How music therapy can help you navigate difficult emotions and challenging experiences.
By Evelina Pak
Illustrations by Mateusz Napieralski
Many of us listen to music daily and recognize how it shapes our mood. It is a companion during workouts, long drives and household chores. The emotional challenges that accompany health issues and diagnoses like cancer can be difficult — and, for some, music therapy might strike a chord.
What is music therapy?
According to the Canadian Association of Music Therapists, music therapy is a clinical discipline where certified music therapists (MTAs) use music purposefully within a therapeutic environment to support development, health and well-being. Unlike passive listening, trained therapists combine music with counselling to help individuals work toward specific goals: emotional regulation, communication, expression, relaxation and focus.
Some may feel skeptical about music therapy. “It’s natural — especially in medical settings where interventions are expected to be tangible and measurable,” says Jennifer Buchanan, a certified music therapist and founder of JB Music Therapy.
Buchanan explains that music activates emotional and memory centres in the brain and influences heart rate, breathing and stress response. She adds that when individuals understand that music therapy sessions are structured and evidence-informed, they typically become more open to trying it.
Music therapy in oncology
Buchanan highlights several approaches that make music therapy particularly effective in cancer care; all of them support nervous system regulation, emotional processing and identity stability. She also emphasizes that music therapy complements, but does not replace, medical or psychological treatment.
Receptive music therapy
During active treatment, individuals with cancer often live in chronic stress, so structured music experiences can promote physiological settling and emotional grounding. Receptive music therapy involves guided listening (to live or recorded music) with breathing and reflection.
Song-based identity work
This approach helps individuals reconnect with who they are beyond a cancer diagnosis by identifying meaningful songs across life stages, reinforcing narrative continuity and resilience.
Lyric analysis and meaning-centred dialogue
A process to allow individuals to explore feelings of fear, grief, anger or hope indirectly. The music carries emotional weight first, making it easier to enter into difficult conversations.
Active music-making
MTAs lead individuals through singing, gentle instrument play or collaborative songwriting, which can restore agency and create connection during isolating periods.
Later this year, Buchanan and her team will launch a study to examine whether a music therapy–informed digital platform can support emotional regulation and meaning-making (the process of understanding life’s events and one’s self) for individuals with cancer during outpatient treatment.
5 ways to use music intentionally
Not everyone has access to formal music therapy, but structured, intentional engagement with music can provide meaningful support. Jennifer Buchanan, certified music therapist, suggests several simple practices that anyone can try. These are not a substitute for therapy, she notes, but they can help strengthen emotional well-being.
1. REGULATE FIRST
Create a short playlist of three to five songs that you know will calm you. Use it before appointments or sleep. Notice shifts in breathing or muscle tension.
2. MAP MEANING
Choose three songs from different chapters of your life. Write briefly about what each song represents. This strengthens narrative identity and perspective.
3. MOOD MATCHING AND SHIFTING
Listen to music that validates your current mood. Emotionally matching music can help people feel understood before gradually shifting toward a more grounded state.
4. SHARE A SONG
If words feel difficult, send someone a song that reflects how you’re feeling.
5. JOIN A GROUP
For those looking to move beyond solo listening, community organizations can provide structure, routine and social connection.
Creating music and inspiring hope
Lucinda Warnock was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2023. The diagnosis was quickly followed by surgeries and months of chemotherapy, which came with the common side effect of insomnia. When she was awake late at night, Warnock was flooded with thoughts about her cancer journey. So, the Airdrie-based multi-instrumentalist decided to turn those nighttime thoughts into a song. “It became my fight song,” says Warnock, who is now in complete remission.
The catchy tune “Gone” was recorded in September 2024 and released across streaming platforms a month later, just in time for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Since then, the song has been shared with others going through a cancer journey, inspiring them to keep going. For Warnock, and those who have listened to “Gone,” music has provided a sense of hope and strength.
