Music improvisations and self-experience: a multilevel evaluation of the emotional therapeutic process

Abstract

It was the purpose of the present multilevel investigation of emotional experience in an individual music therapy (1) to illustrate the therapeutic process within several sessions, (2) to show individual connections between musical improvisations and selfexperience and (3) to interpret the intra- and interpersonal crossrelations in connection with therapeutic themes of corresponding sessions. For this, the emotional expression of musical improvisations (external rating) and the patient's and the therapist's emotional self-experience (quantitative Stuttgart Questionnaire) were examined. Within four examined sessions a process with regard to musical improvisations and self-experience could be illustrated. The patient's emotional self-experience was congruent with the externally rated emotional expression of her musical play. In contrast, the emotional self-experience of the therapist was incongruent with the externally rated emotional expression of her musical play in connection with the patient's feelings of depression and guilt. This may be explained through Bion's model of containment.

Keywords Music therapy; Emotional experience; Self- and external assessment; Therapeutic process; Bion's model of containment