Massage and music therapy can alter brain patterns and offer therapeutic help for patients suffering from anxiety and depression. There are a number of clinical research studies showing the benefits of both of these therapies, and this prompted researchers at Florida Atlantic University, USA to investigate exactly how and why these therapies work so well.

The researchers monitored brain activity in depressed teenagers. It is known that EEG asymmetry, specifically greater relative right frontal activation, is associated with negative emotions and depression, and examination of depressed adults invariably shows this phenomenon. The researchers therefore decided to assess the effects of massage therapy and music therapy on frontal EEG asymmetry in thirty depressed teenagers, all showing greater relative right frontal EEG activation and symptoms of depression.

Fourteen of the teenagers were given massage therapy or and sixteen were given music therapy. EEG levels were recorded for three-minute periods before, during, and after each therapy session.

The results revealed that the frontal EEG asymmetry was significantly improved both during and after the massage and music sessions. The study demonstrates that both massage therapy and music therapy have positive effects on brain activity in depressed teenagers and indicate that these therapies should be more closely reviewed for inclusion in conventional treatment programmes.