No / Recent research addressing the use of music to support the needs of people receiving treatment for drug addiction has led to the development and implementation of music-assisted therapeutic interventions. We hypothesized that two different music modalities combined with systematic desensitization can counter-condition drug-related cues and significantly reduce the associated craving responses. We further examined the effect of the two treatments on cognitive and psychopathological components of addiction. Twenty-four individuals experiencing drug addiction were randomly assigned to one of the three study groups, namely systematic desensitization (SD) combined with listening to New Age meditation music improvised live on Tibetan bowls (IMT), systematic desensitization combined with listening to relaxing New Age music recorded in individual MP3 devices (NIMT), or a control group that received no additional therapeutic intervention (CTR). Participants in the two treatment groups received six sessions in addition to their standard treatment during a period of three weeks. Evaluation took place at baseline, post-treatment and one month after the end of treatment. Results showed that IMT and NIMT combined with SD significantly reduced craving in response to external drug-conditioned cues, while IMT appeared to be slightly more effective than NIMT in altering permissive thoughts on drug and alcohol use, depression symptoms and everyday life craving reactivity. Further investigation as to the role of music-assisted systematic desensitization as a therapeutic intervention for drug addiction treatment is warranted. / Grant from Grundtvig Education and Culture Lifelong Learning Program (agreement contract number 2013-1-FR1-GRU11-50690).

Nous avons réalisé deux expériences afin d'évaluer l'efficacité de la désensibilisation systématique combinée à la musique et déterminer la contribution exacte de la musique. Dans la première expérience, nous avons comparé l'effet de la désensibilisation systématique combinée à la musique méditative in vivo et l’effet de la désensibilisation systématique combinée à une musique relaxante enregistrée. La comparaison porte sur les niveaux d’envie pendant l'exposition à des stimuli associées à la substance, sur la réactivité à l’envie dans la vie quotidienne, sur les pensées permissives et les croyances liées à l’envie ainsi que sur la dépression et l'anxiété. La deuxième expérience a consisté à identifier la contribution exacte de la musique au contre-conditionnement de stimuli associés à la substance ainsi qu’à l'amélioration des autres variables. Les résultats de la première expérience ont révélé que les deux formes de traitement provoquent une diminution de la réactivité aux stimuli associées à la substance et ont des influences positives importantes sur les autres variables. La deuxième expérience a démontré que l'écoute de la musique relaxante induit des réductions significatives de l’envie pendant l'exposition à des stimuli associées à la substance et qu’elle améliore les croyances liées au comportement compulsif. En conclusion, ces études ont démontré la contribution significative de la musique à la désensibilisation systématique pour le traitement de la dépendance aux substances. Elle ouvre ainsi de nouvelles voies pour l'utilisation de la musique comme un outil thérapeutique complémentaire pour la réhabilitation des personnes dépendantes aux substances. / Two experiments were conducted in order to examine the effectiveness of music-assisted systematic desensitization and determine the exact contribution of listening to music in the therapeutic process. The first experiment examined the effect of live-played meditation music and recorded relaxing music combined with systematic desensitization, on craving responses during exposure to substance-conditioned cues, craving reactivity in everyday life, permissive thoughts on substance use, craving beliefs, depression and anxiety. The second experiment investigated the exact therapeutic contribution of listening to recorded relaxing music in the counterconditioning of cues related to substance use and the extinction of the implicated craving responses, as well as in the amelioration of everyday life craving reactivity, craving beliefs, depression and anxiety. The results of the first trial revealed an emphatic amelioration of craving intensity in response to cues conditioned with substance use and significant or close to statistical significance positive influences on the other variables by both forms of treatment. The findings of the second experiment suggested that listening to recorded relaxing music accounts for significant reductions in craving intensity during exposure to substance-conditioned cues and in craving beliefs associated with compulsive behaviour. In conclusion, this study showed the significant therapeutic contribution of music to in vitro cue-exposure therapy for substance addiction treatment and opens new avenues for future exploration and use of music as a complementary therapeutic tool in the rehabilitation of substance addicted individuals.