| Musical journeys is a naturalistic qualitative study that investigates the experiences of three mothers in a substance-abuse rehabilitation program and their infants as they were engaged over a three-month period in the music therapy process. Sub-questions that emerged during the course of the study were related to how the relationship between the mothers and their infants evolved over time, what ways the mothers' relationship with the therapist changed during the course of the music therapy process and how the music evolved within the process of therapy with the mothers and infants, as well as the ways each mother's history of substance abuse manifested itself. The document is presented in a case study format with the stories and music therapy process of each dyad woven into the writing and analyzed. The study is guided by the theoretical framework of "the holding environment" Winnicott (1960, pp. 25-26) created through music and the extremely subtle subjective coordination of acts that are communications. Theorists, Stern (1977) Bernieri and Rosenthal (1991), Brown and Avstreih (1989), Condon and Ogston (1966), spoke of the synchronous interactions that mothers and infants experience through their relationship. Furthermore, music therapy theorists and clinicians support dyadic work with mothers and infants in various settings, thus, supporting this research (Austin, 2003; Bruscia, 1991; Alvarez, 2001; Nocker-Ribaupierre, 2004). Music therapy strategies and techniques for working with mother-infant dyads are described. Observations of relatedness within the context of music therapy sessions with these dyads provided findings addressing the need for supportive and diverse therapeutic interventions for mothers and infants. The findings point to playfulness and exploration leading toward development on the part of the infant and self-representation and trust on the part of the mother. Further analysis provided therapeutic insights, defined the value of the dyadic model, and addressed issues around effective therapy. During the analysis the beginning development of a music therapy model for working with dyads was identified. |
