ADDITIONAL EFEECTS OF MULTISENSORY PERCEPTION OF MUSIC WITH A VIBROACOUSTIC MAT TO PURE LISTENING OF MUSIC

Since the beginning of time sound and music played an essential role for the entire evolution. The sound therapy treated patients already by hearing and feeling (vibration) since ancient times. The investigation is to demonstrate the effects of music with special user-related design to human organism only by listening in comparison to the whole body treatment with the music via a vibroacoustic mat*. These occur on two issues. Is the experience of music more intense by simultaneously hearing and feeling via a vibroacoustic mat than by pure listening? Does the additional vibroacoustic effect cause significant decrease of stress condition to the music consumer? The hypothesis of the study is as follows: Multisensory perception of music via a vibroacoustic mat makes the music consumer experience music more intensely. In particular a significant reduction of the individual stress state can be effected. The study design was as follows. 20 probands experienced special created music on the basis of standardized conditions. With an interval of 7 days the subjects experienced music only by listening and by listening&feeling on the vibroacoustic mat. Methods for the investigation were a modified SF12-core health status to evaluate mood symptoms and common status and the Voice-Frequency-Analysis (VFA acc. to Heinen) to control stress parameters and changes in personality profiles. The results from SF12 and VFA correlated significantly. As conclusion it can be said that on the one hand music has been experienced more intensely by multisensory application. The simultaneous listening and feeling of music via a vibroacoustic mat did not effect a significant reduction in common stress state of the music consumers.