Dissertation - World Federation of Music Therapy

Anxiety and anger are very important mood states or emotions in BMGIM therapy,
and even if these states are not included in the mood wheel they can be evoked and
supported by the music. Thus I find Hevner’s mood wheel compatible with other
systems of emotional categorization (see the discussion in Wosch 2002, 2004). Anger
or anxiety is not present in the music and imagery episodes analyzed here, however,
these emotional qualities were present in other sessions, where they were framed and
supported by matching music.
9.4.2.4 Helen Bonny’s view of the musical elements
Helen Bonny created 18 music programs in the period 1973-1989 (Grocke 2002).
They were categorized according to their functions in individual BMGIM sessions.
“GIM is: The purposeful use of prepared classical music by a guide or
facilitator to evoke sensory and emotional responses in the listener/participant.
These responses, in the form of imagery, symbols, feelings, past and present
life review, sensations, unfolding metaphors and transformative experiences
become the heart of the session. Through the guide’s use of relaxation, verbal
intervention and knowledgeable application of the music the traveller receives
insights which lead to healing and therapeutic resolution.” (Bonny n.d. 69 )
The “knowledgeable application of music” includes an expert identification of the
music’s salient elements: “The therapeutic value of music is dependent upon its
psychophysiological effects, especially those concerning tension and relaxation, and
its psychological effects, especially those concerning mood.” (Gutheil 1954 p. 53).
Bonny underlined this quote in her working log, and her work at Maryland Psychiatric
Research Center included investigations of both psychophysiological and
psychological effects of music (Bonny 1972). Hevner, the inventor of the ‘Mood
Wheel’, discussed the Relative importance of six musical variables [Mode, tempo,
pitch, rhythm, harmony, melody] on the categorization of moods [Dignified/Solemn,
69 This and other unpublished quotes come from notes by Helen Bonny found in The Bonny Archives
at Temple University, PA. This definition was dated 11/88)
353