The Theory and Practice of Vocal Psychotherapy by Diane Austin

Author:Diane Austin [Austin, Diane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Resistance in the music

As in verbal therapy, resistance can exist even though the client is singing songs, improvising vocally or using the voice in other ways. Resistance in the music is usually apparent to the therapist by the lack of affect or the contradiction between the musical affect and the client’s affect. A rudimentary example is an obviously sad client who needs to express her grief but who chooses to sing a happy song or to vocally improvise to an upbeat chord progression instead. Other examples are clients who hide behind their technique or sing in a ‘false-self voice’ that lacks emotion and connection to what they are really experiencing in the moment (Austin and Dvorkin 1993).

Sometimes the resistance is due to the fear of intimacy with the therapist. This was apparent with Lynn one day when I suggested that we play or sing together. She said she wanted to improvise vocally on the blues and she wanted to play the piano. I could sing with her. She began playing and singing at a medium tempo but the music kept picking up speed as we went along. Her vocal lines were very busy. There was very little space in the music and I had a feeling of being crowded out. When a tape of this music was played back, Lynn said it reminded her of ‘someone who talks too much and says nothing’. She could hear the lack of space and feeling in the music. When I shared my feeling of being pushed out, Lynn acknowledged this and said she wanted to get away from me but was also glad I hung in with her and didn’t stop singing. This experience led to an important discussion of Lynn’s ambivalent feelings about being intimate with me.

Resistance is also heard in the music when a client stops sounding, toning or singing prematurely. If therapists are sensitively attuned to their client’s music, they can recognize that the music is not finished. The client may be approaching ‘the point of entry’ (the feared, anxiety-provoking feeling or awareness). This is sometimes accompanied by a statement such as the client ‘felt finished’, ‘didn’t really think it was going anywhere’, or ‘was tired’. However, further exploration of the immediate experience often leads to deeper, more profound vocalizations that can reach into the world of the unconscious and the feelings and images that lie within.

It is important to emphasize that resistance is not something to be eliminated but instead offers a way toward understanding the client. It should be seen as a form of communication and respected in the same way. Resistance is simply fear and sometimes the fear is grounded in reality. There may not yet be enough trust in the client–therapist relationship to allow the client to move deeper into the process. The client may not be ready to examine certain issues, may not have the ego strength to do so and may need more time and support.

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