In my talk, I shall present the case of David, aged 5.5, with whom I used a model of music therapy (originally developed by the late Noa Blass) based on Jung's approach to child therapy.
Eric Neumann, who was Jung's disciple, maintained that a benign early mother-child relationship is the basis for a positive development of ego strengths, which are in charge of finding the balance between self-expression, social adjustment and relation to the other. An unfavorable early mother-child relationship may cut the individual off from his origins and bring about unintegrated aggression, thus undermining social adjustment.
According to Jung, since young children are by nature closer to the world of fantasy and the unconscious, a child precociously cut off from the benign relationship with his mother will also be cut off from his own unconscious – his source of inspiration – and will consequently lose his ability to fantasize or play.
Seeing creativity as part of the experience of life, Neumann recognized the great importance of fantasy and play for children and adults alike. He maintained that a child's development may be seen in the way he connects to the world of drives and fantasy, just as much as it may be seen in his ability to establish a rapport with the external world and society.
The model of music therapy leads the patient on a musical-therapeutic journey, in which he encounters animals, figures, archetypes and myths. The model uses program music, which incorporates legends, folklore and myths into the therapeutic process, and instrumental music, through which the patient becomes acquainted with basic formal musical structures. The model is based on diverse techniques including dramatization, symbolization, orchestration, role-playing, drawing, and improvisation.
The central idea in this model, is that regardless of the patient's level of impairment, there will always remain at least some measure of expressive ability, even if extremely restricted. The combined use of images, symbols and musical principles leads to emotional development and allows patients to touch their creative abilities and express themselves, quite literally, as best they can. The ability to engage in free, creative, and symbolic play encourages patients to be in touch with their own unconscious.
The use of program music (which, by definition, comes with a story, a myth or a tale) and instrumental music (which has a clear and understandable structure) encourages ego strengths and promotes the experience of order and meaning in the patient's inner world. In parallel, the therapeutic model brings into action the inner positive Good Mother and stimulates the re-building of an ego-Self axis.
In my talk, I shall present David's journey and show, how by the end of the therapeutic process, David's creativity and ego strengths became stronger, as was seen in a distinct development of the forces of life, in the integration of split aspects, in a better adjustment to reality and in a deepening of our relationship.
Musical examples shall be played during the talk; no prior musical knowledge is required from the audience.