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1. ANALYTICAL MUSIC THERAPY 1
Analytical Music Therapy:
Bringing Unconscious Alive
Charalampos K. Risvas
Fundamentals in Music Therapy (PSY345)
Spring Term 2015
Hellenic American University
© 2015

2. ANALYTICAL MUSIC THERAPY 2
Abstract
Music therapy, as a modern discipline and alternative form of therapy, has many diversions and
categories. One of them, Analytical Music Therapy (AMT) is part of the broad psychodynamic
approach, pillared by psychoanalysts and post-Freudian psychologists. It uses free improvisation and
verbal processing to analyze, interpret and attain a therapeutic change, by helping a client to
understand his inner self, relieve defenses, unconscious conflicts and reach his/her full potential.
Simultaneously, music as a spontaneous products becomes a carrier of stories, symbols and hidden
contexts of cognitive and emotional states. This dissertation aim is to define and clarify some basic
aspects of Analytical Music Therapy, include it into the psychodynamic approach, analyze techniques,
goals and procedures in a brief and understandable way.

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1. Analytical Music Therapy as part of the Psychodynamic Approach
1.1 The Psychodynamic Spectrum
Music Therapy, as a discipline and profession, has highly developed from its scientific birth, in
the middle of the twentieth century. We can mention numerous categories, examples, techniques and
perspectives as well as approaches of the theoretical context in the whole spectrum of this new
discipline. The evolution of theory and practical aspects of MT has given us cases of successful
therapeutic procedures and many models of medical intervention that can be related to major
psychological theories and further develop in order to fit with the unique characteristics of music and
sound, as means of therapeutic change. These models vary, suggest different alternatives of
pathological causes, built an extensive view of psychopathology and its healing, as well as propose
different ways or procedures, every time using music in a way creatively unique. Between these
models, we can finally mention various levels of the therapist’s intervention and of the relationship
between the client and the musical means (receptive or active music therapy).
Until our days, these theoretical approaches in MT have formed and developed: behavioural,
humanistic, music- centered, transpersonal, culture-centered, medical and psychodynamic (Bunt &
Stige, 2014). Everyone has its separate universe of terminology and basic principles as process,
therapeutic goals and outcome are concerned. They can also be grouped in categories as receptive,
active or both. The core of this dissertation is referred to analytical music therapy, which is part of the
psychodynamic family of therapeutic approaches. So, it is methodologically correct to briefly examine
the principles of this wide psychotherapeutic perspective before we attempt to study this admittedly
revolutionary form of psychotherapy.
The psychodynamic approach has its roots in the psychoanalytic theory of Freud and the
evolution of this context by his major students and epigones (Jung, Klein, and Lacan). His theory is
one of the wide and simultaneously compact Grand Theories of psychology. Psychoanalysis is a
theory of personality, development, motivation, and also diagnostics and intervention (Cervone &
Pervin, 2008). Essentially, lies in a procedure of verbal approach of the unconscious through free
association. For Freud, psyche is separated in three parts: the Conscious, which includes knowledge,
memories and information that has access in conscious awareness; the pre-Conscious, that includes
objects and information that we can cannot immediately have access to but we could easily attain it;
and the Unconscious, a part which was the audacious point in this theory and contains every memory,
object and emotion, that is repressed and forgotten, unreachable by the consciousness. Freud also
distinguished three major structures of the mental (psychic) machine: Id, the reservoir of mental
energy and inherent seat of unconscious drives, which is governed by the pleasure principle; Superego,
the source of moral barriers and social imperatives; and Ego, the structure which functions as the
center of the individual’s personality and maintains the balance between the other two structures, as
it is governed by the reality principle (Schacter et al., 2009).
In addition, due to the fact that Freud formed his theory from his therapeutic practice as a
psychiatrist, many techniques reveal ways of intervention as well as the importance of several events
of everyday life, as proof for the existence of this multiple psychic machine . We can mention the
numerous parapraxes, like the slips of the tongue, which are not fortuitous events… but come from
the impact between two different intentions (Freud, 1917, p. 46) and dreams, that can be the via
regia to the Unconscious, having a dual meaning, an apparent and a stranded one (Freud, 1900).
Finally, Freud suggested a context for the development of the individual, claiming that we are born
with an amount of sexual energy (libido), which moves to different parts of our body, creating relative

4. ANALYTICAL MUSIC THERAPY 4
physiological and emotional situations, as we grow. He listed the oral, the anal, the phallic and the
genital phase; they take their name from the body spot where libido moves in. Every phase is
accompanied with an amount of challenges, that if not be surpassed, libido is nailed there, with severe
psychological impacts that may lead to psychopathology (neurosis and psychosis).
An approach remaining in the broad psychodynamic family but much more evolved is the
theory of Melanie Klein, regarding psychodynamic procedures in infants and the dynamic relationship
between mother and infant. )n Melanie’s Klein theory, the infant is born having an extremely fragile
Ego and a constant fear of its total disruption. In this early and sensitive age, mother is considered by
the infant as two separate objects, two breasts: an ideal where the infant projects its good feelings
(life instinct) and a persecuting one, where it projects its angry and sadistic feelings (death instinct)…
This position Klein called the paranoid-schizoid position: "paranoid" because the infant experiences
the persecutory anxiety of his projected hate and sadism, and "schizoid" because he makes the split
between the good and the bad experiences Priestley, 994, p. 162). After that, during the second
quarter of the first year, the infant begins to understand its mother as a complete person. This change
is described as the beginning of the depressive phase. Now the mother is not cleaved in an ideal and
in a persecutory object, but becomes a source of both satisfactions of the infant and its cancellations
and pain. Generally, in these phases, the paranoid-schizoid and depressive, the infant experiences
anxiety, which are supposed to be, according to Klein, the initial causes of the schizoid characteristics
in infant neurosis (Kyvelou, 2010).
As a way for diagnosis, Klein suggested that the most efficient way to analyze a child, that de
facto has not the ability to co-operate with a therapist in a free association analysis, is child play. She
argued that play for the child is not only way of exploration and domination of the external world, but
also of its anxieties, since through it expresses and dramatizes its fantasies (Kyvelou, 2010).
Taken together, the psychodynamic theories, place great emphasis on linking the unconscious
and conscious, while they study much transference processes and countertransference, the therapist-
client relationship. For the psychodynamic theories, the psyche can experience several regressions to
the fore behavioral patterns that have experienced totally, in the first years of life, when the person is
associated with "significant others", just like his/ her mother (Bunt & Stige, 2014). Modern music
therapy of the psychodynamic perspective uses this basic principles and makes music a way to reach
the unconscious and these behavioral patterns via and alternative and, in some cases, a more efficient
psychotherapeutic process. Essentially, the music helps their appearance and treatment. The defenses
of the psyche, which aim to prevent the unconscious to access the conscious awareness and preserve
the individual from stress, a concept crucial to the psychodynamic approach (e.g. repulsion, denial,
regression, projection, etc.) are also of great importance for psychodynamic music therapy. Even
music can act as a defense mechanism, in order an already overburdened Ego to be kept under control
within a session.
1.2 Analytical Music Therapy as a psychodynamic therapy
After we have discussed the main theoretical elements of the psychodynamic perspective, we
should examine analytical music therapy (AMT) as a vital part of this family. We can refer to AMT as
psychotherapeutic form of music therapy, as the element of therapist-client relationship is very
important and the whole procedure is followed in order the therapeutic change to be attained. B.
Scheiby claims (2002) that in modern music therapy, someone can discern two orientations that
consider music as means of therapy and as therapy itself (music-in-therapy and music-as-therapy
respectively) and separates the music psychotherapeutic models in other two categories depending
on the intervention of the therapist. He writes about insight and supportive music psychotherapy.

5. ANALYTICAL MUSIC THERAPY 5
The first aims to facilitate a further understanding of conscious and unconscious phenomena by the
individual, reconstruct the whole building of the personality or reeducate, by modifying behavior and
readjust environmental settings. The latter is based on a kind of succor provided to the client by the
therapist with the aim of supporting and building up the individual’s Ego, with no attempt of
systemically reconstructing personality. This kind of music psychotherapy can have a long-term or
short-term character, helping a wider audience of clients comparing to the insight therapy (Scheiby,
2002).
According to Scheiby (2002), Analytical Music Therapy is both supportive and insight form of
psychotherapy, filling the gap between this two kinds. AMT was founded and developed by Mary
Priestley at the end of the twentieth century 9 s . )n her book Essays on Analytical Music Therapy
(1994, p. 3 , Priestley defines AMT as the analytically-informed symbolic use of improvised music by
the music therapist and client. It is used as a creative tool with which to explore the client's inner life
so as to provide the way forward for growth and greater self-knowledge . With this definition,
Priestley settles one of the pillars of modern music therapy, an analytical model, indirectly inspired
from classical Freudian psychoanalysis and wider psychodynamic perspectives of Jung, Klein and
Adler. The term analytical is also something that justifies the function of verbal processing in the
session, because the client uses musical improvisation in combination with verbalization of this
experience, in order to interpret his/ her actions, emotional states, cognitions and physiological
reactions. We can claim that, contrasting with classical verbal psychotherapy of this school, musical
improvisation replaces free association of psychoanalysis. These facts are initial evidence for the
psychodynamic character of AMT, namely the search for the unconscious and inner life, the
amplification of Ego and Conscious and the process of this accompanying verbalization.
AMT can also be referred to as psychodynamic, due to the dynamic relationship that AMT
demands to function. This relationship, built on the principles of transference and
countertransference, is active. The session forms an encounter that takes place through mutual
improvised musical production and is followed by conversations also held before the therapeutic
encounter. As M. Langenberg claims (2002), this combination of mutual and verbal creates a
comprehension, a more efficient way to interpret, understand and manage the therapeutic outcome.
The resulting triad (encounter-production-management) is a vital part of the active treatment
process, as the improvisation gives birth to the treatment piece. Via production and verbal
comprehension of this piece, the therapist and the client experience transference and
countertransference and elaborate their therapeutic contract (Langenberg, 2002). In fact, this amount
of procedures is an expansion of the psychodynamic perspective, a fact that makes AMT a
psychodynamic therapeutic model.
2. Goals and techniques
2.1 General characteristics
Psychopathology has a wide reach and traditional or modern forms of therapy make efforts to
alleviate psychic pain and disorders. AMT, as one of these models, can have a successful result on
individuals from the following populations: geriatric clients, victims of any kind abuse (physical,
sexual, emotional), psychiatric inpatients, clients with eating disorders and neurological
rehabilitation or mental retardation clients. As we have mentioned, AMT combines mutual musical
production with verbalization of the whole experience before and after the encounter. So, clients
physically unable to verbalize do not profit as much as other categories, but the can of course success
and benefit from the procedure, finally attaining a therapeutic change (Scheiby, 2002).

6. ANALYTICAL MUSIC THERAPY 6
According to the same author, the overall aim of AMT is to remove obstacles that prevent the
client from realizing his or her full potential and from achieving specific personal goals through the
active use and experience of music p. . We can see here many similarities with the core
philosophy of the humanistic perspective, as it also utilizes terminology concerning Self and
individual Potential. In addition, as Priestley (1994) and Scheiby (2002) suggest, the therapist does not
have specific goals for the process, from the beginning, but there are only aims and wills proposed by
the client, that also can be cleared throughout the procedure. In fact, therapist and client define the
material that they have to cope with as well as several objectives, as little steps to the goals set.
Music is treated as a very useful and flexible means for mutual psychological expression during
the sessions. As we are going to see in a following chapter, its role is symbolic and functions as carrier
of projections and emotional- cognitive statements. Essentially, music reflects numerous aspects of
the client’s life, in every inter- or intra- personal level. The content of this impulsive music product
sets the basis of a psychodynamic relationship between the therapist and the client and is used as a
medium of psychological interpretation concerning the procedures of transference,
countertransference and psychic defenses. For moving on during the sessions, no prior musical skill
or training is required for the client (Scheiby, 2002). As AMT and music therapy in general is
contrasted to music education, the client is encouraged to express the psychic statement without
keeping performance or technical standards. Finally, music, as one of the primary factors of therapy
in AMT includes values, systems and complex structural components, that all are not only useful but
also part of the client’s assessment by the therapist during the session as well as the subject of their
verbal interpretation. We should mention some of these features, like intensity, organization of
harmony, timbre and rhythm, harmonic, melodic contour, systemic choice (tonality or atonality),
patterns, mimetic forms, energy flow, principles and musical discipline versus chaotic clacks, as well
as choice of specific instruments and use of them in one or more preferred styles.
2.2 Techniques in AMT: three categories
As Priestley herself suggests (1994) there are some procedures used by the therapist in order to
investigate the client’s broad emotional spectrum and find what lies under the surface through
music. These procedures are the analytical music therapy techniques, which have a variety in order to
suit with every client’s unique needs. Normally, as the client improvises and talk, something that
needs investigation will arise and create an image in the therapist’s mind. The latter has to search the
origin of this fact but not by projecting his unconscious images on this very one. That is something
that needs awareness of the powers of every technique, an ability attained by intra-sessional therapy.
In addition, the therapist can not only use various methods depending on the need but also combine
the techniques depending on the progress.
Priestley refers to three wide categories of techniques: for probing the conscious (holding,
splitting, investigation of emotional investment, entering into somatic communication), for assessing
the unconscious (Guided Imaginary, myths, intra-communication, dream resolution, as well as the
shells, stones, sand and sounds technique) and for ego- strengthening (reality rehearsal, wholeness,
exploring relationships, affirmation, sub- verbal communication, patterns of significance, suicide and
programmed regression). As you are able to understand that the definitions of all these terms are
complex and sometimes a rather obscure. We are going to focus on the four most important as they
are described by both Scheiby (2002) and Priestley (1994) in their works.
Holding: )n holding , the therapist must create a warm musical environment that contains
stimuli, helping the client to self- express. With this technique the therapist aims to client’s expression
at his/ her climax, with entasis and tension to be alleviated. He also has the role of the controller of

7. ANALYTICAL MUSIC THERAPY 7
the energy amount; he tries to manage the intensity created, without seeming outlandish. This
impression of freedom helps the client to externalize the repulsed energy and start speaking about
facts that have been torturing him unconsciously.
Splitting: This technique is connected with the procedure of projection. This kind of defense
makes the individual to project thoughts, emotions and intentions to another individual. As a result,
the projector remains without these emotions invested in the other. The main aim of splitting is a
management of projection, to split the two parts of it, in order relative emotions to be elaborated. In
session, the therapist can simulate musically the client and the client can simulate the adjective of the
projection and vice versa. )n addition, as Priestley suggests, another use of this technique is for
conflict situations where all the energy is being held in maintaining the status quo and nothing
appears to be happening… 994, p. 4 . Essentially, the individual invest an emotional amount in
social demands or in persons concerning them and creates inflexible idealisms that can be concerned
products of an over-strengthened Super-Ego.
Free-association: This is a technique familiar to a classical psychoanalyst, nevertheless in
AMT it has a more holistic use. Free-association is focused on musical production in improvisational
context; the client is free to play music without any standard or limitation, in order to express feelings
and cognitive states. The therapist may be either a mirror, a reflection of client’s improvising actions
in his music or be just an active listener. This mutual musical free-association, according to Scheiby
is often used when the client is not able to communicate verbally , p. 9 , a fact that increases
the therapeutic potential of this technique.
Programmed or Spontaneous regression: We have already discussed that, during the
sensitive early ages, we built crucial relationships with our environment and, first of all, with our
parents. The construction of a social relationship in every context creates and shapes our cognitions
and emotions. Usually, according to psychoanalysis, a problematic relationship can cause a trauma,
that can also be caused by an emotional conflict of every kind, just like the nailing in one of the
psychosexual stages. As a result, the individual may utterly forget this problematic event, but the
relevant emotion tries to reach consciousness in a form of a symptom. The aim of regression is the
client to return to the traumatic event via music and resolve the conflict.
3. The setting of an AMT session- the therapeutic process
As we have discussed, the main means and modality in AMT is free improvisation, a medium
that replaces, in a way, the psychoanalytical free association. According to Pedersen and Scheiby (1983,
p. 4 , this can contain instrumental, vocal or bodily art expression…The different musical styles [used]
are directed by the mental functions of the performer . As we are going to discuss now, this free
improvisation becomes part of the process, in separate steps. Inge N. Pedersen, describes the setting
(2002):
As the AMT session begins, just after a first assessment encounter, the client and the therapist
begin the process in the therapy room, which should offer a variety of instruments, from percussion
to polyphonic keyboards, harps and guitars. The client freely choses an instrument to begin, a fact
that may be taken into analyzing thought afterwards. Most sessions have the following structure:

8. ANALYTICAL MUSIC THERAPY 8
 The opening ritual, where through either relaxation exercises or guided imaginary,
the client is focused on here and now , trying to exclude external disturbing factors
and thoughts.
 The opening verbal discussion, when the client and the therapist or the client alone,
sets a playing rule for the improvisation, in other words, a subject for it, a general
context. These rules can be associative, emotive, symbolic etc.
 The musical improvisation. Here, the client mutually self- expresses by
instrumental playing or/and vocalizing. The therapist also carries a role that is clarified
at the beginning and may be developed throughout the session. The relationship
between client and therapist can be built in two theoretical grounds. Firstly, this
relationship tries to consolidate separated roles and help the perception of
communication spaces. Secondly, it may be referred to an initial relationship between
mother and infant in various developmental stages, as this fact is the crucial basis of
psychodynamic perspective and psychic development in general.
 In the following verbal discussion, the client expresses verbally impressions and
reflections from the musical production, when the therapist tries to clarify what
actually happened or to interpret aspects of client’s music.
 The closing ritual terminals the session and it is of great importance, as it is used for
the client to keep everything it was useful for him/her. This awareness is attained by
relaxation.
Conclusion
In this short and brief dissertation, an effort was made the main aspects of Analytical Music Therapy
to be included and described. It must be understood that AMT is a new scientific tension, a modern
category of theory practice, with wide spectrum of medical and psychological applications, that makes
a revolutionary perspective not only for the therapeutic family of Music Therapy but also for
alternative treatment and therapies. We discussed the historical and theoretical background of AMT,
we included it in the general approach of psychodynamic theories, wrote about goals, populations of
reference and techniques and, finally, listed the main parts of an AMT session. Nevertheless, matters
as the role of music, the secrets of the therapeutic relationship and the wide variety of techniques
could be further discussed. But, we should admit, that this form of therapy, by combining mutual
expression and verbalization, by using sound and melody in its climax and symbolism and by creating
a unique relationship, where transference forms paths for an alleviation of psychic turbulence, is a
modern method of serving the psych and highlight its broad potential for self-awareness and change.
)s a medium to our hidden inside self, a new via regia , to bring Unconscious alive.

9. ANALYTICAL MUSIC THERAPY 9
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