Music's Essential Role During Psychedelic Therapy

Music is an essential component of psychedelic therapy. Music can help to structure the experience, elicit emotion, facilitate meaning-making, stimulate imagery, provide continuity, support peak experiences, and more. Clients who have positive experiences with music often demonstrate higher therapeutic outcomes during psychedelic therapy. Although music is ubiquitous during psychedelic therapy, little research exists exploring the empirical foundations of how exactly music supports psychedelic therapy. By adapting the music to the specific needs of the individual, clinicians using music during psychedelic therapy might be able to improve therapeutic outcomes and provide support for clients. This requires an informed understanding of the mechanics of music and how they interact with psychedelics. Interviews with clinicians working with psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy shed insight into the important role that music plays in their practice. Another interview with a music therapist trained in the Bonny Method of Imagery and Music (GIM) explores the shared history between GIM and psychedelic therapy. The unique skill set of music therapists may prove vital in supporting clients during the process itself as well as follow-up sessions that help stabilize and integrate the experience. The implications for future collaboration between music therapists and clinicians working with psychedelics are explored.