Music and pattern change in chronic pain.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of music as a unitary-transformative means of altering the perception of chronic pain among women with rheumatoid arthritis within the context of Newman's model of health as expanding consciousness. In this repeated measures investigation, 30 women diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis for a minimum of 6 months, responded to the McGill Pain Questionnaire prior to listening to music of their choice, during music, and 1 to 2 hours after completing the intervention. Data were analyzed according to the Number of Words Chosen (NWC) and the Pain Rating Index-Rank [PRI(R)] of the McGill Pain Questionnaire. The results of this study support the use of music as a unitary-transformative intervention.