Newsletter - Manfred and Penny Conrad Institute for Music Therapy ...

LCM TR Annual Newsletter
Annual V o l u m e 3 • I s s u e 1 • S u m m e r 2 0 0 6
The Canadian Corner with Cynthia Chhina
The LAURIER CENTRE for MUSIC THERAPY RESEARCH
Music at the Centre
Inside
Dr. Colin Andrew Lee &
Dr. Heidi Ahonen-Eerikäinen
> 2
Interview with Michele Forinash
> 3
by Janet Zadorsky
Continuing on the
Road to
Excitement
Royal Road to the Unconscious
Heidi Ahonen-Eerikainen > 4
Reflections
Physioacoustics
Marco Karkkainen > 6
Schopenhauer’s Theory
Rachel Darnley-Smith > 13
Time Structures in Autism
Niels Hamel > 18
The Canadian Corner
Cynthia Chhina > 21
Research at LCMTR
Karie Rippin > 22
Noreen Donnell > 24
Calendar of Events > 25
Research at Laurier > 26
LAURIER
page > 1
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A Message of Introduction
This is the 3rd Soundeffects Newsletter as you can see
it has become larger than previous editions. The
LCMTR newsletter aims to provide descriptions of finished
and ongoing research projects that will hopefully
enable sharing and discussion among researchers.
Some articles are written by authors for whom English
is not their first language. It is not the intent of this
newsletter to publish final, edited, academic papers.
rather to share ideas and concepts in transition. We
hope readers find encouragement and inspiration in
these articles.
Exactly one year ago we hosted the first international
conference for music psychotherapy research. It was a
great success. Researchers all over from Europe, and
North-America came, and shared their research topics
about music and the unconscious. Discussion times
were lively, and full of ideas. After each one-hour presentation,
we had one hour discussion time. This
Newsletter includes interviews and articles from some of
the presenters. The next issues will continue that
series.
The next international conference will be concerned with
music, sound and communication research in June,
2008. Please see the additional advertisements on our
website, and the Call for papers next winter. Before
that, we will organize a Physioacoustic Research
Seminar on November 25th, 2006. Marco Karkkainen
from Finland, one of our authors, and the new co-ordinator
of the physioacoustic research cluster will be the
featured Keynote speaker. (The LCMTR has two
Physioacoustic low frequency massage chairs for
research purposes). The advertisements of all these
events will be on our website www.soundeffects.wlu.ca
One of the aims of the LCMTR is to enhance interdisciplinary
music therapy research. During the last year the
centre has been working on three interdisciplinary
research projects. We are sharing aspects of this ongoing
move in this newsletter also in our next issue we are
planning to write the results of these projects.
It has been busy and exciting year. Please contact us if
you want to start any collaborative research projects. It
does not matter where you live since the data collecting,
and data analyzing can be sent separately. Also, send
us research articles, and keep in touch!
Best Wishes!
Dr. Heidi Ahonen-Eerikäinen
Director
LCMTR, Wilfrid Laurier University
and
Dr. Colin Andrew Lee
Director
Music Therapy Program
Wilfrid Laurier University
.2
2

By
Interview
with
Michelle
Forinash
Sunil Kuruvilla
Biggest challenge facing music therapy:
Money. In the States we need to be creating more jobs.
Nineteen percent of the US population have disabilities that
could benefit from music therapy but only 2% receive music
therapy. Another big issue is the international community.
The profile of music therapy seems to be improving there but
more needs to be done. As well, more money should be
directed to both qualitative and quantitative research in the
field.
One of the questions you posed in your keynote was
do transformational moments drive a person’s research?
How do you answer that question -- do they drive yours?
For me, I can only study things I am passionate about. I
feel that these moments of transformation are magical.
When you align with a client, when you align with art -- both
of you are at the same, present in the music. That’s what
interests me in my practice and my research.
How her love of music began:
As a young child I had a neighbor child, who played the
piano. I had a toy piano at home and started playing with it.
We didn’t have the money to afford a real piano but my parents
saw that I kept playing away on the little one. They
eventually thought this was something I was serious about
and they got me a piano.
How her interest in music therapy began:
At an early age I had a fascination with death and dying. I
grew up on a military base -- Fort Benning, Georgia, and I
was moved by pain and suffering, death and dying. I also
started to hear a lot about music and therapy. The transformational
moment for me was when I realized I could work
with a person with cancer -- with music. Suddenly my passion,
my interest converged.
What she writes about:
A lot of my writing is art - based. A lot is about phenomenology.
The last one I did was on dance therapists, working
with frail elderly. That article has come out in a dance therapy
based book. There are lots of parallels between music
therapy, dance therapy, drama therapy, poetry therapy, and
expressive therapy. My interest is in a combination of all arts
therapies.
Does it get discouraging when you still have to argue
for the value of the discipline?
I think the questions surrounding the value of music therapy
are part of a larger issue -- what is the value of arts, generally?
Not a lot of respect is given to the arts in the US and
we need to value the primacy of arts. Not just music therapists
-- all artists. Think of it: what would happen if we take
away radio, music? And yet somehow the arts seem not be
valued.
One of the ideas being explored at the conference
seems to be meaning vs. meaningfulness.
I don’t know the difference. For me, meaning exists in the
moment. Meaning is relative. For me, nothing exists in the
abstract.
Why is it so difficult to write about music?
Music is temporal. You can write an article and go back to
it but music exists through time -- it’s linear. Also there are a
range of experiences that is beyond the verbal. Love.
Compassion. Music is one of these things. It is often impossible
to put into words the beautiful nuance of music and its
experience.
.3

An
An International Conference, May 13-15, 2005
“The Royal Road to the Unconscious: Researching Unconscious Dimensions in Music”
Presenters:
It was Sigmund Freud who first stated that the
dream is the “royal road to the unconscious...” I
think that the images created during music psychotherapy
interventions have similar clinical
value. The language on images created during
music is completely affective. To understand them
we must tune into their poetry - the medium of
unconscious image exchange.
We are familiar with what music psychotherapy
researchers write, but what do they actually do in
the session and how do they analyze their data?
This symposium, researching the unconscious
dimensions of music, the healing force of music
psychotherapy, tries to answer these questions.
The presenters are asked not only to discuss the
theory behind their work but also to share their
meaningful moments of their music psychotherapy
case studies/research illustrating how patients
changed and why.
In contrast to the traditional emphasis on music
therapy research through intellectual and cognitive
insight, this symposium will explore how to deepen
the experience of emotions which make therapy
a transformative experience. The format of this
Symposium will allow for in-depth, exploratory discussion
under several music psychotherapy related
topics. Ideally, the presented case studies
would be analyzed in a multi-disciplinary group
setting with the ultimate goal of the symposium
being a co-authored music psychotherapy related
publication, and/or symposium proceedings.
Keynote Speakers:
Dr. Michele Forinash, USA
“Transformational Moments in Music Therapy: The
Impetus for Research”
Elizabeth Moffit, Canada
“Music’s Power to Evoke Imagery that heals: the
Use of The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and
Music in the Treatment of Post Traumatic Stress”
Dr. Brian Abrams, USA
“Improvisational Life Portrait as a Form of Music
Psychotherapy: A Phenomenological-Existential
Perspective”
Rachel Darnley-Smith, UK
“What Has Schopenhauer’s Theory of Music to
Contribute to a Psychoanalytic Understanding of
Music Therapy”
Dr. Colin Andrew Lee, Canada
“Improvisation Analysis”
Niels Hannibal, Denmark
“Clinical Improvisation as a Catalyst for Negative
Transference in Group Music Therapy with
patients with Borderline Personality Disorder”
Lillian Eyre, Canada
“Role of Music as a Treatment of Psychosis”
Dr. Rod Paton, UK
“Pathways to Healing, Improvisation, Liminality
and the Notion of the Holding Form”
Niels Hamel, Germany
“Re-searching Time Structures in Autism: Initial
Thoughts about a Practical Approach in Music
Therapy”
Mariella Greil, Austria
“Ambulant music therapeutic after-treatment of a
premature child -- accompanying of a foster mother
and infant in short-time therapy”
Helena Bogopolsky, Israel
“The Effect of Music on Patients Undergoing
General Anaesthesia”
Hanna Hakomaki, Finland
“Story Composing”
Tsvia Horesh, Israel
“Music is My Whole Life - The many meanings of
music in addicts lives”
Cynthia Chhina, Canada
“Using Songs Written by Individuals with Serious
Mental Illness to explore Their Lived Experiences”
Dr. Heidi Ahonen-Eerikäinen, Canada
“Analyzing Group-Analytic Music Therapy
Sessions of Traumatized Adults”
.4

eflections
on
reflections
Physioacoustics - The New era of Sound vibration treatment
By Marco Karkkainen, Psychotherapist, family therapist
Want to know more about low frequency
sounds and try out the physioacoustic
chairs?
On Saturday, November 25th, Marco will
visit the LCMTR, and conduct a
Physioacoustic Seminar at Wilfrid Laurier
University, Maureen Forrester Recital Hall.
It was almost 7 years ago when I first felt the sound
waves of the Physioacoustic chair. I immediately knew
my future was connected to it. Before that I had worked
several years in the field of psychiatric and alcohol
addiction rehabilitation in Finland but had been looking
for a treatment model that could research the ‘whole
client’, and connect both their psychological and physical
needs in rehabilitation. The Physioacoustic chair
was the answer for my needs, and so I contacted now
deceased Petri Lehikoinen, who was the developer of
the Physioacoustic chair also the “father” of music therapy
in Finland. I think I was really privileged to receive
his knowledge about physioacoustics before he passed
away in 2001. He was a brilliant man and humane person.
It is unfortunate that he is not here now to witness
the results of his life’s work. Today it is my job to develop
the physioacoustic method further in Next Wave Ltd.
During these seven years it has become
very clear to me that there is something
very special in low frequency sounds.
Although I am a psychotherapist, and I
believe in the power of dialogue and narrative
with clients, there have been hundreds
of cases in which the sound wave
treatment itself have had miraculous
effects -- even without therapeutical dialogue
and approach.
Physioacoustic method in general
Physioacoustic chair was developed in the
late 80’s in Finland. A team of experts had
taken a long time to develop this unique
system which is controlled by a computer.
Ability to control and produce low frequency
sound waves without any external
sound source took sound vibration treatment
to a new level. Three important
parameters were included in the physioacoustic
chair:
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(1) The ability to create sound wave circulation through body from head to toe
and toe to head
(2) The ability to stop the sound wave to a specific part of the body. (this feature
is patented to Next Wave)
(3) The scanning of frequency, speed of frequency scanning, and power pulsation.
These features make the Physioacoustic Method a unique form of treatment.
With the advanced model (The PRO-model) it is even possible to create exact
individual programs for client needs) LCMTR has 2 PRO-models
At the beginning the Physioacoustic treatment was used in the rehabilitation of
handicapped people and brain injury patients in Finland. When staff of these
rehabilitation centres and hospitals started to use this method it was soon
observed that there were a wide range of impacts both during and after the
treatment. Pain, muscle tension, swelling, high blood pressure, migraine, anxiety,
insomnia, stress level and other symptoms were relieved and so the
curiosity towards the method increased very quickly.
Nowadays there are quite a wide range of Physioacoustic Method users all
over Finland, Great Britain, Germany, USA, Denmark and now Canada. The
method has been connected mostly to music therapy, but today most of the
user are not music therapists. They are physiotherapists, psychologists, psychotherapists
and many other professionals have taken the physioacoustic
chair as part of their branch of activity. This is good because it is the only way
to achieve wider knowledge about the effects of the treatment.
Physioacoustic method is used widely in general health care, preventive health
care, sports medicine, psychiatric treatment, rehabilitation of drug and alcohol
abuse, geriatric rehabilitation, treatment of Autism and ADHD, etc.
The physioacoustic treatment doesn’t make a difference whether or not the
New Hypothesis for Future Research
There are many theories that have been connected to the Physioacoustics.
During my clinical work I have had some doubts about these theories because
my empirical knowledge and experience have shown something different. For
example, the theory of Thalamus and its 40Hz oscillations have been connected
to Physioacoustics through sense of hearing. I am not sure at all about this connection,
because deaf people can benefit from a physioacoustic treatment as
much as people who can hear. Good results can be achieved without using
40Hz frequency. Most important thing is that frequencies and other parameters
which are used in the treatment do fit to client’s situations, and that her/his experience
of the treatment is pleasant.
The conflict between the previous theories and my own empirical experience was
the main reason why I needed to look at some other approaches to human mind
and consciousness. New findings and break throughs in the research on consciousness
can open the door to understand better the effects of sound vibration
treatment. There are a few important theories which can be connected to low frequency
sound vibration treatment.
First one is the theory of inhibition in the central nervous system and brains.
These inhibitory nervous cells (GABA) can be activated during brain surgery with
electrical stimulation. This stimulation has amazing effects. The patient can see
flashes of light, colours and he/she can experience an image of very early memories.
In my experience with hundreds of clients physioacoustic treatment can do
the same. My discussions with experts of physiology in Finland confirm that it
may be possible to stimulate GABA-cells mechanically. For example, sound is
mechanical in basis. Precise mechanism is not known yet.
The malfunction of inhibition nervous cells is connected to anxiety, fears, insomnia,
epilepsy, neurological symptoms, drug or alcohol abuse, schizophrenia,
Alzheimer’s disease, etc. The physioacoustic treatment seems to be effective in
most of these conditions and very effective in treatment of anxiety, fears and
sleeping disorders.
symptoms are psychological or physiological in origin. Because our consciousness
is in our body it is reasonable to say that when the body starts to heal
Second one is the theory of fear in the brain, and how it affects to human
body/mind combination. It seems that fear and stress are much similar states of
itself the mind will follow. Physioacoustic treatment is foremost biophysical
the human body. If these stages last long enough the ability of learning things
treatment and the effects start from the body; in the nervous system (by tactile
emotionally is disturbed, and it has also an effect on hyperactivity or recession of
sense), and at the same time in metabolism and blood circulation, Then, when
body movements. Long term affects can be very pathological. The
the mind starts to relax the treatment is complete. Body relaxes quite fast, but
Physioacoustic treatment seems to be releasing something that has been inhibited
inside the physical memory in the nervous system and the brain. This emanci-
the mind is different. When stimulation lasts long enough, state of consciousness
alters. This phenomena lead to strong imaginations, memories and at
pation happens automatically and there is no need to convince the client about
the best total state of flow when the mind is empty of any thoughts. Just to
the effects.
empty the mind of disturbing thoughts is very therapeutical in any case, and a
good foundation for an emotional learning.
Other affects of low frequency sound stimulation to the human body
By my good associate, Mr. Alexander Danilov from St. Petersburg, Russia, has
the PA-method application that promotes normalization of blood supply, and
improvement of qualitative structure of blood (oxygen saturation, optimum
removal of carbonic acid from fabrics, high-grade immune function of blood,
phagocyte function, etc.). PA.-microvibrations have a positive effect on lymphocapillar
network system, bile-excreting way, work ureter and intestines (bowels).
.7

Improvement of blood supply of the nervous terminations (endings) positively influences a functional condition of the nervous system.
As a result of the vibroacoustic action it increased intensity of proceeding biophysical processes, mechanisms activation of restitution,
regenerations, indemnifications, immunity, an intensive excretion of slag’s, activation of hormones development. At last as consequence - the
important mechanism of action PA is its ability to raise productivity of such bodies, as kidneys and a liver, promoting improvement of clearing of
blood from slag’s and products of regeneration.
Treatment of any disease demands increase in intensity of tissue regeneration, so the quality increases the bloods cleansing. If blood
will be unrefined even slightly, that an organism will reduce compelled by it “slightly” intensity of tissue updating.
The result is deficiency of regeneration. The part of cells has not time enough to be updated in time, and their middle-age is increased.
In a result, the organism grows old, and disease turns to the chronic form. Due to the ability to improve function of kidneys and liver, the PAmethod
can be applied to many diseases, and the list of them is ever-increasing.
Invitation
Although I am convinced about validity of these theories in proportion to low frequency sound treatment, my
thoughts are hypothetical yet. After seven years and almost 8000 treatments with low frequency sound waves I am
happy to say that this is only the beginning of this journey. So much as it is beyond our knowledge. However, I believe
that if we gather our recourses and pragmatics, we can open the door to a new era. I am proud to invite researchers
and professionals all over the world to Wilfrid Laurier University’s research cluster to discuss and to develop sound wave
treatment methods. Let us not conceal our knowledge but bring it to use to everyone. Only by gathering our forces we
can achieve results which can give so much help to many people.
.8

The effects of sound based vibration treatment on the human mind and body
The Physioacoustic Method
Marco Karkkainen 1 , Joji Mitsui 2
1 Next Wave Oy (Espoo, Finland)
2 Next Wave Japan office (Ichikawa, Japan)
Abstract: According to clinical experiences with the PA (Physioacoustic) Method and research about vibroacoustic therapy, it is considered
that PA-stimulation is transmitted through sensory nerves to the brain and the stimulation acts on the central nervous system, motor nerves,
autonomous nerves and endocrine system to calm down the mind/body. On the psychological side, PA-stimulation is clearly effective
towards anxiety, depression, and insomnia and it sometimes mitigates epileptic symptoms. In an EEG study on PA-stimulation done by the
psychologist Petri Lehikoinen, the experimental subject was in a deep relaxed state and the amplitudes of the brain waves were decreased
in all ranges. These phenomena suggest the possibility that PA-stimulation has an effect on the action of GABA, an inhibition neurotransmitter.
I. Introduction
One of the authors (MK) has worked several years in the field of psychiatric rehabilitation with young adults during which music
was used in situations where dialogue was not possible because of catatonic state of the patient. It was amazing to notice how the patient
became more activated because of the music. As the condition of the patient moved ahead, he/she started to create words by singing and
little by little dialogue came possible. At that time it became clear that a human being is a psychophysical whole where trauma or fault in one
other part causes weakness in another part.
There is no scientific foundation yet why and how music influences human consciousness, It is interesting how different parts
(rhythm, modulation, frequencies, etc.) of the music influence the brain and why it seems that especially classical or ambient music create
harmonization in the mind/body combination.
Nowadays, pop music is quite disturbing because it is not based on natural scales and the rhythm is too fast. Usually this type of
music is based on tempo and bass. The long term influences can be harmful if a person is exposed to very high level noises, for example
employees in a bar or dance club. Stress level is raised and this increases blood pressure, stress hormone levels, muscle tension, anxiety
and insomnia symptoms and can even accentuate cardio-vascular problems. 1 The effects of classical or ambient music are the reverse of
pop music because the harmonies and sounds are in coherence. Coherence is a state in which neural networks are in balance and this
means balance in the brain and body systems also.
2. Principle
2.1 Frequencies and Resonance
It is interesting to study how low sound frequencies (below 120 Hz) have effects on the human body and through the body to the
mind. Effects of these types of sound vibrations are based on resonance in the human body. Every tissue has its own unique frequency
level at which it starts to vibrate. 2 When a certain frequency sound vibration is lead to the human body, the parts of the tissues, body liquids
and bones, which have the same frequency start to vibrate along with the external sound vibration. The Physioacoustic (PA) Method is mainly
based on the resonance with the muscle groups. It uses low frequencies within a range of 27-113 Hz. The same wave is used which has
only a single frequency, the same as a tuning fork.
The function level of muscles varies from 0 - 100 Hz. 3 Especially below 80 Hz, sounds are recognized in the body by tactile sense
and this is the best area for the ideal body/mind treatment combination. 3 In the PA Method, approximate frequencies to resonate with different
parts of the muscle groups are 27-64 Hz for legs, thighs, buttocks muscles, lower back, midback, chest, shoulders, neck, arms and there
are higher frequencies for smaller muscle groups in every part of the body. These have been confirmed based on there research through
physiotherapy done by Mr. Petri Lehikoinen of the Sibelius Academy, Finland and supported by Professor Thomas Lundeberg of Karolinska
Institute, Sweden.
A frequency of 40 Hz is sensed as comfortable by the human body it has been found to be effective in rehabilitation towards brain
injuries and cerebral apoplexy. 4 Thus 40 Hz is widely used in the PA Method as the basic frequency. Example frequencies which are effective
for specific systems are: 27-38 Hz for insomnia, swelling and inflammations; 48-55 Hz for asthma; 50 Hz for cycle-related pain; 52 Hz for
epilepsy; 60 Hz for spasms; and 88 Hz for migraines. It is important to notice that frequencies which are used in the treatment must fit each
patient and his/her situation individually.
2.2 Sensory receptors
The sound vibrations of the PA Method are sensed by tactile receptors distributed in different parts of the body. These are Merkel
disks in the skin, Meisner corpuscles in the inner skin and Pacini corpuscles in the deeper subcutaneous tissues. Pacini corpuscles are
.9

also widely distributed in ligaments, periostea and internal organs. The function levels of these receptors are in the same oscillation area
where the PA method operates (between 27-113 Hz) and within this range each receptor senses different frequencies. 5 & 6
The way sensing is done is also different. Merkel disks sense strength, Meisner corpuscles sense speed and Pacini corpuscles
sense acceleration. As for numbness to the vibration, Merkel disks are slow to become numbed, while Mesiner and Pacini corpuscles are
fast to become numbed. Those which are slow to become numbed can sense continuous vibrations but those which are fast to become
numbed cannot sense if the vibration is continuous.
In the PA Method, the right sound vibrations are produced by adjusting the parameters of frequency, amplitude, scanning (to avoid
numbing) and power pulsation (to change amplitude). The setup of the parameters originates from the characteristic of the receptors.
2.3 Information transfer and processing
PA stimulation sensed by the sensory receptors is recognized by the brain cortex through sensory nerves and the thalamus, and
processed in the CNS (central nervous system) to act on motor nerves, autonomous nerves and endocrine system. 2 In other words, PA
stimulation is perceived as a comfortable sensation by the brain cortex and the effect of this sensation acts on relaxing muscles through
motor nerves. On the psychological side, the sensation processed by amygdalae, which control emotions like fear and anxiety, acts on the
brain stem (which adjust the level of consciousness and alertness of the CNS) and the hypothalamus (which controls the autonomous
nerves and endocrine system) to calm down the whole mind/body. It is very important that the patient “feels” the sensation as something
which is happening. If the sensation is sensed as comfortable, it is given as feedback to the mind/body through the CNS and endocrine
system and this brings about a further comfortable state .2 This loop deepens the calming effect on the mind/body more and more.
2.4 Other activities
The following activities occur unrelated to the CNS.
Metabolism in the cells: By using PA stimulation (sinusoidal low frequency sound) cell membranes react to this type of emission in
certain ways. The resonance frequency levels are very high in cells but similar resonance frequencies at lower frequency levels can be
obtained. When the membranes are stimulated with a sound the valves in the membranes (ion-channels) open to allow materials to flow in
and out the cells. 7 This inevitably increases metabolism in the cells.
Pressure of sound: When objects interrupt propagation of acoustic waves, a force to push the objects in the direction of the wave
propagation is produced. This force is caused by the pressure of radiation of sound, and the force acts on not only the objects but also any
liquids, and excites fluid motion (this is called “acoustic flow”). A PA system has the ability to circulate sounds in the body (this is called
“direction”) and this improves blood and lymphatic circulations. This also cleans impurities from vein valves.
Cavitation: PA stimulation (resonance) warms up deeper tissues and muscles in the body. The authors hypothesize that this is
caused by “cavitation”. When the pressure level in a fluid is dropped by acceleration of flow and the level goes below the pressure of saturated
vapor, minute cavities are produced in the fluid. This phenomenon is called cavitation. These cavities can be formed in the liquid that
is being pumping. In this case the cavities are crushed by the sound vibrations and the molecules collide with each other causing heat.
The energy of sound vibration of PA-stimulation is altered into heat energy in the body.
3. The Physioacoustic Method (PA)
3.1 Background
The PA method was developed in Finland by a team of experts from different scientific areas. The idea for this type of treatment
came from the psychologist Petri Lehikoinen, who is also the “father” of Finnish music therapy. Lehikoinen found that low frequencies in
music have clear effects on the psyche of psychiatric patients. After 15 years of development, the first model of the physioacoustic chair
was presented in 1989. The basis for this type of treatment was that the CNS recognizes low frequency sound vibrations and becomes
calmed. 8 Thus, the PA chair was first developed for handicapped persons and brain injury patients. When the staff in rehabilitation centres
started to use the chair, they saw that it had effects on metabolism, swelling, muscle tensions, different type of pains, high blood pressure,
insomnia, anxiety, and panic disorders and overall its influence in the state of mind was very positive. 9 The chair was approved by the FDA
based on findings that it improved local blood circulation, relaxed muscles and reduced pain where used. 10
The PA system uses a computer to control sound vibrations and there are a few parameters to get optimal results for the user.
3.2 Scanning
First of all the approximate resonance frequencies of the basic muscle groups are stored in the computer memory. The computer
uses the stored frequencies to cause the sound to vary up and down from the fixed pitch. This ensures that at some point the correct resonance
frequency is reached. This is called “scanning”. In the PA Method the sympathetic vibration is produced dozens of times during a
therapy session. This type of interval treatment is more effective than continuous stimulation. If the sound is continuous, the muscles may
get tired and numb after a few minutes. When stimulation and rest periods follow each other, the relaxation is more effective. 8
The main rule is that slow scanning is relaxing and fast scanning is activating. 3 In the beginning it is suitable to use slow scanning
only. Too fast stimulation can be found very disturbing and it can cause nausea, headache, anxiety or increased pain disorders.
.10

3.3 Power pulsation
Power pulsation means that within a fixed time sequence the volume sound varies in a linear way and it generates a rhythm of stimulation.
When a pregnant woman is healthy and emotionally stable, her rhythmical heartbeat (pulsation) brings her baby in the womb a sense of security. Human
beings are influenced by this fetal memory and the pulsation brings about deep relaxation. 11
Slow pulsation is relaxing and fast publication is activity.3 This is analogous to slow scanning and fast scanning. The change of pulsation can
be adjusted form 6 to 180 times per minute. This means the period varies from 10 to 0.33 and the period of 10 is the same as that of big ocean waves.
3.4 Change of amplitude
The change of amplitude can be adjusted to cover general strength and the strength of separate body parts such as legs, thighs, back and shoulder/neck.
Different loudspeaker groups can be used. This feature is important fore crating individual programs because tolerance of how people experience
the strength varies very much. Also, for different kinds o symptoms, it is necessary to be able to get the right amplitude.
3.5 Direction
The computer causes the sound to circulate from the lower parts of the body upwards or in the reverse direction. This ability to change direction
appears to be beneficial, for example in the treatment of certain stress-related symptoms such as psychosomatic pains and muscle tensions. 8 The movement
causes a travelling sound pressure inside the body. This pressure activates both blood circulation and the flow of lympathic fluid. 8
4. The effects of the PA Method and Its Major applications
The effects of the PA method that have been recognized so far are improved local blood circulation, relaxed muscles and reduced pain; these
were recognized by the FDA. Other effects have included reduced blood pressure and heart rate 12 , increased skin temperature 13 , and reduced anxiety
and depression. 14 The major application fields of the PA Method are as follows.
Rehabilitation: The PA Method has been put to practical use for treatments in Finnish rehabilitation hospitals for general pain management,
reduction of anxiety and calming down before operations, pain management and blood circulation improvement after operations, and rehabilitation activities
in the recovery phase of a knee replacement.
Sports medicine: Many professional sports teams, including AC Milan and other European football teams, and the Finnish National Olympic
team use the PA Method for conditioning of the muscles and body as part of training system. The purposes are: to accelerate recovery after training sessions;
treat muscle pain; improve concentration; cope with the jet-lag effect after travelling; and recover from lowered body/mind activity.
Mental healthcare: The purposes are: to relax; to provide relief from stress-related muscle tension, stiffness in the shoulder, back pain, and
headache; to provide better sleep, to recover from fatigue; and reduce levels of anxiety and depression. The PA Method has often been used in the field of
cooperate mental healthcare, for example by the Finnish company, Nokia and the UK Defence services.
5. Hypothesis of the GABA system
The PA Method is effective for reduction of different types of pain and muscle tension, and those symptoms which are caused by dysfunction of
inhibition such as fear, anxiety, depression, insomnia, epilepsy, mental disorders and many neurological symptoms. 15
As for pain, research on 30 subjects (15 were placebos) to find endorphins was done by the cognitive Brain Research Unit of the University of
Helsinki but nothing could be proved.
On the other hand, it was found that the effects of PA stimulation clearly differed from those of a sedative music (a music CD “Hands” by Frank
Lorentzen) as were the silence shown by an EEG study on the PA Method done by Lehikoinen. The amplitudes of brain waves decreased in all levels of
B, a, 0, o during the PA stimulation. 16 This subject was in a deep relaxed state and his arousal of consciousness fell in spite of not being asleep. This
may be the sign that PA stimulation acts on the function of inhibition by GABA in the brain and CNS.
GABA (gamma-amino butyric acid) is the most common message-altering neurotransmitter in the brain. If threatening information is recognized,
the glutamate will bring this information to the amygdalae quickly. But if the information is non-threatening, the GABA system blocks this information path
and this may be the mechanism of PA stimulation.
The PA-stimulation has nothing to do with sense of hearing. The PA stimulation benefits deaf people in the same way as it does people who can
hear. The PA stimulation comes from tactile sense of all over the body to the brain, and the mind/body becomes under the control of the brain. So, all
other senses are in a relaxed state and persons do not use their memory system for any kind of surveillance. This makes it possible for persons to
remember old memories even if they are traumatic. Persons are in a very therapeutic state regarding stress-related symptoms and they are in an optimal
state for emotional learning, because they feel totally safe. It is a state where persons can empty their head of all thoughts.
Judging from this situation and the achievements of the PA Method, the observed phenomena seem to fit the action of the GABA system.
Though the function of the brain is completed, the authors hope to make a mechanistic hypothesis using measurement of neurotransmitter change.
.11

References
1 Branco, N.C. and Alves-Pereira, M.: Vibroacoustic disease: the need for a new attitude towards noise. The
Occupational Medicine Research Center in Lisbon, 2002.
2 Ahonen, H.: Music - a language without words. The basics of music therapy (second ed.). Helsinki: Finnlectura
Oy. 1993.
3 Karkkainen, M.: Adding the effects of sound vibration treatment part of the rehabilitation process, 2005.
4 Lehikoinen, P.: The Physioacoustic Method. Music Vibration and Health (Japanese version), 220-228, 2003.
5 Wall, S. A. and Harwin, W. S..: A high band with interface for haptic human computer interactions. Mechatronics,
11[4]:371 - 387, 2001.
6 Johnsson, K. O.: The roles and functions of cutaneous echanoreceptors. Current Opinion in Neurobiology,
11:455- 461, 2001.
7 Lehikoinen, P.: Physioacoustic Sound in Stimulation of Cell Membranes. Next Wave Ltd., Helsinki: 1996.
8 Lehikoinen, P.: The Physioacoustic Method. Kalamazoo, MI: Next Wave Inc., 1990.
9 Lehikoinen, P.: Private communication.
10 FDA: Number K905256. 510(k) Premarket Notification Database, Decision date: 1991.
11 Komatsu, A.: An Examination of Sleep Inducing Effects of Information Carrying Bodysonic Vibrations, Journal of
Japanese Society of Sleep Research, 3[1]:108-116, 1995.
12 Leikohinen, P. and Kastren, J.: A suitability study of the physioacoustic system as a treatment device in
Preventative Corporate Health Care. The Sibelius Academy, Helsinki, 1997.
13 Drieberg, K., Anderson, T. Brown, S., and Warner, D.: The effects of physioacoustics on skin temperature, electro
dermal activity and level of EMG. Loma Linda University Medical Center, California, 1993.
14 Naukkarinen, H.: The Physioacoustic Method in the treatment of psychosomatic pain and anxiety, Helsinki
University Central Hospital at the Clinic of Psychiatry, 1991.
15 LeDoux, J.” Synaptic Self: How Our Brains Become Who We Are. New York: Viking Press. 406 pp. 2002.
16 Lehikoinen, P.: Sound vibration and the electric function of brain, a pilot study. Finnish Journal of Music
Education. 3[3]: 38-40, 1998.
.12

What has Schopenhauer’s Theory of music to contribute to a psychoanalytic understanding
of music therapy?
Rachel Darnley-Smith, Senior lecturer in Music Therapy
Schopenhauer has been described as the ‘musician’s philosopher’ for the detailed attention he pays to music, assigning the medium
a ‘pride of place in the arts’ (Budd, 1985:76). Whilst his theory has received ample criticism (Han 1997) on the grounds of conceptual
inconsistencies, what is of significance for music therapy is the way in which Schopenhauer cites music as the inner essence of man. Unlike
the other arts (Art, Drama, Architecture, Literature, etc.) which form representations of the world, for Schopenhauer, music is not a representation;
music therefore has the capacity to say the unsayable, that it can reveal aspects of the world that verbal language is unable to reveal.
(Bowie, 2003:221). It is of further significance that Schopenhauer has frequently been cited as a precursor to Freud, in particular upon comparing
Schopenhauer's theory of man’s inner essence or Will with Freud’s theory of the unconscience.
In this paper I shall explore the relevance of these theoretical links to the work of some pioneering theories of music therapy such
as Nordoff and Robbins and Mary Priestly. I shall show how Schopenhauer’s theory of music has not only had broad influence as a philosophy
of music, but has possibly inadvertently contributed to psychoanalytic thinking in music therapy also.
Schopenhauer’s theory of mind
In order to understand Schopenhauer’s theory of music, it is necessary to have some map of his philosophical theory as a whole.
Schopenhauer was developing his philosophy as a direct theoretical descendant of what is known in philosophy as Idealism. Idealism is
used slightly differently as a term in philosophy from our everyday use of the word ideal. It is a theory of knowledge widely explored in the
western tradition, concerned with how and what we can know of the world. Idealism is characterized by the central notion that our perception
of things in the world such as chairs, tables, trains, buses, people, mountains, rivers are all in some sense mental ideas (Russell, 1978:19 1 ).
According to this theory things are representations or appearances which form in our brain. We can never know these ‘things’ directly as they
are always mediated by our perceptual senses. That is to say when we look at a table it is always I who looks at the table and I can never
perceive that table without perceiving it through my senses of sight, touch, etc. I can never know it in its pure form, or what another German
philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) called a ‘thing-in-itself’.
Schopenhauer’s version of idealism was twofold in structure. He believed that we encounter the world through our senses, through
representations of things. It was therefore impossible to know objects in the world except as a subject, that is to say as I. Schopenhauer
wrote (WWR1:3) ‘The world is my representation’ and that the whole of the world ‘is only object in relation to the subject’. Crucially the world
is ‘my representation,’ that a representation is always a representation for the subject, that is to say the thinking living person, me. For
Schopenhauer there can be no object, such as a table or mountain without a knowing subject, ‘we find that the two are one and the same, for
every object always presupposes a subject and thus remains a representation’ (WW1:95).
Schopenhauer however was dissatisfied with the idea that our knowledge of objects as representations is all we can know about
them. We can gain detailed knowledge of things in the world through philosophy, science or mathematics, but these disciplines can never
explain the Significance of things (WWR1:95), that is to say we cannot understand ‘the inner nature of things from without’ (WWR1:99).
Schopenhauer is identifying what is today a key problem of epistemology for music therapists working in any model which emphasizes therapeutic
process in contrast to models which emphasize outcome. For example, we can use sophisticated methods of musical analysis or
observation to describe what happens in a music therapy session, but such data cannot in and of itself provide us with the meaning or significance
of the musical material. This leaves the clinician with the everyday task of translating or interpreting the significance of musical material
in what can feel inadequate or over subjective in the medical contexts many of us work in. For example in order that music therapy might
be accepted as an intervention beyond a ‘creative activity to pass the time’ (not necessarily an insignificant purpose in itself), we need literally
to have ‘something to say’ about the significance of that music. Whilst it is a point of debate in the UK whether or not there is a need to
‘understand’ the music beyond our experience of making it with ‘another’, for many of us, in order that the work we do makes sense to our
managers and fellow clinicians, at the very least we need something to write in the patient’s notes.
For Schopenhauer the significance of ourselves as human beings, and the significance of things in the world lies in our essence or
inner nature. He writes:
‘Here we already see that we can never get at the inner nature of things from without. However much we investigate, we obtain nothing but
images and names. We are like a man who goes around a castle looking in vain for an entrance, and sometimes sketching the facades.’
(WWR1:99)
Schopenhauer's ‘solution’ to the problem of inner nature is worked out in his theory of Will. Will is the essence of things it is everywhere
and in everything, and conceptually is prior to our experiences of things and forms of knowledge (time, space, causality). It is known
through what Schopenhauer referred to as its objectification. Put another way, like Freud’s theory of the unconscious,the will is known
through how it manifests itself. Most importantly the Will is known through the body.
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The body raises a special question within Schopenhauer’s theory, as ourselves as ‘knowing subjects’ are not just minds, our world made up
of representations of things are ‘given entirely through the medium of a body, and the affections of this body are ... the starting point for the understanding
in its perception of this world’ (WWR1:99). So it follows that the body cannot just be given as yet another representation, because we are
our own particular bodies. For example that I move my fingers across the typewriter entails my perception of the objects in front of me, including my
body. It also entails my inner understanding, my awareness that I am undertaking a certain act. So through our bodies we have a special ‘inner’
knowledge of our essence of our experience of things is twofold, we are both subject and object at once.
More about the Will
Schopenhauer’s conception of the Will was not just as a human phenomenon. It exists as a fundamental of the world, it is the world before
the world has been perceived through the forms of knowledge available to humankind. That is to say the conceptual understanding of time, space
and the idea of cause and effect. This means that the Will is to be found objectified throughout nature.
In Schopenhauer’s philosophy the Will is the thing-in-self, which cannot be directly known. We experience it (or to use Schopenhauer's terminology,
it is objectified) principally through the body, but in developing the theory, knowledge of the Will is extended to other experiences or states
of consciousness, such as the contemplation of art, states of genius, madness, (WWR1:84) and sexuality (WW2:531-67).
This structure of inferred unknown, that is to say Will (Schopenhauer) or Unconscious (Freud) which manifests itself through the body, sexuality,
aesthetic experience (Schopenhauer) or parapraxes, dreams, psychical symptoms or obsessions in the sick, and thoughts or ideas apparently
without origin (Freud, 1915:168) 2 , possibly forms the firmest basis from which to examine Schopenhauer’s theory of mind as anticipating Freud’s theory
of the unconscious.
The Unconscious and the Will
In Psychoanalytic Music Therapy there is an assumption to be found that music is:
- derivative of the unconscious
- expressive or representative of the unconscious
- isomorphic with the unconscious, that is to say it is the unconscious
One criticism of Schopenhauer's theory of music in relation to the Will is that he doesn’t seem entirely clear as to the relationship between
music and the self. A music therapist faced with making sense empirically with the meaning of music on a daily basis might be less critical, why
should we know what music is?
At one level, both Freud and Schopenhauer can be seen to rest a theory of mind upon the same premise. There is an aspect of the self
which is theoretically known of through its ‘objectifications’, of which content is meaningful to human existence but cannot be directly known.
Young and Brook (1994) 3 make erudite and detailed comparisons between the two psychologist theorizing about the human condition. For example
they write in relation to the Will,‘Freud, of course, shared Schopenhauer's view that the ‘intellect is entirely secondary’ in the functioning of the mind -
‘the ego is not master in its own house’ (1994:107).
Schopenhauer's theory of World Will existing prior to Individual Will, and thereto forms of knowledge was, as outlined above is certainly at
first a metaphysical formulation. Freud’s psychoanalytic method by which he theorized about the dynamic workings of the ego and the Id could be
summarized as description of the mind manifested through dreams, parapraxes, etc. To link these two formulations citing the metaphysical as somehow
anticipatory and the same as the psychological is to fall into the complex area of philosophical error known as psychologism. A further example
is to be found designed to back up this link:
Young and Porter write ‘Schopenhauer's theory of the primacy of the will even contains an anticipation of Freud’s notion that infants begin
life totally isolated, discharging energy blindly by a wild primary process.’ They quote Schopenhauer, ‘The new born child moves violently, screams
and cries most vehemently, although it does not yet know what it wills. For the medium of motives, the intellect is still undeveloped...’ (WW2:234-5)’
(1994:107).
Here is an example of Schopenhauer actively using his metaphysical theory to understand the human condition, and from which to draw
inferences about the psychological experience of an infant. However successful, Schopenhauer is in this speculative section about the development
of consciousness, its metaphysical basis cannot make sense of an understanding of the world as empirically known and can at best only serve as a
metaphor for psychoanalysis or indeed psychology. We might conclude though that the projects of Schopenhauer and Freud of establishing a theoretical
basis for understanding the human condition comes closer where Schopenhauer begins to abandon metaphysics for a form of psychological
speculation.
Whilst Schopenhauer's project was not to provide a method for psychiatric cure, his method was not empirical, but philosophical, and some
crucial structures in his formulation of the mind are different from Freud. However his notion of a known unknown essence of the self links meaningfully,
if not perfectly, with the unconscious. Furthermore his metaphysics, which examine man’s reflective ‘thoughtful’ consciousness in advance of
Freud, give way to a speculative stance which seems to be further anticipatory of Freud, in that he sought to understand’ which is going on for us’ in
the matter of being human.
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Schopenhauer and Music: The Intuition
Arthur Schopenhauer's writings on aesthetics contain a particular intuition about the role of art and the special place of music. This intuition
linked music non-verbally to the self. That is to say through music the essence of self could be apprehended. From this intuition Schopenhauer
went on to make a judgement about good and bad music, that bad music relied upon verbal means to somehow access the meaning of the music,
where as good music was written from the viewpoint of the same intuition, that no such explanation was necessary. 1 Between 1814-1818
Schopenhauer lived in Dresden in Saxony, a city famous for its opera house and performances of Italian opera, popularly known as ‘the Florence of
the north’. Here Schopenhauer wrote and published the first edition of The World as Will and Representation. 4 During these years, as it would seem
throughout his life, music played an integral role: he played the flute and frequently attended concerts and operas after long days isolated in his
work. It may also be presumed that he attended the opera performances by both the Italian and German Kapell-Meisterin, the double appointment
being a new feature of Dresden musical life from 1817 onwards. 5
‘[He] soon became known as the person who rushed in hurriedly and usually late, often departed before the end of a performance and did
not shrink from loud expressions of disapproval. Being an admirer of modernized Italian Opera, especially of Rossini, he was not greatly impressed
by the efforts of the new music director, Carl Maria von Weber, who favored German opera - to Schopenhauer’s mind merely ambitiously dressed-up
musical comedy’ (Safranski, 1990:193)6
He writes:
Music is the true universal language which is understood everywhere, so that it is ceaseless spoken in all countries and throughout all centuries
with great zeal and earnestness, and a significant melody which says a great deal soon makes its way around the entire earth, while one poor
in meaning which says nothing straightaway fades and dies: which proves that the content of melody is very well and understandable. Yet music
speaks not of things but of pure weal and woe, which are the only realities for the Will: that is why it speaks so much to the heart and has nothing to
say to the head and it is a misuse of it to demand that it should do so, as happens in all pictorial music, which is consequently once and for all objectionable,
even though Haydn and Beethoven strayed into composing it: Mozart and Rossini, so far as I know, never did. For expression of passions
is one thing, depiction of things another... Grand opera is not really a product of the pure artistic sense, it is rather the somewhat barbaric conception
of enhancing aesthetic enjoyment by piling up the means to it, by the simultaneous production of quite desperate impressions and by strengthening
the effect through augmenting the masses and forces producing it; while music as the mightiest of the arts, is capable of itself of completely
engrossing the mind receptive to it; ... 7
As Lydia Goehr writes, Schopenhauer ‘criticizes composers and critics who try “pathologically” to pull music down into the phenomenal
world by subordinating it to the sentimental expression of an ordinary person’s individual emotions, interests and concerns; or by associating it with
words...or by making music imitate programatically... 8’ (1996:207).
Schopenhauer's regular exposure and critical interest in the contemporary music of his time, together with some technical knowledge as
demonstrated in The World as Will and Representation. (WWR1 and WWRII), possibly motivated his belief in the arts as ‘an acknowledged treasure
of profound wisdom, just because the wisdom of the nature of things themselves speaks from them’ (WWR2:407) and the development of a metaphysical
theory of aesthetics whereby music is considered as superior in relation to all the other arts, that its inexplicable nature corresponds to
man’s essence.
Schopenhauer's commitment to music may also have motivated his therapeutic stance towards the arts. Schopenhauer writes ‘aesthetic
pleasure in the beautiful consists to a large extent, in the fact that, when we enter a state of pure contemplation, we are raised for the moment above
all willing, above all desires and cares; ... Such a man who, after many bitter struggles with his own nature has at last completely conquered, is left
only as pure knowing being, as the undimmed mirror of the world. Nothing can distress or alarm him any more’ (WWR:390).
For Schopenhauer ‘The aesthetic state in short is a signpost to the permanent solution to the problem of pain’ (Young, 1993:12). That is to
say the apprehension or creation of art entails the suspension of a sense of self, and a letting go into the dimension of the will.
Schopenhauer's metaphysical theory of music: The problem of Music as Essence
Schopenhauer’s project in his theory of music was to demonstrate its indigenous relationship to the self, that is to say, the self as will.
Schopenhauer's theory flows from his ‘explanation’ which at first appears paradoxical, that music ‘is a representation to that which of its essence can
never be representation’ and that he regards music ‘as the copy of an original that can itself never be directly represented’ (WWR1:257). The arts,
that is to say the fine and plastic arts, excepting music, always match something in the world, and Schopenhauer presents ‘that something’ through
his version of Plato’s theory of Ideas. Schopenhauer utilizes Plato’s theory of Ideas as a type of bridge: Ideas, like the will are things in themselves,
but unlike the will are specific - we can recognize them as an essential stage towards individualization.
The Ideas for Plato are the unchanging forms in life such as justice, goodness, and beauty... which we innately recognize.
‘Plato thought that the greatest achievement for humanity would be to gain an understanding of these eternal forms such as Justice itself,
Goodness itself, and Beauty itself. The human soul would be elevated to a plane where it transcended the limitations of mere opinion and mortal
appetite, gained an apprehension of absolute standards of value and achieved a release from conflict and suffering’ (January, 2002:16-17)
The arts, paintings, poetry, tragedy, architecture and so on, excepting music, are represented as Ideas. (Young, 1993:15) We understand
the representations because we recognize them as Ideas. Music cannot be considered in the same general terms as the other arts since it does not
match something in the world, it cannot be recognized as a repetition or copy of ‘any Idea of the inner nature of the world.’ That is to say music is
elusive in terms of literal representational meaning, and thus it bypasses the ideas.
Does this mean that we are unable to obtain an understanding of music therefore it music does not represent an eternal idea? No, says
Schopenhauer, even though music does not represent an Idea, music seems to be simply be understood by man; apparently it needs no specific
explanation.
.15

For Schopenhauer, the (Platonic) Ideas are the objectification of the will, that is to say, the manifestation of the Will in a form that is available to us
through objects, in this case art objects, in the world. The aim of all the arts other than music is to stimulate this knowledge of the Will. But this means that all
the other arts ‘objectify’ the will only indirectly and by means of the ideas. Music could still exist even if there were no world at all, and is therefore ‘as immediate
an objectification and copy of the whole will as the world itself is... the objectivity of which are the ideas.’ For this reason, Schopenhauer thinks ‘the effect
of music is so very much more powerful and penetrating than the other arts’ (WWR1:257). It might be supposed that Schopenhauer presents Leibniz’s definition
of music to contrast with his theory so far. Leibniz defined music, ‘An unconscious exercise in arithmetic in which the mind does not know it is counting’ 9
implying an understanding of music based upon the mathematical structures of harmony and rhythm.
But Schopenhauer is not satisfied with this, as it reduces the effect of music solely to a description of its form, whilst omitting content, or in this case
omitting the idea of music as essence.
‘...it [music] is such an exceedingly fine art, its effect on man’s innermost nature is so powerful and it is so completely and profoundly understood by
him in his innermost being as an entirely universal language, whose distinctness surpasses even that of the world of perception itself, that in it we need to look
for more than that ‘exercitium arithmeticae occultum nescientis se numerae animi’ which Leibniz took it to be.’
Schopenhauer presents this contrast of definition as a tension, which can be seen as derived from his theory of knowledge that ‘we can never get at
the inner nature of things from without’ (WWR:99). We can determine the structures of music but more work is needed to arrive at an explanation of essence,
that is to say, form can never be reduced to the meaning of content.
For Schopenhauer the satisfaction of music could not be compared to the satisfaction of an outcome of a sum in arithmetic: ‘we must attribute to
music a far more serious and profound significance that refers to the innermost being of the world and of our own self. In this regard the numerical ratios into
which it can be resolved are related not as the thing signified, but only as the sign’. (WWR:256)
Schopenhauer argues that music must be more than its outward forms because music has a certain effect upon us internally. That is to say we
have a private subjective response to it. From this Schopenhauer infers that ‘in some sense music must be related to the world as the depiction to the thing
depicted.’ (WWR1:256). Furthermore since music is imitative [to the will] in its reference and since it is understood by everyone, music must be very profound,
infinitely true and really striking. But, Schopenhauer clarifies he is not arguing that essence is all that music is, as ‘its forms can be reduced to quite definite
rules expressible in numbers from which it cannot possibly depart without entirely ceasing to be music.’ (WWR1:256). On the other hand Schopenhauer concedes
that this link is not only very obscure, and indeed that he cannot demonstrate it. But that it is possible for men to ‘practice’ music ‘without being able to
give an account of this...content to understand it immediately, they renounce any abstract conception of this direct understanding itself.’ WWRI:256. So whilst
it is possible to demonstrate the exterior of music through describing its forms as representation, this is not enough, as Schopenhauer's metaphysical dualism
of Will and Representation, together with our interior experience of music suggests. This is the basis for Schopenhauer’s metaphysical theory of music: Like
Schopenhauer’s theory of Will and Representation, it is dualist in structure: Music comes as form but ‘experience’ demonstrates is more than form, it has
essence. Form and essence in music is reduced to ‘outer’ and ‘inner’ respectively.
Schopenhauer sets out to demonstrate that the essence of music is not reducible to its form. it is through form that music ‘passes through the ‘principium
individuationis’ and is apprehended as objectified Will. His explanation ‘assumes and establishes a relation of music as a representation to that which
of its essence can never be a representation, and claims to regard music as a copy of an original that can itself never be directly represented.’ (WWRI:257).
That is why it is impossible to demonstrate. The essence of music can never be objectified, that is to say represented, and music is a non representational art
form. Instead Schopenhauer advises the reader to test out his ideas for themselves, ‘that in order that a man may assent with genuine conviction to the
explanation of the significance of music here to be given, that he should often listen to music with constant reflection on this.’ (WWRI:257).
What is the structure of music and the Will? How does he argue music and the self ... see p.256
How does Schopenhauer argue the universality of music without getting caught up in prescriptive meaning?
Conclusion/Discussion:
In this paper I have discussed and presented Schopenhauer's theory of music in relation to music therapy. I have shown how the concerns and aesthetic
problems Schopenhauer raises can be seen as 19th century version of concerns and clinical problems for music therapists almost two hundred years later.
Whilst some of the more empirical content of Schopenhauer’s theory is of less interest, such as his structure of the will in relation to harmony and melody, the
following problems mirror ongoing problems in music therapy:
- That music represent the unsayable: music speaks for itself, it is a non-verbal way of being with others
- That music is about the heart, not the head: that music’s power as therapy is essentially non-verbal: music and self are isomorphic
- That music is composed directly from the will, music is the self
- That the meaning of music is not reducible to its structure
Lyndia Goehr (204-5) in her penetrating article argues that the principle legacy of Schopenhauer is his silence about music, directly anticipating Wittengenstein
she quotes: Whereof ONE CANNOT SPEAK...
.16

Footnotes:
1 Russell, B. (1978). The Problems of Philosophy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
2 Freud, S. (1915). The Unconscious. Translated by James Strachey (1991), Vol. 11, Penguin Freud Library.
Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 159-243.
3 Young, C. and Brook, A. (1994) Ibid.
4 Janaway, C. (2002). Ibid.
5 Sadie, S. (ed.) (2002, 2nd edition). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Vol. 7, p.575.
6 Safranski, R. (1990). Schopenhauer and the Wild Years of Philosophy. (Trans) E. Osers. Cambridge,
Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
7 Schopenhauer, Essays and Aphorisms, trans. R. J. Hollindale (1970). London: Penguin Books. pp.162-163.
8 Ibid
9 Translation from footnote in Schopenhauer’s text by E.J.F. Payne.
.17

Time Structures in Autism: Initial Thoughts. 1
Niels Hamel
“...Sit down before fact like a little child, and be prepared to give up every preconceived notion, follow humbly wherever and to whatever abyss
Nature leads, or you shall learn nothing.” -- T. H. Huxley
Introduction
Time has been part of my daily practice for years now and I have written about different aspects of temporality within several contexts. Here, I
would like to present some thoughts about my music therapeutic experience with clients of the autistic spectrum. The temporal aspects of this
study are beginning to reveal themselves, acquiring structures that support the encounter with these clients so as to help finding ways to enhance
their quantity of communication.
Time
The first experience in dealing with time structures is that the more research is done on time, the more the concept of time runs through the fingers
of the researcher. It gets more and more difficult to get hold of some kind of definition of time. We are confronted with the two basic principles in
our personal daily time experience: the physical or measured time and the emotional or psychological time.
The physical time is the time of the clock (Chronos), an external established time that enables us to schedule our daily routine. It has a linear quality.
The emotional time is our inner, intuitive time (Kairos), the time of dreams, emotional experience or memories. It has a non-linear quality, it is
not measurable and varies from person to person and from experience to experience.
Robbins and Forinash (1995) expand this basic division and propose four time levels that are always present and part of the development of our
time perception. The authors distinguish between two polarities: physical time -- measurability, sameness, foreseeability -- and present time --
spontaneity, creativity, newness. One may see, that these concepts also represent the principles of linearity (physical time) and non-linearity (present
time) in its extremes. In between there are moderating stages: the emotional time -- impulsivity, motility, variability, and process or individual
time -- stability, continuity, accountability.
In our daily experience, we move constantly within these four parameters of time. They may help us to gain greater consciousness of our psychological
processes. Also in music therapy, we deal with these levels, since they correspond to different musical parameters and experiences. Each
of the four levels of time may be found in every musical parameters and experiences. Each of the four levels of time may be found in every musical
style -- music is an expression of human time experience.
Strawinski once said that “Music brings order between mankind and time.” In this sense we should not move too fast and take a closer look at
where this order comes from and how these different time levels develop. Furthermore, we should analyze, what order means and how we manage
to maintain an equilibrium between an outer chaos of stimuli and an inner perceptual order.
Chaos and Order
In the past years I have learned a few things about perception and child development from my clients that are related to chaos and order:
I. chaos does not mean that there has been order before
II. chaos is, as much as order, a necessity for growth and development
III. the observer/participant of a phenomenon creates his/her own order within the chaos
Here, I refer to Chaos in its historical sense and the origin of the word. Chaos for the antique Greek meant the gaping, the opening and emptiness
of space - the ground for all becoming. Chaos, the uniformed being, and Kosmos, the ordered structures, are complementary principles.
Complementary, as the two basic time experiences I named before, as well as the axis of the time paradigm by Robbins/Forinash -- present
time/physical time.
The development of these basic temporal structures is not strictly linear, but fluctuates between the tendencies towards order and chaos, between
stability and instability. A constant renewal of structures and reconnections of neurons makes learning and growing a very complex process. To
maintain the development as a dynamic process, chaos and order are necessary to keep a homeostatic rhythmic balance. This rhythm and balance
differs from individual to individual. That is why basic structures such as time experience on all levels of consciousness take so many different
forms. However, we are able to describe some of the underlying principles of a normotypical development.
Development of Time
At this point, it is important to state, that development is continuous -- not linear, but continuous. Every classification into “stages”, therefore, is
merely didactic and helps us to find references within this process in order to keep track of or to evaluate the development.
.18

The beginning is common ground -- the absolute present, chaos, the atemporal / prototemporal (Fraser, 1988) stage. It is the immersion into the
unfiltered and unsorted stimuli, absorbing without processing -- being. At this stage, or in this process, the only possible perception is that of synchrony,
of the synchronic movement, pulsation, or being. The first and most important time process is that of inner synchronization. Inner synchronization
turns outer perception possible. Been in the “absolute now”, or Chaos, there is only movement and order.
The first organization/structuring moves towards a transition phase -- eotemporality/ biotemporality, where time begins to order into linear forms,
inner rhythms gain their synchronization and an exchange with outer stimuli initiates some possibility of time consciousness. The differentiation
between synchrony and dissynchrony happens within this process and is fundamental to develop time linearity. Small sequences on interactive
levels can be observed -- a nuclear self starts to develop and causality can be perceived. In this transitional phase between the being-time and
the becoming-time, “past” begins to exist. Memory and neurological circuits are formed and consciousness rises -- the construct of the conscious
“now” represents the end of the transitional phase.
The third development in time is the concept of duration. It happens in the nootemporal stage -- the present being the construct of past and
future. Concepts of anticipation and of space-time duration are perceived and applied in social interactions. A Self differs from the Other.
Encounters and relationships are possible are desired.
With continuous development of relationships and perception of time on the conscious level, the sociotemporality appears. On this level, cultural
contents are being processed and exchanged between groups of human beings.
Perception and Time
All our senses work with time principles within their neurophysiological circuits. There are also different temporal patterns in the connections, so
that, for example, the visual perception is significantly slower than the auditory perception. All other senses have different “times”, so that one
may wonder how we get all this information together into one Gestalt. The synchronization process of perception is basic, very complex, but all
together time-related! children with disorders of the autistic spectrum seem to present different sensory-perceptual abnormalities which may be a
reflection of a different development of time structures.
Temporal Cause
According to some authors, the major symptoms of autism may be related to time issues. Boucher (1999,2001) goes so far as to speak of a temporal
cause of autism. In fact, the chaotic perception, the tendency to repetitiveness, the withdrawal of social interaction and the deficit of communication
can be explained by the lack of, by retarded or by primary structured development of the time levels. Especially problems with
sequencing are described by authors (Sa, 2003) and even by persons with autism in some autobiographic texts (O’Neill, 2001, Williams, 1998).
Music Therapy and Autism
The work with autism is part of the history of music therapy. Many different approaches have been developed, such as the work of Alvin (1988),
Nordoff and Robbins (1986). In Germany, Schumacher (1994, 1999, 2005) has consistently published and developed a reliable evaluation instrument
(EBQ -- Evaluation of the Quality of Relationship).
Frohne-Hageman and PleB-Adamczyk (2005) describe the indication of music therapy for autism for each of the symptom of the triad, not taking,
though, the temporal aspects of the musical parameters into consideration. They prefer to make reference to the emotional and affective functions
that music can provide within the work with autistic children.
I believe, that the development of an affective and emotional level depends on the development of time structures as described above. However,
there is a feedback relationship between these two areas. Emotions and affects can only be developed if primary time structures are present,
whereas the following stages of time structures always depend on emotional and affective levels in order to get motivation and positive grounds
for further development. This inner dialogue between cognition and emotion must be taken into consideration in a therapeutic process when
working with children with autism. The therapist must develop the ability to listen into the clients’ needs to temporal/cognitive work and emotional/affective
support.
Correlation of Time Development and Daily Practice
The importance of time development within therapy has been addressed by several authors in the past decade (Petersen 1987, 1990, 2002,
Petzold, 1993). A specified view of time structures and their relationship to therapeutic interventions and techniques, especially in the music therapy
field, has not yet been described. Nevertheless, the correlation between the time developmental level and the quality of the relationship the
therapist establishes with the client is striking. There is a great difference between meeting a client within the being-level or the transition-level.
Not only does the therapist use a whole different spectrum of interventions, but if she/he is not able to perceive the clients level, there will probably
be no therapeutic encounter, which in turn diminishes the possibility of development of the client.
In order to meet the clients needs, there must be an understanding of time development and its function within the whole development of the
client. Working on the different levels means knowing how to put oneself in synchrony, on the level of basic sequencing and/or into duration. But
more important than all is to recognize when to do so, since, as mentioned before, development is not linear and the clients skip from one level
to another sometimes within one session. The music therapist must follow this temporal movement and musically find ways to communicate with
the client.
.19

Conclusion
The intention of this paper has been to demonstrate my initial ideas and findings about time structures in music therapy with clients of the
autistic spectrum. With the present basic outline and understanding, further research will now be necessary to develop the categories and relate the
theory to case studies, establishing what interventions are necessary and possible within each temporal group.
1 This paper has been presented in an altered form at the Music Psychotherapy Research Symposium, Laurier Centre for Music Therapy Research, Wilfrid Laurier
University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, May 13-15, 2005.
References:
Alvin, J. (1988). Musik fur das behinderte Kind und Musiktherapie fur das autistische Kind. G. Fischer: Stuttgart.
Boucher, J. (1999). A New Theory of Autism - Intuitive Time Processing in People with Autism. http://trainland.tripod.com/jill.b.htm
Boucher, J. (2001). “Lost in a Sea of Time: Time-Parsing and Autism”. in: Hoerl, C., und
McCormack, T., Time and Memory: Issues in Philosophy and Psychology. Clarendon Press: Oxford.
Fraser, J. T. (1988). Die Zeit: vertraut und fremd. Birkhauser Verlag: Basel.
Gindl, B. (2002). Anklang -- Die Resonanz der Seele: Uber ein Grundprinzip therapeutischer Beziehung. Junfermann: Paderborn.
Hegi, F. (1998). Ubergange zwischen Sprache und Musik: die Wirkungskomponenten der Musiktherapie. Junfermann Verlag: Paderborn.
Kramer, J.D. (`1988). The Time of Music. Schirmer Books: New York.
Nordoff, P. & Robbins, C. (1986). Schopferische Musiktherapie. Fischer: Stuttgart.
O’Neill, J. L. (2001), Autismus von Innen: Nachrichten aus einer verborgenen Welt. Hans Huber Verlag: Bern.
Petersen, P. (Hg) (2002). Forschungsmethoden Kunstlerischer Therapien: Grundlagen-Projekte-Vorschlage. Verlag Johannes M. Mayer & Co. Gmbh:
Stuttgart.
Petersen, P. (Hg.) (1990). Ansatze kunsttherapeutischer Forschung. Springer-Verlag: Berlin.
Petersen, P. (1987). Der Therapeut als Kunstler. Junfermann: Paderborn.
Petzold, H. (1993). Integrative Therapie: Modelle, Theorien und Methoden fur eine schulubergreifende Psychotherapie. Junfermann: Paderborn.
Plahl, C. (2000). Entwicklung fordern durch Musik. Waxmann: Munster.
Poppel, E. (1997). Grenzen des Bewubstseins: Wie kommen wir zur Zeit. Insel-Verlag: Frankfurt a.M.
Robbins, C. & Forinash, M. (1991). “A Time Paradigm: Time as a multilevel phenomenon in music therapy,” Music Therapy, 10(1), 46-57.
Sa, L.C. (2003). A teia do tempo e o autista: musica e musicoterapia. Ed. UFG, Goiania
Schumacher, K. & Calvet-Kruppa, C. (2005). “‘Untersteh’ Dich!” - Musiktherapie bei Kindern mit autistischen Syndrom.’ In: C. Plahl, H. Koch-
Temming: Kinder-Musiktherapie, Hans Huber: Bern.
Schumacher, K. (1999). Musiktherapie und Sauglingsforschung. Lang Verlag: Frankfurt a.M.
Schumacher, K. (1994). Musiktherapie mit autistischen Kindern. Gustav Fischer Verlag: Stuttgart.
Stern, D. N. (2004). The Present Moment in Psychotherapy and Everyday Life. W.W. Norton & Company: New York.
Stern, D. N. (2000). The Interpersonal World of the Infant: A View from Psychoanalysis and Developmental Psychology. Basic Books.
Stern, D. (1993). Die Lebenserfahrung des Sauglings. Klett-Cotta: Stuttgart.
Williams, D. (1998). Autism and Sensing: The Unlost Instinct. Jessica Kingsley: London.
Williams, D. (1996). Autism: An Inside-Out Approach. Jessica Kingsley: London.
Williams, D. (1992). Nobody, Nowhere. Avon Books: New York.
Biographical Information:
Niels Hamel received a Medical Degree and a Bachelor in Music Therapy in Brazil. Further he earned a Master’s Degree in Behavioral Sciences
with Minor in Art Therapy at the University of Houston Clear Lake, USA. He is a former President of the Music Therapy Association of the State of
Rio de Janeiro and worked in different clinical setting from psychiatry to substance abuse in Brazil and the USA. Currently he is a doctoral student
at the Hochschule fur Musik und Theater of Hamburg and is working and doing his doctoral research with clients of the autistic spectrum at the
Autism-Therapy-Center in Bielefeld, Germany.
Address:
Niels Hamel
Carlo-Mierendorff-Str. 8-b
33615 Bielefeld
Germany
email: niels_hamel@yahoo.com
.20

The Canadian Corner
Interview with Cynthia Chhina by Janet Zadorsky
1. How did you come to be involved in mental health
rehabilitation? Was this a chosen field or the outcome of other
music therapy work in related fields? How has your work in
this area evolved over the years?
My primary area of clinical practice is in tertiary psychiatry,
in which specialized rehabilitation service target the needs of
adults diagnosed with serious mental illness. This clinical
population is frequently dis-empowered, marginalized and misrepresented.
Research that increases insights into the psychosocial
rehabilitation needs of people experiencing serious
mental illness can enable not only music therapists, but also
other health care providers, to provide increasingly intuitive
and authentic therapeutic support, thereby meeting the needs
of mental health consumers as these needs are clarified.
2. Your paper at the symposium highlighted your present
involvement in research concerning clients’ lived experiences
of mental illness. How did you come to do research?
Has this been a growing desire or is it a need of the institution,
or a personal desire to know more about the population you
work with? How is the research affecting your own MT views
and theories?
I came to the experience of research for several reasons.
First, I felt driven to answer questions that I faced through the
accumulation of clinical practice. Second, I felt an obligation
and need to continue learning the music therapy service possible
for my clients. Finally, based on this need, I enrolled in a
master of rehabilitation science research degree that provided
a strong base for the research skills I hope to learn and use.
3. Your enthusiasm and love for your work seems to
urge you forward -- can you elaborate on this, on why you
believe so much in your work as a music therapist? Has your
love for music therapy also been evolving since you began?
Practicing music therapy in mental health is challenging but
highly rewarding. Rather than seeing only the disabling effects
of the illness, music can enable us to see the healthy, creative,
resilient, qualities in people. I don’t know why, but I am still
surprised and pleased every time I see that a person who has
difficulty engaging in traditional services can connect and
express musically in such a direct way. At these moments I
feel more than ever that music therapy is essential to mental
health.
4. Is there any kind of ‘advice’ you would like to pass on
to upcoming researchers or ones just getting started, or ones
reluctant to start?
Any advice I have to give novice researchers is simple, I am
still a novice researcher. Music Therapy is ripe with opportunity
because there is still so much we don’t know and understand
about how we work and the impact our work has on the
lives of our clients. We are lucky to be music therapists at a
time of great development in the field. When research is connected
to clinical practice, it can be relevant and exciting.
Often one’s concept of research is that of a dry stuffy academic
endeavor that is far removed from the realities of our profession.
Instead, research can be a vibrant engaging experience
exploring topics and methods that builds on clinical music
therapy skills and that can make a significant difference to the
clients we serve.
5. Sharing her research:
The research question for the current study is “what do
songs written by adults diagnosed with serious mental illness
tell us about their lives and experiences?”In my role as a
music therapist, I have had the opportunity to engage creatively
in song writing with adults living with mental illness as part
of their therapeutic process. Over the years, the clear, profound
and aesthetic expressions of my clients have had a
marked impact on me for a number of reasons. First, there is a
commonality among the use of metaphor and themes in songs
that is surprising given the diversity of clients and their diagnoses.
Second, clinical song writing reminds me of the incredible
emotive and organizing qualities of music when I see that
participants who have difficulty with verbal expression. They
are able to identify complex and clear aspects of their experience
through song. These thoughts provided the impetus for a
pilot study in which participant’s illness experiences were
explored through a retrospective analysis of songs written in
music therapy. Building on the pilot, the current research has
evolved to include the full spectrum of topics participants wish
to talk about rather than songs written only about their experience
of illness. Another development are songs written specifically
for the research. The writing process is included in the
data set capturing moments of insight that take place throughout
the song writing process.
As the creative process of co-facilitated song writing unfolds
songs illuminate the experience of living with mental illness.
Thoughtful hermeneutic phenomenological reflections of these
creative expressions may enable us to walk empathetically with
our clients in new ways.
.21

The Journey of a ‘Beginner’ Music Therapy Researcher
Karie Rippin, BMT, MTA
Music Therapist, St. Joseph’s Health Centre, Guelph, ON
In the Fall of 2004, I decided to delve into the world of music therapy research for the first time. As I embarked on this
journey, I remembered back to sitting in my Research and Professional Issues class thinking, “I’ll never do research-it’s
for music therapy academics!” I was both excited and terrified by the challenge.
To give some background, earlier that year, I started a music therapy program on a contract basis in a facility that provides
Long Term Care, Complex Continuing Care and Adult Day Program Services. The facility has been extremely supportive
of music therapy from the day I arrived, but nonetheless, I wanted to provide evidence to the administration and
the funding source about what the program has brought to the facility.
As I prepared for my first meeting with the Research Coordinator, I had in mind a small study, with straight forward
true/false questions. Once I started to talk with the research coordinator this quickly changed.
The researchers at the facility were excited about the project, but knew little about music therapy and how to study it. I
contacted the Laurier Centre for Music Therapy Research, and our team received overwhelming support from Dr. Heidi
Ahonen-Eerikainen. My study became a large project, which involved conducting 20 interviews with clients, their family
members and staff along side a qualitative analysis of the interview transcripts; the writing of several case studies; and
the videotaping, observation and analysis of group music therapy sessions. The results of the Music Therapy:
Implications for Quality Improvement and Quality of Life at St. Joseph’s Health Centre, Guelph (D. Dalby, N. Sibille, R.
Koch, M. Walker, K. Tschirhart, H. Ahonen-Eerikainen and K. Rippin).
The results of the study were extremely positive. The qualitative analysis found three areas. Interviewees spoke of
important positive changes music therapy brings to clients, such as strengthening bonds between people, it’s importance
in end-of-life care, and the ability to bring joy and happiness to people’s lives. It was also found that music therapy adds
value to the organization through it’s consistency with the Mission and Values of the facility and the ability to reach clients
was previously under serviced. Recommendations for the future of the program were also made.
The results were finalized, I was very pleased with how positive they were, but I was disappointed that nothing previously
unknown about music therapy emerged. As the research is disseminated, however, I have come to realize that while the
results may not be extremely innovative, they are important because of the source of the information. This project shows
conclusively that clients, family members and staff believe in music therapy and feel that it to be valuable.
Since the completion of the project, I have been involved in meetings and discussions about continuing the program and
to potential expansion. People who had previously not shown much interest are now asking about music therapy and
offering their support for its continuation. From this, I have learned about the value of research and the role that it plays
in the health care system.
I do not yet know what the future holds for music therapy at St. Joseph’s Health Centre, Guelph, however, I am certain
this research study will have a positive impact.
.22

This is the completed abstract:
First Interdisciplinary and Collaborative Research
Project
Finished at the Laurier Centre for Music Therapy
Research
MUSIC THERAPY:
Implications for Quality Improvement and Quality of Life
St. Joseph’s Health Centre, Guelph
Abstract
Dawn M. Dalby, PhD 1
Heidi Ahonen-Eerikainen, PhD, MTA 2
Karie Rippin, BMT, MTA 3
Natalie Sibille, MPA 4
Rhea Koch, BASc 5
The aim of this interdisciplinary and collaborative research project
was to gain new understanding into how a music therapy intervention
affects the quality of life for clients with dementia. In this study,
music therapy sessions of the Music Therapy program at St.
Joseph’s Health Centre, Guelph, Ontario, Canada were videotaped
an qualitatively analyzed. Residents, family members, and staff were
interviewed, and the interviews were qualitatively analyzed in order
to obtain their perspective. The qualitative analysis of the interviews
and video-taped music therapy sessions show evidence that the
music therapy program has made significant positive changes for
many participants. It enhances quality of life, adds enjoyment, fun
and happiness, and strengthens bonds between participants. The
results of the study show that music therapy is an important program
and adds value to the organization. Staff and families spoke about
the sense of pride and accomplishment they observed among residents
and clients after taking part in music therapy. The video-taped
sessions of clients with dementia showed that, by participating in the
MT sessions, they were able to work through some of their initial
negative feelings ((e.g., feeling sad, frustrated, stupid) began to feel
proud of their accomplishments and eventually began to really enjoy
the experience. This type of individual change was also evident from
the case studies written by the music therapist. The results of the
study introduce three descriptive categories as the main results,
based on the qualitative analysis of feelings and group therapeutic
factors experienced at the group, and observed by the therapist, the
group observer, and the researcher. The first category is “Dealing
with Difficult Feelings within the Therapeutic Music Group Process”.
After dealing with those feelings at the therapeutic music group,
the participants experienced “the empowering experiences” (= 2nd
category). Feelings of empowerment provided several “joyful
moments” that enhanced the quality of life of group members (= 3rd
category). The results document the impact of music therapy and
thereby extend the current research and fill identified gaps in the literature
of dementia and music therapy.
The research project was fully funded by the Lloyd
Carr-Harris Foundation. The interdisciplinary
research team worked very well together. The
research report (130 pages) was finished on January,
2006, and the results were presented at the Canadian
Music Therapy Conference, Windsor, on May, 2006. A
scientific article has been submitted as well.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Senior Research Associate, St. Joseph’s Health System
Research Network, Hamilton, ON, Assistant Professor, Department
of Kinesiology and Physical Education, Wilfrid Laurier University,
Waterloo, ON. Acted as the study Principal Investigator which
included designing the overall study and overseeing study activities
included data collection, analysis and report writing.
2 Associate Professor, Wilfrid Laurier University, Director of
the Laurier Centre for Music Therapy Research, Accredited Music
Therapist, Psychotherapist, Group Analyst, Conducted the qualitative
analysis of videotapes, feeling wheels, and case studies.
3 Music Therapist, St. Joseph’s Health Centre, Guelph, ON.
conducted the music therapy sessions, and wrote the case studies.
4 Research Coordinator, St. Joseph’s Health System
Research Network, Hamilton, ON. Coordinated all daily activities of
the study and assisted in data analysis and report-writing.
5 Research Assistant, St. Joseph’s Health Centre, Guelph,
ON. Conducted in-person interviews, assisted with data analysis
and report-writing.
.23

Music-Based Communication
by Noreen Donnell
Music Express is an intensive group intervention program designed by Noreen Donnell, Music Therapist and Kim Pace, Speech-
Language Pathologist, for children with communication disorders. Our interventions focus includes: oral-motor skills, articulation,
language, social communication skills, and creative self-expression. All goals are achieved through music-based experiences.
Some of the key benefits include development in:
1) speech, language and communication skills, eg. vocabulary, grammar, articulation
2) musical skills, eg. frequency of vocalization, rhythmical awareness and complexity, improvisatory skills
3) fine and gross motor skills, eg. instrument manipulation, bilateral coordination, balance, motor imitation, rhythmical move
ment
Qualitative changes are observed in self esteem, communicative confidence, musical expression, peer relationships, and parentchild,
sibling-child relationship.
Initially, developmental progress was acquired through the use of video observation, anecdotal information, and data checklists. In
September, 2004, Music Express and the Laurier Centre for Music Therapy Research launched a joint research venture to further
substantiate this progress in skill development. A series of four ten-week sessions involving approximately 50 children was conducted
by music therapist, Taryn McKinnon and speech-language pathologist, Kim Pace. Student volunteers from the music therapy
program assisted as part of their practicum requirements. To better understand how and why this intervention is effective, the
research has focussed on individualized goals. Videotapes are currently being analyzed for changes in speech, language and communication
skills.
Respectfully submitted,
Noreen Donnell, MMT, MTA
Kim Pace, M.Sc., S-LP (C)
.24

2006-2007 Calendar of Events
GIM II training with Liz Moffit will be scheduled for June 12-17, 2007 at WLU, LCMTR.
GIM I training with Liz Moffit will be scheduled for August 19-24, 2007 at WLU, LCMTR.
Please email for additional information. dmartzme@wlu.ca
November 25, 2006
Physioacoustic Seminar with Marco Karkkainen,
Keynote Speaker, Physioacoustic Trainer and Consultant from Finland
Please keep posted on our website for news about our Symposium 2007 event.
LCMTR Symposium scheduled for June 2008, on “Music, Sound and Communication Research”
The Laurier Centre for Music Therapy
Research, in collaboration with the Office
of Continuing Education, Wilfrid Laurier
University is pleased to announce plans
to offer a non-credit certificate in Music
Group Psychotherapy, Fall 2007.
Principal trainers will be Allan Sheps
(Canadian Group Psychotherapy Trainer
and ex-President) and Heidi Ahonen-
Eerikainen, Ph.D.
Future information will be available at:
www.soundeffects.wlu.ca
For more information, please contact:
lfanjoy@wlu.ca
Editor: Dr. HeidiAhonen-Eerikäinen
Layout:
Photographer:
Sunil Kuruvilla
Dawn Wharnsby and Debra Martz Melanson
.25

S e n d a l l r e p l i e s t o :
.26
Management Board
Dr. Heidi Ahonen-Eerikäinen, EdD, MA, MTA
Director of LCMTR, Wilfrid Laurier University
Psychotherapist, Group Analyst
Associate Professor
hahonen@wlu.ca
************************************************************************
Dr. Colin Andrew Lee, PhD, RMTh, BA Hons, MTA
Professor, Director of Music Therapy, WLU
clee@wlu.ca
Marinet Driessen, MMT student, WLU
marinet.driessen@gmail.com
Debra Martz Melanson, Administrative Assistant,
WLU
dmartzme@wlu.ca
Laurel Young, MMT, MTA, Sunnybrook and Women’s
College Health Sciences Centre
LCMTR Research Projects
laurel.young@sw.ca
1. “The Impact of Music Therapy for the
Clients and Residents of St. Joseph’s Health
Centre.” The multi-disciplinary research project
started on January 2005. Funded by the Lloyd-
Carr Harris Foundation: $40,891.00.
2. “Enhancing active participation through
music therapy with the VMI” was funded for the full
$19,569.00 by the Bloorview Children’s Hospital
Foundation.
3. “An Inquiry Into the Effectiveness of Music-
Based Communication Therapy”. This multi-disciplinary
study started on January 2005.
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TR LCMTR 2005
music therapy news at Laurier >
The LAURIER CENTRE for MUSIC THERAPY RESEARCH
International Symposium
May 13 - 15, 2005
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Music
The Royal Road to the Unconscious:
Researching Unconscious Dimensions
in Music Therapy
R e s e a r c h a t L a u r i e r > 2 0 0 5
The Laurier Centre for Music Therapy Research
Wilfrid Laurier University
75 University Avenue West
Waterloo, Ontario
Canada N2L 3C5
affix
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Keynote Speakers:
Dr. Michele Forinash, USA
Elizabeth Moffit, Canada
Presenters:
Dr. Brian Abrams, USA
Rachel Darnley-Smith, UK
Dr. Colin Andrew Lee, WLU
Niels Hannibal, Denmark
Lillian Eyre, Canada
Dr. Rod Paton, UK
Niels Hamel, Germany
Mariella Greil, Austria
Helena Bogopolsky, Israel
Hanna Hakomaki, Finland
Tsvia Horesh, Israel
Cynthia Chhina, Canada
Heidi Ahonen-Eerikäinen, WLU
.27
4261 - Resonance MT News