Author(s) :

Rhea Cadambi.

Volume/Issue :

Abstract :

Music therapy has recently gained popularity as a method of reducing anxiety, restoring cognitive functions, encouraging sedation, and alleviating pain. However, the role of music therapy in mitigating pain perception for those with autoimmune diseases has not yet been extensively, if at all, researched. This paper aims to summarize the existing evidence of the general effects of music therapy on patients, as well as to draw connections between music therapy, pain perception, and autoimmune disease in order to explore potential impacts of music therapy on autoimmune pain. A literature search was performed using various databases for papers published between 01 May 2013 and 01 August 2025. Included are studies and reviews that pertain to music therapy, autoimmune disease, pain perception, and auditory signaling in order to provide adequate background on the research topics. From the review, it is clear that music therapy has benefits for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, effectively improving or restoring cognitive and motor functions. Music therapy also effectively reduces pre-operative anxiety and encourages deeper sedation during surgery. Moreover, music therapy and general auditory stimuli are able to alter neural patterns in the somatosensory cortex, in which pain is perceived. Autoimmune pain disorders are often caused by autoimmune attacks in these somatosensory pathways. These findings suggest that music is an effective therapy for autoimmune pain since music is able to reduce anxiety and affect neurons in the area of autoimmune attacks.