Suffering and the Sublime: A Case Study of Music, Metaphor, and Meaning
Kirkland, Kevin - Volume: 11
This case study presents a brief, eight-session series using the Bonny Method of Guided of Imagery and Music (a music-centered depth method in therapeutic work) with a client suffering with the grief process after her daughter’s sudden death. Core content is highlighted through a retrospective lens that offers further analysis and insight into the metaphors that emerged. Bonde’s concept of GIM as a metaphor-based therapy is explicated and applied to the case content, examining 3 levels of metaphoric expression redefined here as metaphor, mastery, and mythopoesis. This single subject case study demonstrates that Guided Imagery and Music can be an effective avenue for the expression and resolution of significantly painful material that is often unspeakable in day-to-day contexts.
Keywords: Guided Imagery and Music, grief, bereavement, myth, metaphor, symbol, music therapy.