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

slapped himself.
After these events, I realized that he was not struck so
much by the timbre of the instruments I used, but mainly
by the way I made use of these instruments, and by the
symbolic meaning they had acquired for him, I became
certain of al this one day when he came in the room
where I kept all the instruments and he began to play
them without beeing frightened.
After about one month (20 sessions), he accepted to lie
down on the mattress. As soon as he put his head
between my legs the frequency and the intensity of
slaps diminished; in the meanwhile I tried to get in touch
with him by reflecting his muscular tonus, the rhythm
and the intsisity of his breath.
This was the only moment in which he succeeded in
relaxin himself.
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Gradually I tried to substitute the mechanic containment
he searched for (tubes, other objects), with an
emotional one. Moreover 1 tried to establish a
communication on an empathic level.
INTERMEDIATE PHASE
G, tried always to produce sonorities with all kinds of
objects, Sometimes he rolled the plate and he beat it on
the f loor, producing very strong sounds,I thought he
combined these sonorities with those produced by slaps
( the difference could consist in the tactile aspect).
I considered these sonorous elements as G,'s language
receiving my answers, At the beginning these answers
provoked G.'s annoyance, but later on they became the
context of our dialogue. In the meanwhile I worried
about the other aspect of the slap, the tactile one,
thanks to massages, caresses, physical contact and
stimulations with some cloths, I began to make use of