Society for Pastoral Care and Counseling – Conference 2017
SPCR 2017 Conference Theme ‘Trauma: Body, Mind, and Spirit’
The Society for Pastoral Care and Counseling (SPCR) is an unaffiliated and a registered charitable organization devoted to advancing the practice of Pastoral Care and Counseling. The Society responds to the need for a forum wherein spiritual practitioners may share and exchange experiences and ideas emerging from their work. The goal of these exchanges is to support the development of theoretical models and treatment approaches specific to the pastoral counseling profession. SPCR is for professionals and advanced students who, in their practice, value and address all of a person’s experiences, including the biological, psychological, social, interpersonal, and spiritual. A major goal of SPCR is to provide a setting for dialogue and discussion among all conference members.
This year’s conference theme is Trauma: Body, Mind, and Spirit. The individual presentations are expected to present perspectives from theory, practice and research with reference to specific aspects of the body, mind, and spirit as related to trauma. The papers should be scholarly and written in a style that is accessible for researchers, clinicians, and professionals working in the field of psychotherapy, pastoral counseling, and spiritual care.
Friday May 12, 2017
Using music as a tool of trauma psychotherapy
Speaker: Heidi Ahonen PhD, RP, MTA, FAMI.
Abstract: Music existed before written language. There has always been music for different situations, and a favourite music for every person. Music has always been used to communicate, store history, instruct, comfort, hook people together, relax, and stimulate. Many ancient civilizations knew about the power of music and used it in their healing practices. Historical explorations of music therapy and music medicine describe how rhythms, melodies, and harmonies were used to harmonize the mind and body. Many ancient physicians and healers described music as a therapeutic tool. As music therapists, we know that music has the power to heal because I have personally experienced it so many times. I know that music can make me cry and laugh, weep or dance. Music can bring one peace, or stir one up for a conflict and irritation. I fully recognize there is something in music that indeed is transformative and powerful enough to make a difference in people’s lives. I know how to communicate my deepest emotions with music! But what is it really that makes music so powerful? Is it the collective unconscious that allows us to understand each other’s music at deep, intimate levels? Is it because as human beings we actually are musical beings? Oliver Sacks (2008) writes, “we have not even begun to understand the power of music….” This paper introduces the neurological rationale for using music as a therapeutic tool when working with trauma survivors.