Listening to music can be a welcome distraction. But for people suffering from a wide range of medical conditions, its effects go much deeper.
By: Michaela Haas
May 22, 2025
“At the University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio, cancer patients can ask for an unusual medicine: Could a guitar player come and play a tune by their bedside, like the Beatles’ “Let it Be”?
“We have empirical evidence that shows music can help reduce a person’s pain perception,” says Seneca Block, director of Expressive Therapies at University Hospitals Connor Whole Health. On average, Block’s studies have shown that music can reduce pain perception by 20 percent. He emphasizes that music therapy is not meant to replace pain medication, but pharmacology and music can work hand in hand. “We’re here to make the person’s experience better,” he says.
The music therapy program at the University Hospitals has been running for over 25 years, making it one of the oldest such programs in the nation. It has consistently proven to reduce stress, anxiety and pain.
“Music therapy is one of the most important supportive therapies we have,” says Block’s colleague, psychiatrist Syed Amir Shah, at the University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. “Music therapy has shown to hit areas of the brain that deal with cognition, emotion, and it has truly helped our patients.””