Director: Vera Brandes
The main focus of this interdisciplinary research program is the research, development and evaluation of new approaches in
music therapy concepts for the treatment of psychosomatically-induced diseases etc.
Further topics:
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Music, art and media as healing factors and prevention
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Visual and acoustic design as an integrative part of medical treatment in a clinical setting, based on insights from public health, healthcare sciences, and occupational medicine.
The program applies both qualitative and quantitative research methods to psychological and physiological data. These include methods from depth psychology (psychological morphology) and chronobiological time series analysis (ie of various parameters such as skin potential, skin resistance, EMG, HRV).
Current project: "Determination of individual factors for the optimization of receptive music-therapeutical interventions concerning diseases of the cardiovascular system”.
This study involves the development of new treatment methods in adjuvant therapy for essential hypertension, arrhythmia and heart failure. Furthermore, another goal of the study was the determination of the relevant factors responsible for the effectiveness of music therapy interventions.
Three dissertations have been written as part of the study:
- Effects of the combination of NLPt and music therapy
- Adaptive audio for interactive applications
- Effectiveness of auditory stimulation in the treatment of hypertension
The study is financed by the Jubiläumsfond der Österreichischen Nationalbank (Austrian National Bank).
Further research projects
In collaboration with the University of Heidelberg (Professorship in Medical Psychology), a special music therapy program was developed to accompany inpatients during their stay in hospital. In January 2006, the pilot project was launched at the University Clinic Heidelberg.
Further joint research projects on both a national and international stage are in planning. Future partners include the University of Cologne (Neuropediatrics), the University of Sheffield (Linguistics) and research facilities in Scandinavia, Greece and the USA.
The Paracelsus Medical University’s music medicine research program is part of the I.M.A.R.A.A. (International Music & Art Research Association Austria), which conducts interdisciplinary research on the effects of music.
Furthermore, the research program has initiated an international project, which will focus on the integration of music medicine and receptive music therapy intervention in geriatrics.
In Salzburg, the PMU MusicMedicine Research Program contributes to projects which are supported by the Forum Gesundes Österreich (Health Forum Austria). These projects are concerned with the development and evaluation of music therapy interventions to enhance health at the workplace.
Research activities in Salzburg’s clinics are supported by the research program in corporation with the association saludArt.e.v.
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