IOWA CITY, Iowa — A University of Iowa graduate student is turning a painful chapter from her teenage years into research aimed at helping other patients recover through music.
Jayda Hunstad, a music therapy graduate student, studies different types of pain — and says her understanding is personal. In high school, Hunstad underwent spinal fusion surgery, described as one of the most painful procedures for teenagers. Her recovery took nearly a year.
“I wasn’t able to do simple things like getting out of bed or even going to the bathroom by myself. It really took a toll on my mental health—I just kept thinking, ‘When is this going to end?’” Hunstad said.
During her recovery, she said music became an outlet as she dealt with the physical and emotional strain of healing.
“When I was in the hospital listening to music, I had really emotional reactions—I’d start crying. I didn’t understand it at the time, but looking back, music was helping me process everything I was going through,” Hunstad said.
She said even small choices, like selecting an upbeat song, could help shift her mindset.
“I would listen to more upbeat music to try to lift my mood—and I was really into the Bee Gees at the time. ‘How Deep Is Your Love’ was one I played a lot,” Hunstad said.
Now, Hunstad is using that experience to inform research that pairs music-based techniques with medical care for patients recovering from similar surgeries. The work involves collaborating with doctors to bring music therapy approaches into recovery settings.
Professor Kirsten Nelson, a professor of instruction in music therapy, said she has seen the impact firsthand while working with patients.
“Just sitting with patients, playing quiet music, you can actually see that tension melt away—and then hear from them that their pain has gone down,” Nelson said.
Nelson said the goal is to give patients more control and more tools during recovery.
“We hope adding music therapy gives patients more options, so they can rely less on medication and take a more active role in their recovery,” Nelson said.
Hunstad hopes the work will help future patients heal emotionally as well as physically.