How Therapy Can Help Musicians With Mental Health

Today’s guest post is by Better Help, an online therapy platform I myself have used. Although this is a sponsored post, I would not endorse something I don’t believe in or haven’t tried myself. Everyone needs therapy, but musicians especially might need help with this.

Musicians are feelers. If you are in the music industry and you’re expressing yourself through this medium, you’re a feeler. Music is full of emotion, and as a creative person, you’re showing your feelings through your art. It’s important to honor those feelings and also recognize when it’s challenging to regulate your emotions. If you have trouble with emotional regulation, it can impact your art and work. That’s where therapy can help you. Here are some ways that treatment can be supportive of those who have a creative life. 

Musicians get in touch with their emotions in therapy

When you go to therapy, you can talk to your therapist about what’s going on in your life. You can also discuss creative struggles. Maybe, it’s difficult for you to get in touch with some deep, vulnerable emotions, and it’s impacting your creativity or your ability to perform. If you’re not sure why you’re blocked creatively, a therapist can help talk to you through it and figure out why you’re facing this hurdle. Many musicians learn to hold their emotions inside because they’re told that they’re overly emotional or that they need to suck it up for a performance, the recording process, and work in general. Still, there is a balance to strike, and therapy can be that outlet. 

Dealing with creative blocks

You could be able to write your feelings down rather than speak them, and that’s okay. You might even read song lyrics to your therapist or sing them if you feel uncomfortable doing so. There are also ways to process emotions or life struggles through music therapy, which can be appealing to those who are already creative people. Finding your creative block is something that a therapist is adept at helping you work through, and it can have many positive effects on your life. Music is vulnerability; it’s a place where you can be candid about your struggles, but if you have difficulty accessing or processing those thoughts, talk through it with your therapist.

Your art will improve after you go to a therapist

You may find that after seeing a therapist, your art is more powerful, that it improves, or that it comes out more natural. If you’re interested in finding a therapist who understands music, you can search for one online or in your local area, but it’s important to remember that your creativity is a part of you. You have a right to your feelings, and therapy is a safe place to work through emotional blocks or talk about aspects of your life that you feel you can’t open up about elsewhere. Musicians and other artists or performers face a lot of pressure, and having a non-judgmental person to talk to about that pressure is helpful for a lot of people. 

Your mental health and music

Music has different meanings for different people. Some people use music as a way to process feelings, whereas others see it as a means of communicating a message to the world or a way to make people happy. It all depends on your reason for creating art. Talk to your therapist about what music means to you, whether you’re working with someone using an online therapy platform or with someone who works in private practice.