Individual Differences in Response to the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music
Scott, Diana - Volume: 11
This research examined the extent to which individual differences impacted people’s responses to the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (BMGIM) in individual sessions for a sample of 30 adults. Differentiating participants’ coping styles based on scores on the Manifest Anxiety Scale and Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale, participants were identified as Repressors (n = 10), Sensitizers (n = 10), or Controls (n = 10), each participant was provided with a single BMGIM session. Repressors described less negative affect and recalled fewer personal memories than either Sensitizers or Controls, and Repressors and Sensitizers had lower levels of integration than Controls. However, 70% of Sensitizers and Repressors reached a reasonable degree of integration related to issues arising in the session. State anxiety levels were lower at the end of the session than at the beginning, confirming and extending findings for GIM in groups.
Key words: Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music, repressive coping, sensitizing coping, anxiety