As we move into a new decade, many mind shifts are taking place in personal lives, in professional lives, and in social lives. Perhaps, it is time we also make a shift in awareness of our psychotherapeutic relationship with our clients, specifically, our power differential within the relationship. For many years, therapeutic relationships (music and non-music) have existed in a traditional dyad setting, for some seen in a ‘normal’ v. ‘abnormal’ viewpoint. This viewpoint dates back to 1973, and before, when the American Psychiatric Association finally removed “homosexuality” from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This shift away from pathologizing the LGBTQ community did not end in one…
This study was published in 2011 by Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul, Korea! It is a private research university, and one of three SKY universities, which are widely regarded as the most prestigious in the country. The purpose of this study was to “investigate the effects of music therapy on depressive mood and anxiety in post-stroke patients and evaluate satisfaction levels of patients and caregivers.” The study states, “Music therapy appears to affect physiological phenomena such as blood pressure, heartbeat, respiration, and mydriasis as well as emotional aspects such as mood and feelings.” Oxford Dictionary defines mydriasis as the dilation of the pupils of the eyes. Other side…