Do free dance movements communicate how we feel? Investigating emotion recognition in dance

Current research into music and free dance movement explores differences in corporeal articulation of basic emotions. Accordingly, Van Dyck et al. (2014, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0089773) report congruent emotion recognition in free dance movements recorded after happiness or sadness inductions in lay dancers. The current study replicates this previous study with an advanced methodological approach measuring ratings of happiness and sadness recognition separately within both happy and sad conditions. We then tested the differences between the recognition of happiness and sadness in free dance movements. Therefore, a dance movement pre-study was conducted in two different conditions where either happiness or sadness were induced within four lay dancers using guided imagery and music listening. Subsequent to this, dancers were video recorded while moving freely to a neutral piece of music. Those silenced video recordings were then presented to participants (N = 37) in an online experiment, who were instructed to rate the emotion they recognised. Based on the Effort-Shape Theory by Rudolf Laban, observers also rated kinematic features of velocity/acceleration, directness, impulsiveness and expansion. Participants rated higher levels of happiness for the happy-induction condition compared to sadness. However, participants rated higher levels of sadness in the sad condition compared to happiness for just one of the four dancers. This finding indicates that it is easier to recognise happiness in free dance movements than sadness. The results of the kinematic features supported previous research which rated higher intensities for the happy condition than the sad condition.

An Interview with Dr. Dag Körlin

For many years, Dr. Körlin, a well-known practitioner and primary trainer of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) has been developing the practice of Music Breathing (MB) as an adaptation of GIM. A semi-structured interview was conducted in English to deepen the learning experience from the MB training with him. The first part of Dr. Körlin’s comprehensive training program for MB was started in 2019, and since then more and more GIM therapists have been encouraged to practice MB clinically. A brief description of stages in MB, rationales behind this development and other innovators in adapting GIM techniques specific for psychiatric population are reviewed. Following the content of the interview transcript, the author will identify key merits of this technique and provide a web link to a short video clip for the purpose of promoting MB to clinicians and the general public. In conclusion, MB is a useful asset for music therapists.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Spiritual Guided Imagery, Music on Coping and Resilience among Cancer Patients who Undergo Chemotherapy

Cancer diagnosis and chemotherapy cause physical, psychological, social, and spiritual problems for sufferers. Cancer patients who experience emotional distress need to be appropriately managed through good coping mechanisms. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation, spiritual guided imagery and music for coping and resilience of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. This study was a quasi-experimental design. A total of 62 respondents (intervention and control groups) were determined using a purposive sampling technique. The independent variable was Progressive Muscle Relaxation therapy with Spiritual Guided Imagery and Music. Meanwhile, the dependent variable was coping and resilience. The instrument used The-14 items Resilience Scale and The Cancer Coping Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the General Linear Model Repeated Measures. The results showed that coping mechanisms improved in the first week, while resilience was only developed in the second week after being given the intervention. The results of statistical tests are less than a p-value <0.05. In general, there were significant differences in the effect of coping scores and resilience between the treatment group and the control group after being given therapy. The combination of Progressive Muscle Relaxation therapy with Spiritual Guided Imagery and Music can improve coping and resilience in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The government and health workers are expected to consider these findings that can be used as interventions to enhance coping and resilience. Keywords: coping, resilience, cancer, chemotherapy

Book Review: Advanced methods of music therapy practice: Analytical Music Therapy, the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music, Nordoff-Robbins music therapy, and vocal psychotherapy

Within the framework of qualitative inquiry, Nicki Cohen sets out to present an intimate exploration of four advanced methods of music therapy practice. Posing a series of several questions to four experts Cohen concisely presents each method’s initial development, how it has adapted over time to current practice, and finally, what the future of the method may become as it pertains to the field of music therapy. She presents her own journey in achieving advanced competency and the personal journeys of each founding person of the respective methods. The book is a gentle call for educators to inspire student exploration of their own intrapersonal relationships with music and how this exploration may influence the pursuance of advanced method training.

Music Therapy Programming for Persons With Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are serious disturbances in eating habits, body image attitudes, and weight that affect overall well-being and can have life-threatening consequences. Participation in music therapy sessions may allow for healing of anxiety, self-worth, and body-image challenges that each person may face. In this manuscript we examined the music therapy literature pertaining to clinical work with persons who have eating disorders. We describe six techniques (clinical improvisation, song autobiography, song discussion, songwriting, music assisted relaxation/imagery, and Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music) and their reported uses in the literature. While the evidence supports that these techniques are effective, we acknowledge that what works in one context may not be culturally relevant or effective in another. The overview of the evidence in the literature corroborates how therapists who work with persons who have eating disorders tend to use music therapy techniques as pathways for contributing to sense of self. For each technique, we provide clinical examples with a strong element of the need to redevelop or discover identity.