To analyze how emotions and imagery are shared, processed and recognized in Guided Imagery and Music, we measured the brain activity of an experienced therapist (“Guide”) and client (“Traveler”) with dual-EEG in a real therapy session about potential death of family members. Synchronously with the EEG, the session was video-taped and then micro-analyzed. Four raters identified therapeutically important moments of interest (MOI) and no-interest (MONI) which were transcribed and annotated. Several indices of emotion- and imagery-related processing were analyzed: frontal and parietal alpha asymmetry, frontal midline theta, and occipital alpha activity. Session ratings showed overlaps across all raters, confirming the importance of these MOIs, which showed different cortical activity in visual areas compared to resting-state. MOI 1 was a pivotal moment including an important imagery with a message of hope from a close family member, while in the second MOI the Traveler sent a message to an unborn baby. Generally, results seemed to indicate that the emotions of Traveler and Guide during important moments were not positive, pleasurably or relaxed when compared to resting-state, confirming both were dealing with negative emotions and anxiety that had to be contained in the interpersonal process. However, the temporal dynamics of emotion-related markers suggested shifts in emotional valence and intensity during these important, personally meaningful moments; for example, during receiving the message of hope, an increase of frontal alpha asymmetry was observed, reflecting increased positive emotional processing. EEG source localization during the message suggested a peak activation in left middle temporal gyrus. Interestingly, peaks in emotional markers in the Guide partly paralleled the Traveler's peaks; for example, during the Guide's strong feeling of mutuality in MOI 2, the time series of frontal alpha asymmetries showed a significant cross-correlation, indicating similar emotional processing in Traveler and Guide. Investigating the moment-to-moment interaction in music therapy showed how asymmetry peaks align with the situated cognition of Traveler and Guide along the emotional contour of the music, representing the highs and lows during the therapy process. Combining dual-EEG with detailed audiovisual and qualitative data seems to be a promising approach for further research into music therapy.

Fibromyalgia (FM) affects about 2–4% of the world population. Patients, mostly women, experience chronic widespread pain, fatigue, stiffness, sleep disturbances, and psychological disorders, especially depression and anxiety. The aim of this study was to examine preliminary efficacy of a Group Music and Imagery (GrpMI) intervention, which included relaxation, music listening, and spontaneous imagery, to improve subjective psychological well-being, functional capacity and health, pain perception, anxiety, and depression in women with FM. Fifty-six women aged 35 to 65 years (M = 51.3) diagnosed with FM were randomly assigned to either GrpMI treatment (n = 33) or control (n = 26) condition. Experimental group participants received 12 weekly GrpMI sessions, and control group participants who did not receive any additional service completed measures at the same time points as the experimental group. Intra-group analyses showed that GrpMI participants had a significant increase in psychological well-being and significant decrease in the impact of FM on functional capacity and health, pain perception, anxiety, and depression post-treatment, with sustained benefit at three-month follow-up for all variables except psychological well-being. Control group participants showed decreases in trait anxiety and depression at post-treatment, with no significant benefit at three-month follow-up. Inter-group analyses showed that compared with control participants, GRpMI participants had significantly higher scores for psychological well-being and lower-state anxiety post-treatment; however, no differences were observed between groups at three-month follow-up. Findings offer preliminary evidence for the benefit of GrpMI to improve well-being and reduce anxiety in women with FM. Findings also suggest that GrpMI may help diminish pain intensity, state depression, and the impact of FM on functional capacity and health, but further studies are needed to establish efficacy.

Background: Insomnia is a common sleep disorder for adults with depression, with major impact on their quality of life. Previous trials suggest that listening to music may be helpful in the treatment of sleep disturbances in healthy populations, including students and elderly. In addition, small studies with clinical populations of traumatized refugees, adults with chronic insomnia and adults with depression insomnia add to the evidence base. However, the impact of music listening in the treatment of depression related insomnia is not well documented. Objective: To examine the efficacy of music listening on sleep quality, symptoms of depression, and quality of life in adults with depression-related insomnia. Method: A single-center randomized controlled trial (RCT) in a two-arm parallel-group design is conducted and reported according to the CONSORT guidelines. The trial consists of an experimental group and a standard care control group. Both groups receive standard treatment for depression following Danish clinical guidelines in an outpatient psychiatry unit. The experimental group listens to music for a minimum of 30 minutes at bedtime for 4 weeks. Discussion: This trial will provide information on the efficacy of music intervention as a non-pharmacological intervention in the treatment of depression-related insomnia. This study will provide novel knowledge concerning music medicine as an evidence-based treatment for depression. Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov. ID NCT03676491, registered on 19 September 2018.

The effectiveness of the arts-based psychotherapy methods may rely on offering tools for preverbal implicit processing, especially in work with traumatized clients. This can enhance clients’ self-soothing capacities, activate flow experiences in line with positive psychology, and change inner working models through memory reconsolidation. The arts-based psychotherapies offer expanded Windows of Tolerance through dual awareness, and concretizes the psychotherapist’s care in the therapeutic relationship, in line with psychodynamic psychotherapy. These methods activate the innate human ability to express and experience creativity, including beauty and awe. The arts in therapy offer a creative space of play where a new reality may be constructed and shared. The interventions are proposed to offer more than plain cognitive restructuring and behaviour activation (although they may lead to additional changes in these parameters). The clinical usefulness of the arts-based methods is reflected in relation to traumatized clients’ opinions of what has helped them. The potentially effective mechanisms in the arts-based psychotherapies ought to be further investigated in clinical work and research processes, thus, promoting the methods’ abilities to enhance clients’ well-being and change capability. List of abbreviations: ASC altered state of consciousness; AT art therapy; BMGIM Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music; CBT cognitive behavioural therapy; DMN default mode network; EMDR Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing; AMT active music therapy; MT music therapy; PDT psychodynamic psychotherapy; PTSD posttraumatic stress disorder; RCT randomised controlled trial; RMT receptive music therapy; GrpMI Group Music and Imagery; WoT window of tolerance

Background: Music therapy is used in psychiatric treatment of severe psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia, depression and personality disorder. Aim: To investigate adherence and predictors for adherence to music therapy treatment in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia or personality disorder. Method: Demographic, psychiatric and therapeutic data were collected for 27 patients receiving music therapy treatment over a 1-year observation period and a 1-year follow-up period. Predictors for adherence to music therapeutic treatment were determined by means of regression analysis. Results: Drop-out from treatment was low (11.5%) and none of the variables significantly predicted adherence. Lack of significance may be because of type 2 error. Conclusion: Patients with severe mental disorder may adhere to music therapy treatment.