E-Book of Articles - World Federation of Music Therapy

D'ulisse, M. E.. et al.: Application Of The Benenzon Music Therapy ...
while adding several more specific concepts regarding the organization of
the personality of the hypertensive individual.
To begin with, we can cite Alexander (1950), whose hypothesis we
indicate below: “Whenever, in voluntary behavior, there is inhibition of the
expression of the competitive, aggressive or hostile attitude, it is the
adrenal-sympathetic system that sustains the excitement. The vegetative
symptoms are the result of a sympathetic excitement, sustained and
persistent, due to the fact that in the field of voluntary coordinated
behavior there is no outlet for the struggle and flight reactions; this is
demonstrated by the example of the patient suffering from essential
hypertension whose behavior appears inhibited and excessively controlled”.
In agreement, Weiss (1950) affirms that “Regarding the impossibility for the
subject to express the tension adequately with words or actions, an outlet is
created in the circulatory system. The hypertension arises from vasospasm
of the arteries which, throughout the years, will lead to a hyperplastic
sclerosis and insufficient activity of important organs such as the heart,
brain and kidneys. It can be considered that, despite the organic nature of
essential hypertension, the psychic factor becomes important due to its
etiology”. Finally, Alexander and Soul (1950) noted in their hypertensive
patients attitudes of cordiality and self-control that defended them from
strong aggressive impulses accompanied by anxiety.
In 1970, Némiah and Sifnéos studied word-for-word transcriptions of
the psychiatric interviews of 20 patients who showed classic psychosomatic
illnesses. In 16 of these patients, they noted a great affinity in the mode of
expression and they introduced the term, “alexitimia” (a=without,
lexis=word, thymia=emotion) to describe the notable difficulty in verbally
expressing their sentiments, emotions and affections, and also the poverty
of their phantasmal and oneiric lives and a type of thought that was
essentially pragmatic (Pedinelli 1985). Therefore, alexitimia is a particular
mode of functioning of the psyche both at the cognitive level and at the
affective level and is defined also by its difference from the neurotic
picture, to which it presents characteristics that are diametrically opposed.
The alexitimic (alexic) subject, in fact, expresses boredom, frustration,
77