Expressive Arts Therapy

“Time has passed through me and become a song.” -- Holly Near

Music, Art, Poetry, Dance, Movement, and other forms of artistic
expression can all be powerful tools in therapy. What is common among
all of these modalities is the language of metaphor. Webster defines it as:
“the application of a word or phrase to an object or concept it does not literally denote,
suggesting comparison to that object or concept.” They are symbols of experience.
So that when a client begins a sentence with “I feel like a ____(ie: “empty container”,
“a ship at sea”, etc), using the image of the metaphor can yield rich and deep therapeutic
inquiry. One of many ways of exploring might be to ask, “What does the container look like?
(shape, size, texture, etc). Does it have a sound? What might you want to fill it with”?
Using the arts in combination with verbal psychotherapy can oftentimes intensify
and deepen the work.

Music tends to provide cathartic and immediate release. Art helps capture and make concrete,
the experience by giving it a visual form. Poetry (and song lyrics) provides a succinct,
verbal expression, movement and dance help embody the sensations and give a felt sense
and dramatic enactment, another lens in which to view subjective experience.

Using expressive arts therapies in my work with clients is one of many tools I have available
to me, as a therapist. Although I am grateful for the training and experience in this area,
I am very aware that this approach may not fit for every client or every therapeutic circumstance.
I value my ability to be responsive to your needs and to provide the type of therapy experiences
you are most comfortable with.

WHAT IS MUSIC THERAPY?

“What’s the sound of letting go?”

Have you ever been moved to tears by a poignant song lyric? Soothed and calmed by a relaxing
piece of music? Energized or motivated by a danceable, lively beat? Recalled a cherished
memory after listening to a favorite song? Used music to express feelings, distract you from
feeling pain or help you connect with your spiritual side? If so, you are already using “music
therapy” in your life.

There have been many clinical studies looking at the impact, power and influence of music on
human experience. In a recent article in USA Weekend, entitled, “Take two tunes and call me
in the morning”, Oncologist Mitchell Gaynor talked about how music has the power to restore
and keep us healthy through soothing sounds. Studies show that surgery patients recover faster
when listening to comforting music; at-risk infants go home from the hospital sooner, eat better
and gain more weight when sung to. Gaynor says, “I’ve never found anything more powerful
than sound and voice and music to begin to heal and transform every aspect of people’s lives.
Dr. Oliver Sacks is a strong advocate for music therapy with brain-injured, Parkinson’s and
Alzheimer’s sufferers. Gaynor goes on to say that soothing sound can lower cortisol, a stress
hormone, boost endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good drug, decrease pain after surgery,
ease labor without drugs, lower blood pressure.

As a music therapist for many years, I have witnessed other benefits to my clients. For
someone feeling disorganized or confused, music offers the experience of organization,
through its rhythm, steady beat and lyrical sound. For those having difficulty finding words to
express feelings or experience, music (actively producing sound or passively listening and
identifying with it) can open the door for further exploration. For those suffering from a high
level of anxiety, music paired with a guided imagery process can greatly amplify the relaxation
response. Healing from grief and loss is often helped by music. By it’s nature, music evokes
emotional response, mind/body responses, and stimulates symbolic representations which
can then be explored more fully within therapy.

GUIDED IMAGERY and MUSIC (GIM)

Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) is a method of self-exploration in which classical music is used
to access the imagination. It includes listening to classical music in a relaxed state of mind and
body, allowing the imagination to come to conscious awareness and sharing these awarenesses
with a guide. The interaction between the listener, the guide and the music is what makes GIM
unique. The GIM experience can lead to the development of self-understanding, the ordering of
the psyche and the achievement of spiritual insight.

I have been trained to use this process and offer it as a treatment option to my clients interested
in this approach.