23.7. 1993 Vitoria-Gasteiz / Spain - World Federation of Music Therapy

SETTING
The treatment began on April l8th 1990, lt has a
frequency of five days per week and a length of about
60-90 minutes lt is held in a room equipped with an
undirectional mirror, This mirror is for video-film and
observations, This room ( usually used for
physiotherapy) is prepared with the necessary musical
instruments, The instrumentation chosen for the initial
treatment was selected in connection with G.'s selfinjuring
attitude, There are percussion instruments such
as little bongoes, drums, xilophone, cymbals, plates
(the gesture necessary for playing these instruments
recalls to our mind G,'s hand movement of slapping his
face), The sonorities produced by these instruments
could recall those of G, 's slaps, The beginning and the
fall of the sound produced by a drumstick that beats the
skin of the drum are relatively similar to those produced
by a hand that beats the skin of the face, The resonance
box of a drum could be compared to the function of
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resonance box taken on by oral, nasal and auricular
cavities.
EVOLUTION OF THE CASE
1. Initial phase
I soon realized that G, stimulated all his sensorial
channels with his slap: sight - a particular visual
attention for his fingers skiming his face preceded slaps;
taste and sense of smell - first of all the slap strickes the
ear, then it slips on his cheek, until it strikes the nose
and the mouth (as it caused internal and external lesion
G. tasted undoubtely of blood; blood mixed with saliva
and a particular smell of his skin provoked an olfactory
sensation that reached his nose thank to his hand);
hearing - slap produces an acoustic sensation; touch -
slap represents a tatctile and pressure stimulus
concerning ear, cheek, lips, nose and hand. Thank to a