The rhythm of your heart: The fascinating ways music affects our health

A good song can change your mood and get you tapping your feet. But, as Len Williams writes, it can also have extraordinary effects on our bodies too

Can music really help to heal your body and mind? (iStock)

When Charlotte Gabbitas was recuperating from meningitis in Dewsbury hospital, she was initially sceptical about the music therapy sessions on offer. “The music therapist kept inviting me along,” she says, “but I thought it was going to be awkward sitting in a ward listening to music with other people.”

The 28-year-old primary school teacher had loved going to festivals, dancing and travelling; even living in Bahrain for a number of years. But in 2018 she began experiencing severe headaches and found herself struggling to move. Gabbitas ended up in a hospital near Wakefield where her condition worsened – she lost vision in one eye and soon found herself unable to speak.

After four months in the hospital, Gabbitas was moved to a rehabilitation centre for people with brain injuries. It was there that she began to discover the extraordinary power of music.