Music Therapy in Palliative Care: Meaning, Spiritual Well-Being, and Emotional Support

Biographical Music TherapyPalliative CareHospiceRandomized Controlled Trial

May 21

Written By Andrew Wolfson

Article Overview

Music therapy is increasingly being studied as a supportive intervention for people receiving palliative care, especially when emotional, existential, and spiritual needs become more urgent near the end of life. In this 2021 multicenter randomized controlled trial, researchers evaluated the “Song of Life” intervention, a brief biographical music therapy approach built around a personally meaningful song. The study included 104 patients receiving specialized palliative care and compared the music therapy intervention with a relaxation control.

The findings showed no significant differences in psychological or global quality of life, but patients in the Song of Life group reported higher spiritual well-being, higher ego-integrity, and lower distress than those in the control group. Patients and family members also rated the intervention as more meaningful and important, supporting the idea that biographical music therapy may help address emotional and existential concerns near the end of life.

Why This Matters

This article matters because it highlights a form of music therapy that is clearly rooted in the therapeutic relationship, personal biography, and meaning-making rather than passive music listening alone. The paper explains that music therapy in palliative care can support communication, spiritual experience, and the integration of life events, and that the Song of Life method combines life review with creative arts therapy in a brief format suited to end-of-life care.

It is also important because the study offers stronger evidence than many descriptive or exploratory papers in this area. As a multicenter randomized controlled trial, it gives your site library a credible research piece on music therapy in palliative care, spiritual well-being, distress reduction, and end-of-life support. At the same time, it should be framed accurately: the strongest effects were found in spiritual well-being, ego-integrity, distress, and treatment meaningfulness, not in overall quality of life.

Warth, M., Koehler, F., Brehmen, M., Weber, M., Bardenheuer, H. J., Ditzen, B., & Kessler, J. (2021). “Song of Life”: Results of a multicenter randomized trial on the effects of biographical music therapy in palliative care. Palliative Medicine, 35(6), 1126–1136. https://doi.org/10.1177/02692163211010394