Proceedings, Oxford, UK (2002) - World Federation of Music Therapy

From the technical point of view, it was interesting to note, while for
conventional treatment the music-therapy room represents the
“container” within which the relationship develops, in this case the role
of “container” was played by the pair of therapists, who in their different
ways, around the patient’s bed, contributed to setting up and maintaining
the relationship.
The priority given to voice and song made it possible to accompany any
sign of life from the patient, ranging from almost complete immobility to
certain clear movements, and this was the main feature of the treatment.
In terms of empathy, it was extremely difficult to work every day with a
patient in such a serious condition, and to deal with the frustration of
receiving only the bare minimum feedback. For all these reasons, we feel
it is essential for the therapists to work in pairs.
In conclusion, we could define the sound-music element as a sort of
energy that may be recorded or not at the conscious level of the person
involved in the musical experience. It influences the human perceptive
system with varying degrees of direction and intensity. In isolated cases,
as in the situation described here, music from outside can have different
effects, ranging from “enveloping” the patient to becoming part of the
patient’s interior world.
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Benenzon R., (1997) La nuova Musicoterapia. Rome, Phoenix.
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