[The MCR: A music therapy technique to support the hospitalization of depression]

The Receptive Composite Montage (RCM) is a musical induction technique designed to cause a positive state to in-patients diagnosed with depression in a psychiatric institution. This research aims at proving that the RCM brings patients into a relaxation state and a positive mood within 20min.

Thirty-seven in-patients with depression took part in this study. The average age of the sample was slightly under 49 years old (48.73±12.41). The relaxing aspect of the RCM was monitored thanks to data given by an oximeter, which measures the heartbeats and the oxygen saturation level in the in-patient's bloodstream. In order to complete these data, a focal-sampling observation was carried out. Positive mood induction was estimated based on interviews. The data have been processed through analytical statistics.

Heartbeats and oxygen saturation in the bloodstream during the relaxing phase of the montage (P<.001 and z=.018 respectively) tended to increase during the wake-up phase (P<.001) as was anticipated. In-patients who had felt a negative mood before listening to the RCM reported feeling a significant positive mood once they had listened to the RCM (z=.017).

The results obtained show that the RCM does induce a relaxation state by decreasing heartbeats and breathing cycles. Moreover, the qualitative data show that when in-patients listen to the RCM, their mood becomes positive through an emotional exercise causing their mood to shift from negative to positive.