NORDIC JOURNAL OF MUSIC THERAPY 11(2) 2002

Special issue on Guided Imagery and Music - and Beyond?

Editor: Lars Ole Bonde

This issue of NJMT presents the current state of music therapy research and practice within the tradition founded by Helen Lindquist Bonny: The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music.

Contents and abstracts can be seen below.

The issue can be ordered electronically at www.hisf.no/njmt

Contents: Original research papers:

Abrams, B. Definitions of Transpersonal GIM Experience.

Meadows, A. Gender Implications in Therapists' Constructs of Their Clients"

Moe, T. Theory About the Relationship Between Self-Objects, Psychological Defence Maneuvers and Restitutional Factors in Receptive Music Therapy Inspired by GIM.

Brooks, D. A Holistic Description of Trainee Experiences in Live Observation Supervision Classical text:

Bonny, H. Body Listening: A new way to review the GIM tapes. With an introduction by Helen Bonny Clinical perspectives: Grocke, D. Re-Imaging in Supervision.

Thöni, M. Guided Imagery and Music in Fifty Minute Sessions. A challenge for Both Patient and Therapist Book essay: Bonde, L.O.: Guided Imagery and Music - and Beyond?

Resources: The Bonny Archives at Temple University, PA The GIM Databases developed by Lars Ole Bonde

Abstracts

Abrams, B. (2002). "Definitions of Transpersonal GIM Experience." Nordic Journal of Music Therapy 11(2).

The purpose of this study was to discover definitions of transpersonal experiences of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM). A qualitative interviewing method was implemented with nine GIM practitioners, all with extensive GIM experience as clients. Participants underwent three interviews. In the first interview, participants identified several of their own GIM experiences (as clients) which they considered transpersonal, and several which they did not. In the second interview, with the aid of a user-interactive computer program, participants made comparisons among their own experiences, revealing interrelationships among them. In the third interview, participants elaborated upon certain interrelationships among experiences which emerged in the second interview. Computerized, spatial representations of experiential interrelationships, as well as participants" own verbal articulations concerning their experiences, were interpreted. This revealed a definition of transpersonal GIM experience for each participant. Results were considered in terms of relationship to existing understandings of transpersonal GIM experience, as well as in terms of implications for clinical work, theory, and research.'

Bonny, H. (2002). "Body Listening: A new way to review the GIM tapes. " Nordic Journal of Music Therapy 11(2). "Adequate assessment of GIM session music is gained from both cognitive and experiental modes of learning. The Affective-Intutitive listening mode is described as an approach to increasing experiental, right brain facilitation and understanding of the taped music programs. The method is illustrated through the use of a body improvisation exercise to the program of taped music entitled "Imagery", which was specifically created for the GIM process."

Brooks, D. (2002). "A Holistic Description of Trainee Experiences in Live Observation Supervision." Nordic Journal of Music Therapy 11(2). Supervision is regarded as an integral component of GIM training. Live-observation is the preferred method of supervision for beginning trainees. The effectiveness of supervision, however, has never been examined through research, nor has the experience of trainees who have had supervision been examined. The purpose of this study was to provide a holistic description of trainee experiences in three live-observation supervisions. The results showed that beginning trainees were able to provide insights about themselves, their guiding abilities, and their relationship with clients. Trainees also provided insights into their feelings about the supervisor and the supervision process.

Grocke, D. (2002). "Re-Imaging in Supervision." Nordic Journal of Music Therapy 11(2). The technique known as "re-imaging" is developed by Ken Bruscia (1998). The goal of the re-imaging study was "to develop a form of experiential self-inquiry to uncover unconscious dynamics operating within the GIM experience and to devise procedures for analysing the transference and counter-transference material unearthed through such a self-inquiry." (Bruscia, 1998, p. 529). This paper describes and discusse the potential of Re-Imaging in the BMGIM supervision process. Meadows, A. (2002). "Gender Implications in Therapists' Constructs of Their Clients." Nordic Journal of Music Therapy 11(2).

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which gender was implicated in the constructs therapists used to describe their clients in the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (BMGIM). Eight therapists (m=4; f=4) compared ten (m=5; f=5) of his/her clients using the RepGrid 2.0 interview (Shaw & Gaines, 1995), a computer generated data collection method that allowed each interviewee to identify his/her own constructs for comparing clients. Interview data were analyzed using a principal components analysis and Pearson r correlations, to examine the relationship between client gender and therapist constructs. Each therapist was found to have gender constructs; that is, a concept of what it meant for clients to be male-like or female-like. When compared, male-like and female- like qualities were generally seen as very different. These qualities were not necessarily related to the sex of the clients. The complexity and importance of these constructs varied for each therapist, and when viewed all together, there were more differences than similarities in the construct systems of each therapist. Typically, male-like qualities were seen as less conducive to effective therapy, whereas female-like qualities were seen as more conducive. The findings from this study were discussed in terms of clinical practice and future research.

Moe, T. (2002). "Theory About the Relationship Between Self-Objects, Psychological Defence Maneuvers and Restitutional Factors in Receptive Music Therapy Inspired by GIM." Nordic Journal of Music Therapy 11(2).

This article is based on a study concerning receptive music psychotherapy based on a modified model of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM). Nine psychiatric patients diagnosed as schizophrenic or with schizotypical disorders participated in a therapy group in a six-month period, and the study focuses on restitutional factors in the therapeutic process and the patients" evaluation of their therapy. The type of research is primarily qualitative and the investigation is in two parts. First part concerned the patients" evaluation of the therapy assessed from interviews, the GAF rating scale, and a qualitative questionnaire including a mood test and aspects in the patient"s view of the therapy. The results of this study were publicized in this journal. (Moe, 2000.) The present article is based on the second part. The experiences of four patients are analyzed focusing on their imagery during the music listening period, and the role of the music and the images is formulated. Data from the therapist"s log are categorized qualitatively in a number of categories, which contains restitutional factors in the therapy process. Based on these findings a theory about the relationship between self-objects psychological defense maneuvers and restoring factors is formulated and discussed.

Thöni, M. (2002). "Guided Imagery and Music in Fifty Minute Sessions. A challenge for Both Patient and Therapist."

Nordic Journal of Music Therapy 11(2)a BMGIM session up to two hours is often not appliccable to psychotherapy with professionally highly engaged urban clients. A modification towards the needs of these clients is needed in order to include the potential of GIM in psychotherapeutic practice. The setting of a 50-minutes session requires short music programmes or carefully selected pieces to stimulate and support emotional experiences and memories, thus enhancing uncovering processes. It is also important to end the session in a proper way, enabling the client to return to his/her obligations and activities in a stable psychological condition. The music selection is of particular importance in this process. This paper demonstrates the modification for the 50-minutes session through a case study.