A pendulum between trauma and life: Group music therapy with post-traumatized soldiers

This study suggests a model for group music therapy with post-traumatized soldiers. Six soldiers who had been diagnosed as suffering from combat or terror-related posttraumatic stress disorder participated in a series of 90-min weekly sessions of music therapy. Data were gathered by filming the sessions with digital cameras and by means of open-ended in-depth interviews. A mixed method analysis of musical and verbal contents revealed two waves of group engagement in trauma and non-trauma matters. As a whole, this process decreased reflections of traumatic emotions and increased expressions of non-traumatic feelings. The findings are discussed in light of Levine's (1997) “pendulation” therapy model. Practical implications for music therapy are suggested.

► A framework for a group music therapy model with six post-traumatized soldiers. ► Mixed method analysis revealed two waves of trauma and non-trauma matters. ► The findings are discussed in light of the “pendulation” therapeutic model. ► Practical implications for music therapy are suggested.