The Universe is full of magical things, patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper – – Eden Phillpotts.
In recent years, psychotherapy has started integrating music in its fold – more particularly for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Widely referred to as ‘music psychotherapy’, the treatment approaches generally involve three methods: using improvisational music, music listening and guided imagery music.
According to Goldberg (1989), music reflects the inner life of individuals through images and metaphors. Its uniqueness lies in music’s ability to mirror the ambiguous, fleeting, paradoxical nature of human emotions. Goals and objectives can thus be established jointly with the patients. Goldberg recommends increased training for the practice of psychiatric music therapy, preferable on the graduate level, as this new branch is quite challenging and is clearly multi-disciplinary in approach.
Imaging process with music has been used in psychiatric settings in the treatment of patients with PTSD. The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) was used as part of a music therapy program in both in-patient and home-based hospices for patients with a terminal illness. The GIM process has also been found to allow access to one’s subconscious feelings, images and memories and foster empowerment and reconnection through self-understanding and an alliance with the therapist (Blake and Bishop, 1994).
Working with the Vietnam war veterans who had PTSD, Blake (1994) found that adding music and imagery to the psychiatric treatment assisted them in exploring their inner life and helped them to reconnect with associated emotions in a safe and controlled manner. Guided Imagery music (GIM) was found to relax them while a modified version of this DIM, the ‘directed imagery music’ proved effective in facilitating memories of trauma on visual, sensory and emotional levels.
Bruscia ( 1991) used GIM in an individual psychotherapy with Matt, a 26-year old man infected with the AIDS virus. In the eleven sessions, GIM was used as the main technique within a psychodynamic orientation. Through an intense process of imagery transformation, Matt gained insight into how traumatic events from his past prevented him from coping with the emotional challenges of living with AIDS. Ultimately, this led him to confront one of the most important questions of his life: “Shall I live dead, or shall I die living?”
The GIM session, according to Erdonmez (1992) involves four distinct phases: the pre-music discussion of the patient’s issues, the relaxation induction and focus, the music and imagery experience and the post-music discussion. Examples of imagery by the client include visual, auditory, kinaesthetic and transpersonal images. A review of clinical applications of GIM shows that imagery evoked by the music is symbolic of underlying issues and conflicts, and that the GIM experience enables resolution of these issues to take place. GIM is described in the treatment of clients who have been abused in childhood, those recovering from mastectomy and from fibroid tumours. Adaptations of GIM are described for brain damaged clients, autistic adolescents, in work with older adults and in hospice care.
Many psychotherapists have found that patients with brain damage cannot be good candidates for traditional psychotherapy. (Goldberg, Hoss et al, 1988). It was postulated that if C, a 41-year-old brain damaged female, could be engaged in the imaging process with music, she might work through her issues, even though her lack of short-term memory would preclude verbal processing of her images. Hale ( 1990) has demonstrated how GIM can stir forgotten memories. According to him, music’s ability to stimulate specific images comes from the overlapping of the auditory cortex with the part of the visual cortex that deals with visual associations. The auditory cortex is placed in the middle of a large area that has a ripple effect relating to other sensory modes. Thus, in hearing sounds, one often sees colourful images or even remembers the smell of lilacs.
In yet another study aimed at investigating the role of classical music in GIM in regard to the occurrence of imagery symbolizing strength, resources, support or protection, called “helping imagery”, it was found by Irgens-Moller (1995) that the classical music used in GIM therapy helped create and sustain an atmosphere conducive to the emergence of “helping imagery”. Thus, it was concluded that there are connections between the musical parameters and the emergence of “helping imagery”.
In physically disabled elderly citizens too, the combination of music and imagery programs have been found to be of immense use (Short, 1992). Selected participating residents exhibited a wide range of physical disabilities, including those resulting from head trauma (stroke), sensory deficits, fractures, and systemic problems. The average age of attendees was 83 years. The format of the weekly I-hour sessions included extensive therapeutic discussion, a GIM-like induction, and carefully selected taped classical music that ranged in length from approximately 4 to 12 minutes. When descriptive data was gathered and then reviewed after 21 sessions, it was found that the elderly residents used imagery vividly and effectively to address a broad range of past, current, and impending future issues, including disability, bereavement, sexuality and the aging process. The effect of physical disability, especially related to the induction, did not seem to present a major difficulty to the music and imagery process. The group setting enhanced resident participation and encouraged sharing and support among participants.
According to Skaggs (1992), individuals stuck in unhealthy patterns of thinking and behaving often benefit from a creative approach to psychotherapy which uses symbolic language. The familiar language of words, in its routine nature, often contributes to habitual self-defeating behaviour. This therapeutic process can be further intensified by combining an appropriate selection of music.
This article is Published in ‘AYURVEDA AND ALL’ – June 2007, Pages 27 to 29
Edited by Geeta Shreedar, July 12, 2021