Open AccessEmbracing Life with AIDS: Psychotherapy through Guided Imagery and Music
Author(s) -
Kenneth E. Bruscia
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
voices
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1504-1611
DOI - 10.15845/voices.v10i3.500
Subject(s) - psychodynamics , psychology , psychotherapist , music therapy , psychodynamic psychotherapy , coping (psychology) , guided imagery , psychoanalysis , psychiatry , anxiety
This case describes individual psychotherapy with Matt, a 26-year old man recently infected with the AIDS virus. In the eleven sessions, Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) was used as the main technique within a psychodynamic orientation. Through an intense process of imagery transformation, Matt gained insight into how traumatic events from his past prevented him from coping with the emotional challenges of living with AIDS. Ultimately, this led him to confront one of the most important questions of his life: Shall I live dead, or shall I die living?