A new study shows the therapeutic effects of music on children living in communities near the border with the Gaza Strip and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The study, conducted by Dr. Moshe Bensimon of the Department of Criminology at Bar-Ilan University, sought to explain how music could assist in treating children after a traumatic event, as the constant rocket threat near the Gaza border forces parents to seek original solutions to calm their children's panic and anxiety.
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Israeli children near the Gaza border turn their bomb shelter into a bedroom
(Photo: AFP)
Bensimon interviewed dozens of music therapists who treat children from Gaza-bordering communities that are subjected to repeated acts of aggression by Gaza terror groups, mainly rocket fire.
Bensimon then formulated practical models and tools to examine how music could relieve patients' symptoms.
"The use of music brings enjoyment, empowerment and gives control back to the patients," Bensimon said.
"The more you repeat this action, it creates a new experience and re-frames the trauma. This way, the traumatic memory is perceived as less scary and intimidating for children from Gaza-bordering communities."
Therapists strongly recommend that parents use music as part of their child's coping process, also because music gives children a sense of control and stability and puts them in a game-like state of mind, which is considered to be a wholesome experience.
Treatment by music detaches the patients from reality and gives way to their imagination to navigate through different social situations.