-Heroines’ Journey- Emerging Story by Refugee Women during Group Analytic Music Therapy

Authors

  • Heidi Ahonen Wilfrid Laurier University
  • Antonietta Mongillo Desideri Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v14i1.686

Keywords:

Music Psychotherapy, Group Analytic Music Therapy, Narrative Inquiries, Refugees, Improvisation

Abstract

There has been some evidence of the benefits of participating in group analytic music therapy with traumatized people.  This pilot clinical project investigates the impact of a combination of narrative therapy and group analytic music therapy on refugee/newcomer women in Canada. An ongoing therapy group met for a period of 8 sessions, to share stories and feelings of past experiences and of resettlement. The focus of this group was emotional expression (verbal and musical). Musical listening, improvisation, art, writing, clay-work, and relaxation techniques were used. Several consistent themes re-emerged, including feelings around loneliness, fear guilt, and loss.

The analysis of the therapy process showed many commonalities among these women and the process they were going through to deal with their feelings.

Author Biographies

Heidi Ahonen, Wilfrid Laurier University

Dr. Heidi Ahonen, MTA, FAMI; Professor of Music Therapy, Wilfrid Laurier University. Director of the Manfred and Penny Conrad Institute for Music Therapy Research. Principal Investigator: Planned and monitored the research project, conducted the group therapy process and analyzed the data. The focus of this research program is a natural continuation of Heidi’s previous group analytic research and her clinical experience with refugees and traumatized women. Heidi currently studies at the Harvard, Programme of Refugee Trauma, and has both group analytic and narrative psychotherapy training. She is a full professional member of the Canadian Group Psychotherapy Association, American Group Psychotherapy Association, and the Ontario Association for Psychotherapists (OSP).

Antonietta Mongillo Desideri, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Antonietta Mongillo Desideri, MTA, was the research assistant: Assisted during the group therapy process by conducting the relaxation in the end of each sessions, transcripted the data and assisted with musical analysis and report writing. Antonietta worked abroad in Bosnia Herzegovina (2006-2007) in a war-torn community, and returned to Canada to continue work with this population resettled in Canada.

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Published

2014-01-13

How to Cite

Ahonen, H., & Mongillo Desideri, A. (2014). -Heroines’ Journey- Emerging Story by Refugee Women during Group Analytic Music Therapy. Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v14i1.686

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 1 (2014)

Section

Research Voices

License

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