Dissertation - World Federation of Music Therapy

In fig. 7.3 the therapist has given every session a title and included a miniature
version of the mandalas. The process developed from: conflict issues, the need of
controlling, fighting the problems to: accepting and integrating contrasts, letting go of
control, finding time and space to rest and being self-contained, approaching
reconciliation
A narrative analysis of the imagery and its configuration follows below. The therapist
described the very long session #4 as a pivotal session: the core image of the eagle,
representing a totally new psychological quality, emerged and was explored, enabling
the birth of something new, represented by the image of an embryo. The importance
of this session was confirmed by INLA in the interview: “Some of the images have
been fantastic, extremely powerful. Especially the eagle! I would never have thought
that I had it in me.”
The participant’s experience as expressed in the interview
INLA contributed to the grounding of all core categories. Quotes can be seen in table
6.2. In the beginning of the interview she described her situation a week after follow-
up [May] in the following way: “If I take a look on my life now as compared to when
we started [October] I am glad that I am where I am now. I feel good. I am not
depressive, I do not consider drowning myself in the harbour. Many things are
difficult, but many things are working very well. Yes. But the questionnaires – they
cannot really show that. I think it is more useful to look at Ellen’s notes. If I look at
my own copies of the transcripts I think it is absolutely fantastic what has happened.”
What happened according to INLA was that she felt increasingly empowered during
the project period, not due to the BMGIM therapy alone, as she also consulted a
clinical psychologist and practiced regular meditation in the project period. The
specific contribution of BMGIM was characterized in the following way: “…when it
comes to handling life – I mean coping with my life – there is no doubt that I have
benefited a lot by coming here. I even had small glimpses of ”bad conscience”
towards my bright psychologist, because some of the issues I have worked with in the
sessions with her did not really unfold before I came here. (…) The music therapy
process has given me something I couldn’t have got anywhere else.” INLA identified
a specific property of the music therapy as the combination of verbal and non-verbal
elements, enabling an experience that was nor primarily intellectual or cognitive, in
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