ABSTRACT
During a music therapy session with a patient that was in fear of losing her son's pregnant girlfriend and her unborn grandchild, it was the Shepherd's Farewell that became the soundtrack of insight and change and it was the spontaneously emerging imagery that helped in reframing the patients fears. The patient shares his or her thoughts, imagery, and the feelings evoked by the music; and the therapist interacts with the patient to help solve a problem. Music Therapy has been established as an allied health profession for more than 50 years, and during the last 20 years has seen a surge of outcome studies investigating the efficacy of music therapy. An important function of music in healing environments is to support the reframing of the patient's focus of attention, to encourage a positive self-perception and the discovery of new vistas and potentials. The musical structure and its acoustic features contribute to an “emotional-scenic background” for shared hearing and imagery.
