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Therapeutic Songwriting with a Man Living with Complex Trauma

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Therapeutic Songwriting with a Man Living with Complex Trauma I AM YOUR SON: THERAPEUTIC SONGWRITING WITH A MAN LIVING WITH COMPLEX TRAUMA Jeffrey Hatcher, MTA Open University of British Columbia, 200 1 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS In the Department of Psychology O Jeffrey Hatcher 2004 Simon Fraser University July 2004 All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author APPROVAL NAME Jeffrey Henry Hatcher DEGREE Master of Arts TITLE I Am Your Son: Therapeutic Songwriting With A Man Living With Complex Trauma EXAMINING COMMITTEE: Chair Allan MacKinnon ----------- Carolyn Kenny, Senior Researcher, U.ofCal, Santa Barbara Senior Supervisor _C_______----- David Paterson, Assistant Professor Member -- Dr. Celeste Snowber, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education, SFU Examiner Date July 19, 2004 Partial Copyright Licence The author, whose copyright is declared on the title page of this work, has granted to Simon Fraser University the right to lend this thesis, project or extended essay to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. The author has further agreed that permission for multiple copying of this work for scholarly purposes may be granted by either the author or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publication of this work for financial gain shall not be allowed without the author's written permission. The original Partial Copyright Licence attesting to these terms, and signed by this author, may be found in the original bound copy of this work, retained in the Simon Fraser University Archive. Bennett Library Simon Fraser University Burnaby, BC, Canada Abstract This thesis is the result of therapeutic songwriting sessions with a man living with multiple clinical factors. It explores the question: "Could engagement in therapeutic songwriting assist in the discovery and rediscovery of strengths and other resources that could provide clinical benefit and be applied to aspects of daily living to someone in lifelong recovery from complex trauma?" The thesis utilises the research framework of Bentz & Shapiro's (1998) "Mindful Inquiry," an approach that integrates the knowledge traditions of phenomenology, hermeneutics, critical social science and Buddhism. It explores the role played by Kenny's (1989) "Field of Play," a theoretical view of the music therapy experience. Together the researcher and participant wrote and recorded songs and conducted in depth interviews with follow-up questions. The paper uses song lyrics, interview quotations, the therapist's personal reflections, field notes and comments from others in the participant's life. Ultimately, it describes one person's experience in his efforts to provide safe space for another to enter a field of creativity, experimentation and communication, where they would be free to explore both individuality and the desire for connection with others. Dedication This paper necessarily incorporates aspects of the author's life that unexpectedly arose to prominence during the processing of data, and whose inclusion became essential through their relevance to the questions at hand. He trusts that the particularity of individual experience examined here does not divert attention from the universal nature of the journey we all are undertaking, each at our own pace. He dedicates this work to everyone. Acknowledgements With most sincere gratitude, I give thanks to: Stewart Wilson, for courageously engaging in this exploration, Carolyn Kenny, for her wisdom and unwavering encouragement, my birth family for their support and love, my extended family of loved ones and companions for theirs, and, at the core of it all, to Leah Decter for hers. Table of Contents .. Approval ......................................................................................................................11 ... Abstract .......................................................................................................................111 Dedication ...................................................................................................................iv Acknowledgements..................................................................................................... v Table of Contents .......................................................................................................vi ... List of Figures ..........................................................................................................vlll List of Abbreviations and Acronyms ........................................................................x Chapter One .I Could Be Your Son ......................................................................... 1 Introduction .Stewart at the beginning ................................................................. 1 Why This Study Was Undertaken ........................................................................... 5 Questions ............................................................................ ,............................... 7 Where This Will Take Us .......................................................................................... 8 At The Centre .......................................................................................................... 10 Chapter Summary................................................................................................... 22 Chapter Two .Literature Review ...........................................................................24 Introduction .What Is Happening When 'It' Is Happening? ............................. 25 Music Therapy & Songwriting .............................................................................. 27 Companions to Music Therapy ............................................................................. 31 Chapter Three .The Theoretical .............................................................................36 The Individualised Universal Language ............................................................. 38 Bentz & Shapiro's Mindful Inquiry ....................................................................... 41 Aigen's Aesthetic .................................................................................................... 48 Bright .Grief & Loss ............................................................................................... 49 Herman & Complex PTSD ..................................................................................... 51 Kenny's "The Field of Play" ................................................................................ 55 The Question ........................................................................................................... 58 Chapter Four .Methodology ...................................................................................60 Why Songwriting?.................................................................................................. 61 The Pilot Study ....................................................................................................... 63 Methods ................................................................................................................... 64 The Songs............................................................................................................. 71 Reflection on lyric content ................................................................................. 86 Into The Future ....................................................................................................... 89 Chapter Five .Analysis & Findings ........................................................................90 Interviews And Follow-Up Questions .................................................................. 94 Songwriting Elements .......................................................................................... 97 The Songs Continue ............................................................................................ 109 New Experiences and Roles ................................................................................ 114 Chapter Six .Discussion ........................................................................................119 Stewart. &. Complex Trauma ................................................................................ 119 Establishing Connection ....................................................................................... 121 Flow in the Field of Play ...................................................................................... 123 The Warning ..................................................................................................... 131 Regression ............................................................................................................. 131 Can Songs Say What Words Alone Cannot? ...................................................... 134 One Song Leads To Another ................................................................................ 136 Chapter Seven .Conclusion .................................................................................. 138 Bibliography ............................................................................................................149 vii List of Figures Figure 1 .Rough sketches for No . 1.........................................................................
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