Relational needs in music therapy with trauma victims: The perspective of music therapists

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Many studies have examined relational needs (RNs) of trauma victims in psychotherapy. However, this topic has received little attention in music therapy research. The current study is the first to focus on what music therapists working with trauma victims perceive as their clients’ main RNs and how those RNs are musically addressed to enhance the therapeutic process.

Method: This study used a constructivist grounded theory approach. Analysis of semi-structured interviews with 41 experienced music therapists working with trauma victims was conducted to identify themes in their perceptions of the main RNs of clients and how they address them musically.

Results: Analysis of the interviews revealed seven RNs of trauma victims, which according to the music therapists, were addressed during therapy: need for recognition, acceptance, emotional witnessing, emotional responsiveness, safety, trust, and the need for someone to reach out.

Discussion: Several significant concepts emerged in the process of addressing RNs of trauma victims. Musical validation highlights the ability of music to validate feelings aroused by traumatic memories and the clients’ sense of presence and being. Emotional witnessing through music stresses the important holding role of music and its ability to organize traumatic experiences as meaningful and coherent narratives. Musical witnessing as a self-object is a process whereby the client becomes both the participant and observer in a two-part process of expression and reflection. Finally, attuned musical involvement is a process in which the therapist becomes musically attuned with the client, thus strengthening therapist-client relationship and facilitating the therapeutic process.

KEYWORDS:

• Trauma victims
• music therapy
• relational needs
• qualitative research
• grounded theory approach

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Acknowledgments

I wish to thank the music therapists who shared their experiences with me, and the anonymous reviewers and the editors for their valuable contributions to this research.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by THE ISRAEL SCIENCE FOUNDATION under grant number 807/14.

Notes on contributors

Moshe Bensimon

Moshe Bensimon is a senior lecturer and the head of the rehabilitative M.A. program in the Department of Criminology at Bar-Ilan University, Israel. As a music therapist, his fields of research include music therapy with victims experiencing post-traumatic stress symptoms; music and music therapy in prison; and aggression, crime and music.