ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the archetypal image of music in its healing aspect is explored including some historical examples from the past 2,500 years. Tenets from the field of medical ethnomusicology are referenced in this regard followed by various cultural examples including from the traditions of the Plains Cree, West Africa, Tibet, Korea, Siberia, Indonesia, China, Japan and the Amazon. An exploration of religious ecstasy in relation to shamanic practices follows as an amplification of the analytic transferential dynamic within a music-oriented analysis. The notion of bilocation is put forward as a necessary transferential positioning that the analyst must sometimes achieve, maintain and tolerate in the consulting room keeping part of their attention focused inward into themselves and also into the patient’s fantasy world including through the musical exchange.
