The Iso Principle: A Technique to Use at Home

The iso principle is a commonly used and well known technique among music therapists.  The iso principle is “a technique by which music is matched with the mood of a client, then gradually altered to affect the desired mood state.  This technique can also be used to affect physiological responses such as heart rate and blood pressure.” (Davis, Gfeller, & Thaut, 2008).  Utilizing the iso principle can be an extremely effective tool to alter emotional symptoms (mood) and physical symptoms (blood pressure or heart rate).  While research suggests live music is more effective than recorded music (Lee, H. J., 2005), the concepts of the iso principle can still be helpful and accessible for everyday use when applied to personal playlists of your preferred recorded music.   

Listed below are some guidelines to use when creating your own playlist using the concepts of the iso principle.  Please note that this is not necessarily a “one size fits all” set of rules and steps.  Be aware of nuances that may come up as you go; it is meant to be a tailored and individualized tool for each person.

General Guidelines and Steps

1. The first step is to ask yourself, where am I at right now? You have to know where you are starting in order to begin the journey.  What emotion, mood, or physiological response are you experiencing at this moment that you want to change? 

2. The next step is to identify the goal you are trying to achieve.  Ask yourself, do I want to feel less anxious? Do I want to feel uplifted? Do I want to feel more relaxed or sleepy? Do I want to decrease my heart rate?  

3. Now the playlist creation begins.  Choose a few songs that match your present mood, alertness, or heart rate. 

4. Then, choose a few songs that slightly differ from where you began, but are heading towards where you want to go.  If you are starting out feeling sad or mad, choose something just slightly more upbeat or positive.  If you want to lower your heart rate or blood pressure, choose a slightly slower song. (If you want to be technical, you can use the tap function on a metronome to match your heart rate, and use that tempo as a guideline when searching for songs). 

5. Lastly, choose a few songs that match your goal.  That could be a slow, quiet tune to assist in falling asleep, or an upbeat tune with a strong beat that lifts your mood. 

   1. You can take it a step further by matching your breathing pattern with the tempo of the songs you are listening to.  This can be especially helpful if you are working on decreasing anxiety or increasing relaxation and rest. 

Now you have a playlist ready to go when you may need it.  I have found that using at least 8-10 songs in a playlist works well, but this can differ person-to-person.  Choose what feels right for you or what time allows for.  

Here are some ideas to create variety in your playlists (but be sure to consider the steps listed above to ensure a goal is being achieved): 

• Choose an overarching theme to focus your playlist on (e.g. songs about nature, flowers, weather, seasons, book or movie characters, animals, etc.).

• Choose an instrument of focus that is featured in each song (e.g. piano, harmonica, electric guitar, cello, etc.).

• Center your playlist around an important person or pet; choose songs that remind you of them or that you have shared together.

• Take a trip with your music: pick a destination and choose songs that relate to locations on the map that you pass to get there.

• The possibilities are endless, don’t be afraid to get creative with it!

Sources

Davis, W. B., Gfeller, K. E., & Thaut, M. (2008). An introduction to music therapy : theory and practice. American Music Therapy Association.

Lee, H. J. (2005). The Effect of Live Music via the Iso-Priniciple on Pain Management in Palliative Care as Measured by Self-Report Using a Graphic Rating Scale (GRS) and Pulse Rate. Retrieved from http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-3199.