Dissertation - World Federation of Music Therapy

This Event Structure Analysis shows that even if the imagery and ‘travel style’ of the
clients is personal and individual many similarities and correspondences can be
observed. Of primary importance is the observation that the unfolding and
development of the imagery is not a matter of coincidence, on the contrary it follows
the morphology of the music closely. Another important conclusion is that four of the
five clients are able to use the music in a therapeutically productive way, even in their
first session (three clients), and even if they have no music therapy experience and no
special musical background (ESMA even described herself as ‚musically illiterate’).
Next step in the investigation is an attempt to answer the questions whether the
imagery is related to the life world and problem focus of the individual client –
directly or as metaphors, and if/how the images and metaphors are configured.
8.3.1.3 Metaphors and narratives in the music-listening periods
In this section some phenomenological-hermeneutic questions are addressed:
Is it possible to identify different types or levels of metaphors in the material?
What is the relationship between the images/metaphors and the problems/focus of the
clients?
Images are – images! We cannot talk about metaphors before the images have been
reported verbally in the therapeutic dialogue, during or after the music-listening
period (Bonde 2000; see section 3.7), and we must distinguish between referential and
metaphorical imagery. Parallel to image modalities we can operate with visual,
sensory-kinaesthetic etc. metaphors. Symbols form a special type of image/metaphor:
it cannot be reported or understood fully through verbal communication.
In section 3.7 three clinically relevant levels of metaphor, commonly observed in the
GIM literature, were identified:
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• The narrative episode configured round a core metaphor that characterizes the
client’s problem in the real world.
• The narrative configuration of various parts of the client’s self in relation to a
life problem or a therapeutic issue.