Transformative mourning: The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music for widowed persons.

摘要

Transformative Mourning is an exploration of grief and mourning from a transpersonal perspective. Bereavement is both a normal part of life and a non-ordinary state of consciousness. The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (BMGIM) is a process that works with such states.;Transformative Mourning is an experimental study of the BMGIM with bereaved persons. BMGIM is a music-centered therapy, which uses music to stimulate and support a dynamic unfolding of inner experiences to facilitate the exploration of consciousness that can lead to transformation and wholeness. The core elements include an exploration of consciousness through the intentional listening to specifically chosen music in an altered state of consciousness that is induced and supported by a trained BMGIM therapist.;The study used a randomly assigned experimental group and a control group where the N = 20 in the experimental group and 25 in the control group. A total of 54 participants were interviewed; 45 of them completed the study. The participants are persons who have been widowed 18 months or less. The experimental group received six individual sessions of the BMGIM over 12 weeks. After testing, the control group was offered a six-week group experience of the Bonny Method.;BMGIM has been proven effective for psychotherapeutic intervention, for personal and spiritual growth, and for pain and symptom management. It had not been formally tested as a bereavement intervention for widowed persons before this research. The goal of the study was to test the method to see if it would enhance the mental and physical health of widowed persons.;Both groups were tested Time-1 and Time-2 plus a mid-point testing. The instruments used for measuring effectiveness include the Grief Experience Inventory, the Profile of Mood States, the Scale of Coherence, and the MARI Card Test.;While the quantitative data does not reflect noteworthy findings, the qualitative data strongly confirms that the Bonny Method has significant resonance both with the emotional content of bereavement and the process of transformation. BMGIM has clinical importance for facilitating the mourning process as evidenced in the themes collected from study participants.