Music and Grief

Grief is often a deep and yet so personal experience; it leaves us searching for ways to express our emotions that our words often cannot. Music provides a unique outlet because it engages both our emotional and cognitive processes. Studies revealed that 94% of adult grievers intentionally used music during their grief journey, saying it has become a widespread coping mechanism (Garrido & Davidson, 2019). I, to this day, find myself listening to certain music when I hit harder days of grieving, noticing that sometimes I feel closer to myself and other times just feel a sense of peace when choosing to gravitate towards music at times of unrest. 

What Science Says:

Dual Process Model of Grief

This model suggests that grieving involves going between loss-oriented and restoration-oriented coping. Music supports both songs of remembrance and helps us process loss, while uplifting or distracting music aids in restorations (Stroebe & Schut, 1999). In an Oxford study, researchers found that music therapy programs often provided structured opportunities for emotional release, identity reconstruction, and fellowship (Bonde, 2015) 

APPLY: 

Create a Playlist of Memories: Put together a playlist of songs that remind you of your loved one 

Write Your Own: Journaling your feelings through the use of song lyrics/ songwriting can help reinterpret your loss 

Let your music reflect your feelings: Listen to slower, maybe more emotional songs when you need to process your feelings of grief, and upbeat songs when you need relief. 

Here's My Playlist that I listen to! My Uncle loved Worship music and oldies!

Praise Him!  — Rohita Morampudi

oldies !  — Rohita Morampudi

Refrences:

Stroebe, M., & Schut, H. (1999). The dual process model of coping with bereavement: Rationale and description. Death Studies, 23(3), 197–224. https://doi.org/10.1080/074811899201046

Bonde, L. O. (2015). Music therapy in grief and mourning. In J. Edwards (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Music Therapy (pp. 440–457). Oxford University Press.

Garrido, S., & Davidson, J. W. (2019). Music, memory, and mourning: The role of music in the experience of bereavement. Bereavement: Journal of Grief and Loss, 28(2), 45–60.