Restituerende faktorer i gruppemusikterapi med psykiatriske patienter.

aspects in the patient’s view of the therapy.
In the Second part the experiences of four patients are analyzed focusing on their
imagery during the music listening period.
Data from the therapist’s log are categorized qualitatively in a number of
categories, which contains restitutional factors in the therapy process.
Then follows an analysis of all four patients material pointing out similarities and
differentials, and a theory of that protective images occurs in modified GIM with
psychiatric patients is presented.
The patient’s direct references towards the music are also categorized, and the
patients’ "mode of experience" is categorized in narratives or single events
(understood as streams of imagery). Finally the patient’s experiences of important
issues concerning the group are categorized.
Background
In recent years there has been an increasing interest in developing psychotherapeutic
methods for treatment of schizophrenic patients. Throughout the last 5 years, I
conducted a slow-open music therapy group for patients suffering from schizophrenia
and schizotypical disorders. The music therapy method used is a music and imagery
technique, inspired by the tradition of Guided Imagery and Music originated by Helen
Bonny.
Psychotherapeutic music therapy involves both active and receptive methods. The
most frequently used form is the active approach, but to enlarge the area, I chose
to focus within the receptive field. In certain cases some frail psychiatric patients
find active improvisational music therapy difficult, as they are expected to perform
actively and also to reflect upon their actions.
For these reasons I focused on a receptive method of music therapy, as an alternative
to active methods.
Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) is based on patients' experiences while listening to
selected classical music. In the individual setting, the patient reports his/her
experiences to the therapist while listening to music in a relaxed state. These
experiences are then interpreted e.g. within a Freudian or Jungian frame of reference.
The emphasis is on the patient's own understanding and insight. In group sessions,
patients can share experiences in turn, for example with the therapist as a
"conductor", or they can share experiences after the music-listening phase.
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