Date of Award
Spring 5-19-2018
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
MA - Master of Arts
Department
Expressive Therapies
Advisor
Sarah Hamil
Abstract
Abstract This paper investigates the therapeutic uses of altered states of consciousness (ASC) and peak experiences (PE) for the treatment of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the ways in which music can be used to facilitate or enhance these experiences. ASC’s and PE’s can help uncover hidden or repressed unconscious material and potentially change the way an individual views and interacts with his or her world. In cases of people suffering from depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), these emotional, cognitive, and perceptual changes have been shown to have sometimes profound and long- lasting therapeutic effects, resulting in reduced symptoms and improved quality of life. Two methods for inducing ASC’s and PE’s, psychopharmacology and Guided Imagery and Music, are discussed in a review of clinical literature from the last six decades of research, and presented as emerging alternatives to existing conventional therapeutic interventions. Implications for future collaboration between these two modalities are also discussed.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Battles, Paul, "Music as a Catalyst for Altered States of Consciousness and Peak Experiences in the Treatment of Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD" (2018). Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses. 89.
https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/expressive_theses/89
Included in
Cognition and Perception Commons, Counseling Commons, Other Chemicals and Drugs Commons, Other Psychiatry and Psychology Commons, Psychiatric and Mental Health Commons, Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy Commons, Transpersonal Psychology Commons
Rights
The author owns the copyright to this work.
