“Shut Up and Play!”

摘要

This paper shares perspectives on music therapy practice through a case of a young man with schizophrenia at a psychiatric inpatient ward. The therapeutic process took place through improvisations between the patient, who played the electric guitar, and the therapist, who played a drum set. There was a marked development in the interplay between the patient and the therapist during the seven months of weekly music therapy sessions; simultaneously, the patient gradually showed an improved global and mental state. The author proposes that improvised use of popular music has a twofold advantage. First, the client can be met and supported within his own cultural context, something that strengthens identity and self-awareness. Second, the aspect of groove in popular music affords some factors that are essential in meeting the therapeutic needs of patients with schizophrenia.