3 Things I am Learning as a Music Therapist in Training
For the past two years, I have been immersed in my studies at Capilano University’s Bachelor of Music Therapy program. This therapy training has deepened my understanding of myself, my therapist identity, and the therapeutic potential of music within a clinical setting.
I am often asked “So…what exactly is Music Therapy?” Here is a definition I created in class this past semester:
“Music Therapy is the intentional use of music to support the therapeutic process, a process where the client and therapist interact in an effort to improve the client’s well-being and quality of life”
Alas here we go, 3 Things I am Learning as A Music Therapist in Training:
The Art of Self Care
When we hold space for others, we are bearing witness to another person’s experience. As facilitators (healers, therapists, etc) we create and maintain the container within which another person is free to explore their own mind (conscious & unconscious) and heart (feelings, sensations, emotions).
To hold space with presence requires physical and emotional energy from within ourselves. If we are feeling drained and unenthused, then our ability to hold space is hindered and this can create unintended negative effects (our clients may feel like we are not paying attention — we are listening but are not Hearing, our mental focus may deplete — we look at our clients, but we fail to See them, and our presence is half foot in and half foot out).
Furthermore, as people who find meaning and value in the act of Being of Service, sometimes we can tend to the needs of others before tending to our own. More often than not, this can create unhealthy boundaries, attachments, and patterns of behaviour, constantly exhausting ourselves to serve others when we have yet to create the space to care for our tired bones, exhausted hearts, and fatigued minds.
I often come back to the airplane analogy in my work (put the mask on yourself before you attempt to help another with their mask).
The Relationship Between Creative Expression & Well-Being
Whether it’s through drawing, music, writing, dance, or poetry, art provides us with the opportunity to shine light on our inner experience, an experience that we alone go through within our minds and bodies. Art allows us to bring our inner experience out from within ourselves and into the external world in a tangible, concrete form. As a result, other people can interact with and perceive our art, thus through art we are able to let others into our world, we are able to feel validated and acknowledged by others simply because they are able to perceive our art. This sense of validation and acknowledgment can do wonders in terms of Feeling Heard and Seen for Who & What We Truly Are. There is a sense of relief here, the mask can finally come down and we have the opportunity to reveal ourselves in our naked truth.
There is also another element here, which is that creating Art Feels Good. After spending time working on a piece of art and taking a moment when we are finished to admire it, there can often be a sense of accomplishment, a sense of worthiness can emanate from within. Hence, art can promote healthy pride and Self Worth.
Furthermore, when we create Art, we can come back to this sense of Play that usually radiated when we were children, doing things simply because they are fun to do so. As we grow up, life we can become so serious, and it greatly serves us to make the effort to connect back to this sense of Play in times of heightened stress. Play brings us into the joys of creation, allowing us to explore with one main goal, to have fun!
Everybody is a Human Being
Regardless of whether I am interacting with a client in a clinical setting, or with another human being (friend, family, neighbour, stranger), I am often connected to this sense of “sitting across from me is another human being, a consciousness nestled in their head that is in human reality like me, and from this place we are both similar, two mortal beings who are Here Right Now along for the ride of life.” This shared mortality and existence of being a human being allows me to embody compassion as I interact with people, despite all of the differences that can exist within reality (cultural background, religious/spiritual affiliations, personalities, beliefs, etc). We are all here together, on this earth floating through space, in our bodies walking around, living in time from one moment to the next, and quite frankly no one really has an idea of what is happening, so I make the conscious choice within my life and music therapy work to connect to empathy, compassion, and love on a daily basis, recognizing that everyone at the end of the day is just a human being who will one day die. When all else fails, our shared mortality intimately binds us together as fellow human beings.
That’s all for now. You can follow me on IG where I share more of my journey: https://www.instagram.com/navinsahjpaul/
Cheers! :)
