The impact of group music therapy for individuals with eating disorders — Priya Shah, Elizabeth Mitchell, Shannon Remers, Sherry Van Blyderveen & Heidi Ahonen

Τεύχος 15 (1) 2023 – Article (first published on 18 July 2021)

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The impact of group music therapy for individuals with eating disorders

Priya Shah, Elizabeth Mitchell, Shannon Remers, Sherry Van Blyderveen & Heidi Ahonen

ABSTRACT

This mixed-methods study examined the impact of group music therapy upon individuals receiving inpatient treatment for eating disorders. There was a total of 21 participants ranging between the ages of 16 and 58. Participants’ lived experiences of music therapy, including music’s effects on mood and emotion regulation, were explored. Data collected through the “PANAS” (Positive and Negative Affect Scale) (Watson et al., 1988), and subscales of the “DERS” (Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale) (Gratz & Roemer, 2004), and “ERQ” (Emotion Regulation Questionnaire) (Gross & John, 2003), demonstrated that participants experienced a decrease in negative affect, as well as an increased ability to express emotion after participating in music therapy. Data collected through audio recordings and transcriptions of music therapy and focus group sessions suggested that, through creating and playing music together, participants discovered music’s ability to represent various aspects of themselves and their recovery journeys, music’s potential to support them to externalise, shift, and stay with emotions, and music’s capacity to foster social connection.

KEYWORDS

music therapy, eating disorder, improvisation, emotion regulation, mixed methods

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHIES

Priya Shah, MMT, RP, MTA, is a music therapist at Homewood Health Centre in Guelph, Ontario, an inpatient mental health and addictions facility. Priya received her Master of Music Therapy from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Bachelor of Music from Carleton University. [PShah@homewoodhealth.com]

Elizabeth Mitchell, PhD, RP, MTA, is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Music at Wilfrid Laurier University where she coordinates the Bachelor of Music Therapy program. Liz has extensive clinical experience working in mental health settings with individuals of all ages. [elmitchell@wlu.ca]

Shannon Remers, MSc, is the Manager, Research and Outcomes, at Homewood Health Inc. Shannon received her Master of Science, in Cognitive Neuroscience from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Bachelor of Science from Saint Mary’s University. [SRemers@homewoodhealth.com]

Sherry Van Blyderveen received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Simon Fraser University. She is an Assistant Professor (part-time) in the Department of Pediatrics at McMaster University and the Clinical Director of New Leaf Psychology Centre. [Sherry@newleafpsychology.ca]

Heidi Ahonen, PhD, RP, MTA, FAMI, is Professor of Music Therapy at Wilfrid Laurier University, where she serves as Director of the Manfred and Penny Conrad Institute for Music Therapy Research (CIMTR). [hahonen@wlu.ca]


Article supplementary material:
Recording 1: “Group 1, Session 4, Emotion Shift”
Recording  2: “Group 2, Session 2, I Was, I Am, I Will Be”
Recording 3: “Group 3, Session 3, Structure to Freedom”