Music Therapy and Complex Trauma: Developing Social Reciprocity

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08865710802147547#.UnxWrBA4lcY
Abstract:
Music therapy is emerging as a practice medium that is applicable for children who have experienced severe and prolonged interpersonal trauma in highly compromised caretaking relationships. Complex trauma is an evolving diagnostic and conceptual schema that attempts to describe fundamental trauma-related disturbances, including the interplay between interpersonal trauma and interpersonal functioning. Children with early and significant trauma histories often manifest ongoing interpersonal and attachment difficulties, including a diminished ability to reciprocate in social relationships. Therapy approaches specifically designed to develop and nurture the reciprocal social capacities are critically important to trauma recovery and healthy child development. The purpose of this article is to discuss the use of music therapy approaches in complex trauma work, and to describe briefly a music therapy protocol designed to stimulate attachment capacity and develop social reciprocity skills. The protocol provides residential therapists a model that is flexible, stage-wise, and adaptable, addressing core relational capacities that children need to negotiate safe interpersonal attachments.