E-Book of Articles - World Federation of Music Therapy

Amir, Dorit: The Role Of Music Therapy In Establishing Cultural Identity ...
history is so connected to the history of the Jewish people. The holocaust
affected almost everybody in one way or another, but mainly remains
repressed. People usually go on with their lives and do not talk about it. The
song opened the subject and allowed the participants to share their
experiences concerning the holocaust.
The second time Sonia sang the song “going to Caesaria “she
transformed it into a song of hope. She sang the song with new energy and
strength, and this time it became the symbol of the future, of courage, of
change, of peace and joy. Not only for her, but for the whole group, and
maybe for the whole nation. This memory, that could now be stored as a
picture in Sonia’s and all the other women's imagery album might be able to
help in dealing with difficult times in the future.
Some of my students and clients are caught between the past and the
present tradition, and thus feel lost, as they do not know how to behave or
express their feelings in an appropriate manner (Palgi 1974). I can see it
especially with students and clients who come from homes where there is
no direct expression of emotions and feelings and no dealing with conflicts,
yet, in therapy they are being asked to show their feelings and emotions and
deal with intra and inter-personal conflicts.
Dina, another client of mine, whom I see individually, is a 45-year-old woman,
is married and has two children, a 10-year-old girl and 6-year-old boy. Dina
lives in a nice apartment in the large city where she works as an architect for
a construction company. She works diligently and is considered to be one of
the best architects in her company. People respect her and she is highly
appreciated among her colleagues. Dina’s husband is also an architect.
In her initial interview, Dina told me that for the past two years she
had not been well. She had been suffering from constant headaches and
fatigue, and after returning from work each day, she could no longer move.
She went to bed early but awakened tired. Dina took all the necessary
physiological tests; the results indicated no pathological conditions. She told
me that she felt tense and unable to control her temper toward her children
and colleagues.
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