Priming for Flow States Through Engagement Within Music Therapy Improvisation A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Drexel University by Bonnie Rose Eccles in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Music Therapy and Counseling Department of Creative Arts Therapy College of Nursing and Health Professions May 2018 © Copyright 2018 Bonnie Rose Eccles. All Rights Reserved. ii Acknowledgements To my thesis advisor, Paul Nolan, for your continued support, guidance, and dedication throughout this process. Your wealth of knowledge is inspiring, and I appreciate you sharing some of it with me. And to my second reader, Ali Rigby for your time, feedback, and enthusiasm. To my practicum supervisors, Phil McMillan and Emily Bolles, for being my initial models of what a music therapist can be and providing me with an understanding of how to work with a range of populations. To my internship supervisor, Tim Honig, for your constant support and push throughout my internship process. Your drive and passion continue to inspire me, and I cannot thank you enough for encouraging me to pursue and develop my unique interests in music therapy. To my family, for a lifetime of modeling hard work, love, and commitment. Thank you for your constant support and guidance. To the faculty, for your wealth of knowledge and dedication, and to my classmates, for encouraging me to step outside of my comfort zone and take risks. It has been quite the journey. To my roommates, for our session planning brainstorms, late night jam sessions, and vocal improvisations. Thank you for keeping me grounded, reminding me to breathe, and letting me be myself. I cannot imagine this year without you. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................... v ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................ vi 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 1 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................................................... 5 2.1 Depression.............................................................................................................. 5 2.1.1 Lifelong Problems Associated with Depression ............................................... 5 2.1.2 Common Practice .............................................................................................. 7 2.1.3 Positive Psychotherapy ..................................................................................... 8 2.2 Flow ..................................................................................................................... 10 2.2.1 Eight Elements of Flow .................................................................................. 11 2.2.1.2 Additional components of flow ................................................................... 14 2.2.2 Benefits of Flow .............................................................................................. 14 2.2.3 Depression and Potential Difficulties with Flow ............................................ 16 2.3 Priming ................................................................................................................. 17 2.4 Music Therapy and Depression ........................................................................... 18 2.4.1 Expressive Methods ........................................................................................ 18 2.4.2 Receptive Methods.......................................................................................... 19 2.4.3 Resource-Oriented Approaches in Music Therapy ......................................... 21 2.5 Music Eliciting Flow............................................................................................ 22 2.6 Music Therapy and Flow ..................................................................................... 24 3. PRODUCT/REPORT .......................................................................................... 27 3.1 Description of the Setting .................................................................................... 27 3.2 Method ................................................................................................................. 28 3.2.1 Considering the Elements of Flow .................................................................. 29 3.2.2 Structure .......................................................................................................... 30 3.2.3 Anxiety Reduction/Management .................................................................... 31 iv 3.2.4 Group Music Making ...................................................................................... 32 3.2.4.1 Promoting competency ................................................................................ 33 3.2.4.2 Improvisation .............................................................................................. 34 3.2.5 Verbal Processing ........................................................................................... 37 3.3 Clinical Vignettes................................................................................................. 39 3.3.1 Vignette 1: High Skill, High Challenge .......................................................... 39 3.3.1.1 Active music making .................................................................................. 39 3.3.1.2 Verbal processing ....................................................................................... 40 3.3.2 Vignette 2: Increased Engagement Through Grounding ................................ 40 3.3.2.1 Anxiety reduction........................................................................................ 40 3.3.2.2 Active music making .................................................................................. 41 3.3.2.3 Verbal processing........................................................................................ 42 3.3.3 Vignette 3: Loss of Self-Consciousness ......................................................... 42 3.3.3.1 Active music making .................................................................................. 43 3.3.3.2 Verbal processing........................................................................................ 44 3.3.3.3 Personal reaction ......................................................................................... 44 4. DISCUSSION ...................................................................................................... 46 4.1 Conclusions .......................................................................................................... 46 4.2 Reflection ............................................................................................................. 50 4.3 Suggestions .......................................................................................................... 52 4.3.1 Further Study .................................................................................................. 52 4.3.2 Recommendations for Practice ....................................................................... 53 LIST OF REFERENCES ........................................................................................... 54 APPENDIX A ............................................................................................................ 59 v List of Figures 1. Flow Channel ............................................................................................................. 35 vi Abstract Priming for Flow States Through Engagement Within Music Therapy Improvisation Bonnie Rose Eccles Paul Nolan, M.C.A.T., MT-BC, LPC The purpose of this thesis is to develop a method to promote flow states in patients in an inpatient psychiatric hospital through group music making. Relevant literature will be reviewed to inform and provide context for the method. The reviewed literature includes an overview of everyday issues associated with depression on quality of life, common practice in the treatment of depression, an introduction to positive psychotherapy, defining characteristics of flow states, benefits of frequently reaching and sustaining flow states, common music therapy practice, music eliciting flow, and flow within the context of music therapy. With the elements of flow in mind, this method was developed to promote complete immersion during group improvisation in order to exploit the benefits of engagement in the intrinsically rewarding experience that group improvisation can be. These benefits include self-growth, a greater sense of connection with the group or to oneself, and increases in subjective well-being, while accessing individuals’ internal areas of health and strength. Additionally, I reflect on what I learned while developing and implementing the method, and how this experience has influenced who I am as a music therapist. 1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION The primary purpose of this capstone thesis was to examine flow states in group music therapy sessions with hospitalized individuals with depression. A secondary purpose of this method was to help music therapists working in mental health become more aware of the experience and implications of flow states during music therapy sessions. Taking into consideration recommendations and findings from the literature on flow, positive psychotherapy and depression, and flow and music/music therapy,