An Eight-Week Zen Meditation and Music Programme for Mindfulness and Happiness: Qualitative Content Analysis.

Mental wellness can be related to healthier living, the learning process and working environments for people in the university community. A wide range of mental wellness programmes have been explored to provide students with pleasant and satisfying experiences. The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of integrating Zen meditation and music listening on the mindfulness and happiness levels of university music therapy students. A qualitative methodology was used, and data were collected through surveys and semi-structured interviews. To investigate various aspects of data regarding the role of the meditation and music (MM) programme for mindfulness and happiness, this study used thematic analysis within a qualitative research design. The findings of this study suggest that the 8-week Mindfulness Meditation (MM) programme is a potential approach for enhancing mindfulness, happiness and stress management. These results carry broader implications, particularly in terms of supporting mental health resources in higher education. Furthermore, the study contributes to the ongoing discussion regarding the positive impact of combining meditation and music to promote mental well-being. This integrated approach has the potential to strengthen coping strategies and further promote the integration of music and meditation practices in various contexts, including higher education.

The healing and spiritual properties of music therapy at a cancer care center.

BACKGROUND: This article explores the theme of spirituality, health, and well-being, in relation to an emerging body of research on the impact of music therapy in cancer care. The focus of this article is a music therapy service established as part of a residential 5-day retreat program at a cancer care center. AIMS: The aim of the study was to explore the experiences of patients with cancer with one-off group music therapy at a cancer care center. Central emphasis is given to exploring a range of themes relating to the healing and spiritual properties of music therapy group work. METHODS: This is a qualitative study, following a modified grounded-theory approach. Twenty-three (23) in-depth tape-recorded telephone interviews were conducted with people who had taken part in the music therapy sessions. RESULTS: The results focus on those findings relevant to notions of spirituality and healing, drawing on four overarching spirituality themes of transcendence, connectedness, search for meaning, and faith and hope. CONCLUSIONS: The authors consider the applicability of broader schemas that attempt to define and explore the role and significance of spirituality.

Creativity, identity and healing: participants' accounts of music therapy in cancer care.

This article reports on findings from a study of the accounts of people participating in music therapy as part of a programme of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in supportive cancer care. The article outlines the perceived effects of music therapy, which shares many characteristics with CAM therapies as well as offering a distinct contribution as a creative therapy. Hence in this article we draw on theories and writings from the sociology of CAM as well as those relating to music, healing and aesthetics in order to explore participants' accounts. The importance of identity and the role of creativity in processes of individuation are key themes emerging from the analysis. While music and creativity are often seen uncritically as resources for health and well-being, we draw attention to the challenges and complexity of diverse responses to music, framed by personal biographies that are in turn often situated within socially constructed notions of aesthetics. We argue that in research on music therapy, as well as other CAM therapies, issues of identity can be key to an understanding of questions of therapeutic impact.