Dissertation - World Federation of Music Therapy

image the client experiences the tension between sadness (‘They are carrying my leg
away’) and joy (‘Nevertheless I can hop, I can run’) In the postlude the ambivalence
provokes or encourages the client to give up her old categorization of her situation
(‘My family is limiting me’) and develop new constructs (‘I can do things my own
way, if I don't care about their interpretations’).
Level two: The narrative configuration of the ego and the self.
At this level the client experiences an image or a situation with a special quality that
makes it serve as a metaphor of the ego or the self engaged in the therapeutic process.
Through the imagery the client gives a precise metaphoric characterization of
him/herself, the situation, the obstacles, the defences, the potential. This may develop
over time, and often it undergoes dramatic transformation during the therapy. Clark
(1991) defines ‘the imaging Ego’ as ‘the ego as it is located in the imagery. In an
image, it is that element which makes ‘I’ statements’. Clark exemplifies how the
observing ego may be metaphorically represented by images of the client at different
developmental stages, from past to future. For example, a house is a classical
metaphor of the self, and many clients start their therapeutic journey in empty,
deserted, fire damaged or mysterious houses. Later they may clean up dirty rooms,
explore new floors or wings, install new furniture, or see the house from a totally new
perspective (i.e. from above), finding new life information or integrating the
metaphorical messages.
A case example is Billie, a 47-year old waitress, who had led a free-style life with a
lot of lovers, but who never married or had children. When she came to BMGIM
therapy, she was confronting a midlife crisis, and was worried about loneliness and
ageing. During her therapy she wrote two poems that beautifully illustrate her
increasing self-knowledge and the transference relationship to the therapist.
The Storehouse During my restoration
I am an old storehouse
Virginia creeper climbing
my walls
and many lopsided windows
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I enjoy the toplighting
from new atelier windows