Читать книгу The Creative Arts in Counseling - Samuel Gladding T., Samuel T. Gladding - Страница 40

Although all creative arts help foster a link between the inner world of the person and outside reality, music “enhances this process by requiring time-ordered and ability-ordered behavior, evoking affective response and increasing sensory input. Music also requires self-organization and provides an opportunity for socialization” (Wager, 1987, p. 137). Music creates an atmosphere. It can elicit a wide range of mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual responses. Thus, music serves multiple purposes in helping individuals become more aware, able, confident, and social.

The importance of music to human health has long been recognized (Lingerman, 1995; Thaut, 2009). Throughout history, music has been used therapeutically. Hanser (1988) wrote, “The field of music therapy is based largely on claims of the sedative results music produces and the psychological impact of the musical experience” (p. 211). Documentation worldwide shows that music played a major role in healing and nurturing people from ancient cultures (J. J. Moreno, 1988b). M. E. Miller (1991) noted that “Homer recommended it to stave off negative emotions, and Pythagoras and Plato said a daily dose could improve one’s general well-being” (p. 1E). Shamans have used “hypnotic and rhythmic music” (J. J. Moreno, 1987, p. 335) to help achieve emotional highs, a tradition that continues today in most cultures. Qualitative data support the importance of music and music therapy in meeting spiritual needs: Music and music therapy help participants feel closer to God and elevate their moods, especially when they are in hospital settings (Cook & Silverman, 2013).

Music and medicine were at one time strong allies because of their similar emphasis on wholeness (Horden, 2017). Indeed, in some countries, such as France, this connection is still strong, and “psycho-musical techniques are regarded as excellent and privileged means of exploring dreams and ideas, the conscious and the unconscious, the affective and emotional worlds of the individual, and for provoking catharsis” (Owens, 1986, p. 302). In hospital settings, music may take one’s mind off unpleasant experiences and promote spontaneous interactions. In addition, music is used worldwide to promote positive mental health, especially in psychiatric hospitals (Covington, 2001).

Music is both a passion and a diversion, and its uses in counseling are geared accordingly. Among persons for whom music is a central part of life (i.e., a passion), identity is strongly influenced by their shared values with select performers, writers, and other listeners. These individuals are usually quite willing to participate in counseling activities that involve music. In this type of situation, many of the words, sounds, and feelings these people embrace as their own actually originated with someone else and have been borrowed and incorporated by these people. The extent of music’s healing and helping power in counseling is related to how deeply involved with it people are and what disorders or diseases they may be dealing with (Bruscia et al., 2009). Because their identity is partially wrapped up in music, people with a passion for it are eager to be exposed to musical experiences. Therefore, counselors are usually more successful using music when working with these clients than they would be when working with those for whom music is only a diversion. For instance, a person of any age who likes music and who has lost a father may find Ashley Gearing’s lyrical country song “Can You Hear Me When I Talk to You?” to be both cathartic and comforting (Mansfield, 2003). By being aware of the lyrics and melodies that clients have adopted and other complementary music, counselors who use music create conditions that foster increased communication and understanding (Gladding et al., 2003, 2008; A. White, 1985).