Giving Trauma a Voice: The Role of Improvisational Music Therapy in Exposing, Dealing with and Healing a Traumatic Experience of Sexual Abuse

Abstract

Sexual abuse is one of the most common traumatic events that occurs throughout the history of mankind all over the world, in all societies and cultures. The purpose of the article is to focus on and understand the role of improvisational music therapy in working with clients who experienced sexual abuse in their childhood. Special attention is given to the role of improvisation in exposing, dealing with and healing the trauma. The nature of the trauma, the function of the therapeutic process, the role of the therapist and the role of improvisation in working with traumatized clients are being described and discussed. This is followed by a case example that presents two years of work with a 32 year-old woman, who came to music therapy due to an inability to make meaningful connections in her adult life and other problems as well. The therapeutic process is divided and examined in four developmental stages that include description of the process and therapists reflections. The examination of the process indicates the powerful role that improvising music might have in bringing up, dealing with and integrating memories of sexual abuse into the client's conscious existence.