The Healing Power of Sound: Reflections for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Honoring Breast Cancer Awareness Month 

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month — a time when we pause to honor those living with breast cancer, remember those who we have lost to breast cancer, reflect on the challenges of treatment, and consider how we can bring more healing and support to patients on their journey.

For many undergoing treatment, the experience can feel painful, isolating, and exhausting. Hours in sterile rooms, long cycles of chemotherapy or radiation, and the weight of uncertainty can take a profound toll. While medicine addresses the disease, patients often still face loneliness, stress, and fear that are harder to treat. This is where music enters — not as a cure, but as a companion and a source of relief.

How Music Helps Us Feel Better

Easing Anxiety & Depression
A meta-analysis of studies involving breast cancer patients found that music-based interventions significantly lowered anxiety and depression compared to standard care. The authors concluded that music therapy “can significantly improve anxiety … in breast cancer patients.”PMC

Another randomized controlled trial combining music for healing with aerobic exercise showed improved sleep quality during chemotherapy among breast cancer patients. BioMed Central

Improving Quality of Life & Physical Well-Being
In one study, breast cancer patients who received music interventions reported better psychological states and some physical symptom relief (e.g. lowered distress, better mood) compared to those who did not. PMC

A systematic review of music interventions across cancer patients noted that combining music with standard care appears more effective than standard care alone in reducing pain, fatigue, and distress. While effects on anxiety and depression were also noted, findings were more variable across studies.PMC

A Broader View in Cancer Care
An influential review of music-based interventions in cancer care describes how both active (singing, improvisation) and receptive (listening) techniques are used to improve mood, reduce stress, and support emotional coping. PMC

A Cochrane review of 81 trials with over 5,500 participants found that music interventions may help reduce anxiety, depression, pain, and fatigue in adults with cancer; some trials also suggested small positive effects on heart rate and blood pressure. Cochrane

Put simply, the evidence confirms what so many patients already feel: music heals.

 

Empathy in Practice: What Patients Experience

Imagine: You’ve just finished a chemo infusion. The IV drip hums. You feel weak, nauseous, anxious about what’s next. The walls feel cold. A nurse enters quietly, carrying a tablet. On the screen, a musician is waiting — ready to play a personalized concert, just for you. You request a favorite song, and as the first notes ring out, the room shifts. For a few minutes, the difficulty softens. You feel seen. The music carries you back to memories, to joy, to hope. You are connected to a brighter day.

Sean Mulligan, one of our VSI Musicians, describes it this way:

“One woman expressed deep gratitude, sharing that the music made her day and that it felt like a true joy and treat.”

These virtual bedside concerts deliver relief, connection, and visibility at a moment when it’s needed most.

Extending the Vision: Art Pharmacy & Prescribable Art

We’re moving toward a future where art itself can be “prescribed.” Our partner, Art Pharmacy, is working to make that a reality — ensuring that a music session, a painting class, or a live ensemble visit might one day accompany medical treatment as a recognized, supportive therapy.

This vision aligns beautifully with PMHU’s mission: to bring music into care settings not as an extra, but as an essential part of healing.

Final Reflections: Why This Work Matters

      • Accessible dignity: Music is low-barrier, adaptable, and humanizing.

      • Emotional companion: It helps patients feel seen, heard, and less alone.

      • A shared moment: It bridges the clinical and the human, reminding us that healing has many dimensions.

    As we reflect during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we invite you to consider: what would it mean if every patient, no matter where they are, could have music as part of their healing journey?

    We believe PMHU’s Vital Sounds Initiative helps meet that need — and with your support, we can serve more patients, more often, with more care.