wiener beiträge zur musiktherapie band 3 theorie ... - Praesens Verlag

SILKE JOCHIMS
indication for psychotherapy on the level of the basic medium chosen for
interaction. Till now too much of exclusive reference to language as a basic medium
for psychotherapeutic intervention has taken place. Therefore fringe groups, who
are not able to verbalize and/or to reflect and/or to relate, have been excluded of
psychotherapeutic supply. If for parts of our society this supply cannot be taken for
granted, there is a danger within an achievement orientated society, that in times of
shortage of money for instance those fringe groups and their needs will be overseen.
If you change the viewpoint about indication and focus on the medium for
intervention, it is possible by intervening on a preverbal sound-interaction level
better to reach the needs of the handicapped, the brain injured, the psychotics,
gerontopsychiatric patients, dissocial youngsters, the autistic, mutistic as well as
forensic patients than by exchanging on a verbal level. Without reflective and/or
verbalizing abilities they all have nevertheless a high level of desire for expression
and relationship as well as an increased necessity for regression and catharsis. How
often these people just struggle for a basic right to exist! If they sense this right, it is
possible even with cognitive restrictions and no verbalizing abilities to go through
the process of coping with illness on a more concrete, emotional level.” (Jochims S.,
Halmer-Stein R., Gindl B., Naarden, M., Oberegelsbacher D., 1999, pp. 1-2)
The addition of a preverbal, acting orientated medium for psychotherapeutic
interaction forces to reconsider the present definition of a so called “therapycapability”
of a client. At least psychotherapeutic treatment should not anymore fail
because of the lack of abilities on the patients behalf. Instead the medium for
interaction and intervention should be adapted to his personal abilities, the question
about indication being discussed furthermore on the level of chosen medium
instead of the level of abilities. This would help to guarantee in future times the
psychotherapeutic supply for everbody in need, which is nowadays more or less
utopic.
Below you will read five longer case studies, which are all focussing exemplarily
on clients of fringe groups. The five authors are specialists of different european
countries, but all have one common ground: they use music and sound analogue to
language as a medium for interaction and psychotherapeutic interventions. Thus
psychotherapy takes place within the medium of sound itself, if verbal-reflective
abilities are inhibited. But if necessary and possible, the psychotherapeutic
intervention is extended to the level of spoken language.
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