Music Therapy with Bereaved Youth: Expressing Grief and Feeling Better.

Abstract

The use of music for tberapeutic purposes has been reported for many centuries, from the biblical tales of David soothing King Saul with his harp, to the healing rituals of indigenous cultures. Today, the advent of MP3 players and other new technologies has extended possibilities for self-care through music since it is now feasible to listen to preferred tracks anywhere and anytime. An investigation of how adults use MP3 listening devices revealed that music affords immediate opportunities to regulate mood, access emotions, adjust energy levels, and create boundaries around oneself in public places (Skâniand, 2010). Other investigations have described the ways adults use personally significant songs to connect to the past and reintegrate different aspects of themselves in the present (DeNora, 2000). These everyday self-care strategies have led to descriptions of music as a "technology of health" (Ruud, 2010) that has potential for belping those with "health" problems. This potential has been confirmed in a study of Norwegian adults with chronic illness who required minimal encouragement to begin using music as "self-therapy," with participants creating personal musical rituals that provided a structure and focus for health-oriented experiences (Batt-Rawden, DeNora, & Ruud, 2005).