Music IS Healing!

Over the years, I've proposed that music can be healing. As scientists, such as Dr. Mei Rui, continue their research, it's becoming more obvious that music IS healing. However, there are some parameters that differentiate between healing music, music for enjoyment, and "intellectual" music. In an interview with podcaster Andre Duqum, Dr. Rui explains what makes music healing. The answers might surprise you. That being said, everything she says lines up with my own personal research and experience with healing music. 

Let's start out with the interview, which was posted on YouTube during the middle of May, 2026. Dr. Rui notes that not many doctors explore the possibility of using music during surgery. As a classical concert pianist, Dr. Rui decided to combine her love for science with that of music. For the rest of us, it's good that we get to learn from these great minds! It's also fun to see that a fellow "Yalie" is doing wonderful research with the healing powers of music. In this interview, Dr. Rui proves that music IS healing. She has the data to back up this statement.

Before we get to the key points of the interview, I'll explore the topic of healing music from my own classical music journey. If you've read my bio, you'll notice that I'm a trained classical musician and played professionally for years as a clarinetist. My second instrument is the piano but I'm nowhere near a "concert" professional level on that instrument.

Dr. Rui mentions in the video when asked if she could feel the vibrations. She then talked about a cellist friend who said that the cello comes into contact with your body more so than the piano. Therefore, you're going to physically feel the vibrations throughout your body. Clarinet and saxophone players have a mouthpiece inserted into the mouth where the top teeth rest on top of the mouthpiece and the reed rests on the bottom lip which is pulled over the bottom teeth. While playing, you can feel your entire head vibrate, which takes quite some time for beginners to get used to. In a sense, you become one with the instrument vibrationally. 

To "feel" music at a deeper level when listening to music, I've found that headphones work quite well, especially if they're good quality headphones. It's not the same feeling in the head as playing a wind instrument but it's a decent alternative. Therefore, I recommend that when listening to healing music, get a good pair of headphones. Ear buds aren't recommended because you have to be careful with volume levels so as to not damage hearing. Plus, headsets cover more than the ear so the sonic vibrations are felt and heard. A good set for a decent price is the Audio-Technica ATH-M20x. CLICK HERE to see it on Sweetwater.

Let's  to get into the nitty gritty key points of Dr. Rui's interview. I'll list them first and then comment below the list. There was a lot of discussion about choosing music for general listening. For this article, we'll focus mostly on the healing aspects of music from Dr. Rui's studies.

Dr. Rui's Key Points for Healing Music

Additional Information from Dr. Rui

Data from Dr. Rui's newest clinical trial shows that when they took two blood draws in surgical patients the morning of their brain surgery, they found a 32% reduction in serum level cortisol. Dr. Rui found using music was more efficient than the effect size of an FDA approved pharmaceutical drug. 

During various points in the interview, the discussion turned to playing music. Performing music triggers activation in every area of the brain. It's the only activity a human does where the left and right brain work together at the same time, especially when reading sheet music. There are many previous studies that prove this. In fact, many music educators use data from those studies to encourage administrators to keep music programs in schools. Dr. Rui encourages everyone, despite your age, to pick up an instrument and begin to learn how to play. As a musician myself, if you want it to help with your healing protocol, your playing needs to be consistent. Much of the other information in this interview has been discussed by psychotherapists for years. That's where the protocols for music therapy came from. As mentioned at the beginning of Dr. Rui's interview, healing music has been around for at least 6,000 years that we know of. What may be hidden in the layers of rubble yet to be discovered by archeologists may surprise us with new dates. 

We already know from previous research that music can shift moods. Music can calm or excite us depending on what we're trying to accomplish. The previous known studies appeared to be a beginning point for Dr. Rui and her team. Because Dr. Rui is a classical pianist and understands what's needed in a "recipe" or "prescription" for healing music, she's able to pull together snippets of various classical works to bring the desired result in a medical setting. Music is played in the operating room but doctors are very careful in choosing the right tempo, rhythm, complexity of composition, range of melody and notes, as well as melodic structure and musical form. They found that by considering these factors, patients needed less pharmeceuticals during an operation. 

There wasn't much discussion about how to continue treating patients with music after an operation but the information is implied based on the key points listed above. 

Music IS Healing!

With the advent of AI, many people are creating music using AI tools. I found it interesting that Dr. Rui mentions that AI music isn't as effective for healing. Her reason made sense to me. We connect human to human and listening to real music created by real humans (mistakes and all), makes us feel that connection. AI music leaves out the human component, which is important for healing music. For those of you who create healing music, this is something to take note of. Yes, pun intended. 

When vocal music has words, that requires people to listen to the message coming through the words. This may be a conscious or an uncouncious decision. During surgery, doctors don't want lyrics because it raises heart rate levels. The goal is to have a patient at a resting heart rate during surgery. The calmer the patient, the fewer drugs doctors have to administer. Dr. Rui even mentions the side effects of most drugs and warns against overusing them. Therefore, in her world, if she can use music as a means to keep patients at peace during surgery, that's a win. 

How to Use Healing Music

Based on the information from Dr. Rui, if you're going into surgery, you might want to consider asking your doctors to find the research of Dr. Rui's lab and choose appropriate music for your surgery. CLICK HERE to read about her and then have your physician reach out to her team at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. 

If you're looking for healing music to use after surgery, or as part of your ongoing healing protocol, I have two options for you to consider. I think of them as a prescription in that you "take" it (by listening) on a regular basis and do so until you feel it's done the desired work. Your being will know how long that is. At any time, you can order something different because your needs have changed. As a trained classical musician, I tend to play with a "classical feeling" and style. No, it's not classical music but my training has given me the ability to be nuanced in what I create. 

1. Personal Song: This is a 10-minute song created on my keyboard that's based on the information you provide on the order form. It's sent to you via email as an MP3 file within two weeks of your order.
2. Sound Bath: This is a 20-minute song created with crystal singing bowls and a myriad of other percussion instruments. It's based on the bowls your choose on the order form. Along with the song, you receive a PDF of affirmations to speak over yourself while listening. The song is sent as an MP3 file via email.

If you're looking for calming music in general to have playing in your home, work space, while you drive, etc., I have a lot to choose from on the Shop page. If you want some free sound bath music, I have a whole playlist on my YouTube channel. CLICK HERE for that playlist. 

Look for a video of me discussing Dr. Rui's interview in the near future on the YouTube channel.

Del, May 2026