use of music and sound to enhance the therapeutic setting, The

Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, Jul-Sep 2003 by Torre, Mary Ann La

When we spoke later about the sounds, Jane seemed puzzled about where they came from but she felt that making them seemed to help somehow. When she started sighning, her chest felt tight and it was hard to take a deep breath, but as she continued, her chest began to loosen and she felt all kinds of feelings, including sadness and tiredness. As she continued to moan, it became almost a soothing activity that seemed to quiet her and ease her distress.

Working with the sound created less resistance than talking about her life and the guilt she felt trying to be a wife and mother while having student responsibilities. Working with the sound also provided entry into feelings of which she was unaware and ashamed. Throughout our sessions, we used the concept of making sounds frequently as a release for her feelings and as a way to relax and refocus into a balanced place. Making sounds and tones seemed to soothe Jane and help her find her own voice.

In this instance, tones and sounds were used to enhance the therapeutic relationship since they provided another entry into the client's emotional state. In other cases, music might be the effective approach, particularly if both client and therapist have a comfort and familiarity with it. The choice is an individual one. The key concept, however, is the importance of using sound to its fullest capacity rather than only limiting it to language and words.

As Gaynor (2002) so aptly puts it, "Music, whether produced by voice, instrument or the two in concert, restores our connection with our essence" (p. 78). It is this power, this resource that we add to the therapeutic experience whenever we touch upon the variety of sounds that can be made.

References

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