditions that are meaningful to you
• Find hope and inspiration in songs that reflect resilience and renewal

Your therapist will respect your beliefs and will never impose a particular spiritual or religious perspective.

### Cognitive Benefits

Substance use can affect attention, memory, and decision-making. Music therapy can support cognitive functioning by:

• Encouraging sustained attention through structured musical tasks
• Supporting memory through repetition of lyrics, melodies, or sequences
• Helping you practice planning, problem-solving, and decision-making during creative projects like songwriting or group music-making(Source)

These activities can help you feel more in control and capable as you rebuild your life in recovery.

### Coping Skills and Relapse Prevention

Music therapy can be a powerful tool for building practical coping skills you can use long after treatment ends. You may learn to use music intentionally for:

• Breathing techniques: Pairing slow, steady breathing with calming music to reduce anxiety or cravings
• Relaxation: Using specific playlists or guided music exercises to unwind after stressful situations
• Distraction: Turning to music as a healthy distraction when urges to use substances arise
• Emotional expression: Choosing or creating songs that help you express what you are feeling instead of bottling it up or acting on impulses

Your therapist can help you create personalized “recovery playlists” and music-based routines that support your relapse-prevention plan.(Source)

### Social and Relationship Benefits

Addiction often damages relationships and can leave people feeling isolated. Music therapy can help rebuild connection by:

• Providing a safe, structured way to interact with others in group sessions
• Encouraging teamwork and communication through group music-making
• Helping you share parts of your story through songs, lyrics, or instruments
• Creating opportunities to form healthy, sober friendships based on shared interests instead of substance use

At Cardinal Recovery, our small-group setting allows you to experience these benefits in an intimate, supportive environment where you can be seen and heard.

Like any therapeutic approach, music therapy is not the right fit for everyone, and it has important limitations.

### Practical and Clinical Constraints

• Need for a qualified therapist: True music therapy must be provided by a credentialed music therapist. Not all treatment centers have access to this level of specialized care.(Source)
• Complementary, not stand-alone: Music therapy should not be used as the only treatment for a substance use disorder. It is most effective when integrated into a comprehensive, evidence-based treatment plan that may include counseling, medication, and other therapies.(Source)

### Emotional and Trigger-Related Concerns

For some people, certain songs, artists, or genres are strongly tied to past substance use, relationships, or traumatic events. Hearing this music can:

• Trigger cravings or urges to use
• Bring up intense emotions such as anger, sadness, or shame
• Lead to agitation, distress, or withdrawal

At Cardinal Recovery, our therapists take great care to:

• Ask about your musical history, preferences, and triggers
• Avoid or carefully introduce music that may be associated with substance use
• Encourage you to speak up if a song, lyric, or exercise feels overwhelming or triggering

If you notice yourself becoming agitated, overwhelmed, or distressed during a session, you are encouraged to let your therapist know immediately so they can adjust or stop the intervention.

### When Music Therapy May Not Be the Best Fit

Music therapy may not be appropriate—or may need to be significantly modified—if you:

• Are highly sensitive to sound or have certain sensory processing challenges
• Have a history of severe trauma linked to specific music or environments
• Feel that participating in music-based activities significantly increases your cravings or emotional instability despite adjustments

In these cases, your treatment team may recommend focusing on other therapeutic approaches and revisiting music therapy later, if and when it feels safer.

Even if music therapy is not the right fit for you right now, there are many other evidence-based therapies available at Cardinal Recovery. Music therapy is one tool among many that can support your recovery.

Deciding whether to participate in music therapy is a personal choice. You do not need musical talent or experience to benefit. Many people who are initially hesitant—especially those who feel anxious about singing or performing—find that music therapy becomes one of the most meaningful parts of their treatment once they try it in a safe, nonjudgmental setting.

Music therapy may be a good fit if you:

• Feel connected to music or notice that songs strongly affect your mood
• Have difficulty expressing emotions with words alone
• Want new, practical coping tools for stress, cravings, or anxiety
• Are interested in creative or experiential therapies in addition to talk therapy

It may be less appropriate—or require careful planning—if you:

• Have strong negative reactions or cravings linked to specific music
• Feel overwhelmed by group settings and are not yet ready to try them
• Prefer more structured, verbal therapies and do not feel open to creative approaches at this time

You do not have to make this decision alone. Our clinical team can help you weigh the potential benefits and constraints based on your history, triggers, and goals. If music therapy is not the right match, we will work with you to identify other therapies that better support your recovery.

Reaching out for help is a courageous step. When you call Cardinal Recovery, you will speak with a compassionate admissions professional who understands substance use and mental health challenges.

We are a dual-diagnosis treatment center in South Bend, Indiana, specializing in alcohol and drug addiction as well as co-occurring mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, trauma-related disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and borderline personality disorder.(Source)

### What You Can Expect When You Call

When you contact us by phone or through our online form, you can expect:

• A free clinical assessment: We will ask about your substance use history, mental health, medical needs, and current situation to help determine the most appropriate level of care.
• No obligation to enter treatment: The assessment is informational and supportive. You are not committing to treatment by speaking with us.
• A dedicated Admissions Coordinator: You will talk with someone who can answer your questions, explain our programs, verify insurance benefits, and help you understand your options.
• Guidance on next steps: Whether you come to Cardinal Recovery or need a different level of care, we will help you explore safe, appropriate next steps.

Our staff is available 24/7 to take your call, because crises and questions do not follow a 9–5 schedule.(Source) We welcome individuals and families from across the United States, not just Indiana and the Midwest.

If you are interested in music therapy as part of your treatment, you can ask about how it is integrated into our programs and whether it may be appropriate for your situation.

Call Cardinal Recovery today at (844) 951-4970 or complete our confidential contact form to learn more about our music therapy program and comprehensive addiction treatment services. Taking this step can be the beginning of a healthier, more hopeful, and sober life.