Dissertation - World Federation of Music Therapy

The conclusion is that the music is chosen and used in accordance with general
principles in GIM: In the first sessions supportive music is dominating, while the
client get used to the format and mutual trust/a therapeutic alliance is established.
Gradually more challenging music is used when appropriate. Examples of the
therapeutic potential of challenging music were given in section 8.3.2.
8.4 A grounded theory of the relationship between music and
imagery in six participants’ BMGIM experiences.
The analyses of music and imagery has documented that
• three types of music selections were used in the music-listening periods of the
sessions. They were labelled with the constructs ‘supportive’, ‘mixed’ and
‘challenging’ music
• at least five of the six participants had imagery experiences that were related
to the narrative form or matrix of the music
• at least four of the participants had imagery experiences related to the
expressive content of the music (in Kivy’s terminology: what music was
expressive of).
However, the outcome of the analyses does not provide specific answers to questions
and issues in the music and imagery experiences of the subjects in this study:
• How is the type of music related to the development of the imagery?
• How do musical forms or styles influence the development of the imagery?
• What is the influence of specific musical elements and parameters on the
imagery?
Even if it would only be possible to answer these questions specifically for each
participant the proposition of a grounded theory is an attempt to formulate a more
general answer, a theory-carried or analogical generalization (Smaling 2003). The
following proposal is based on theoretical reflections on the three types of music and
their influence on the imagery of the participants. However it may be relevant also
outside the context of this study.
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