Favouring emotional processing in improvisational music therapy through resonance frequency breathing: a single-case experimental study with a healthy client

Four composite case examples are presented and discussed as they relate to emotional expression, significant moments in the therapeutic process, and communication using a variety of modalities in music therapy with adults diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Building on therapeutic awareness through discussing musical elements, body movement and posture, countertransference, and interactional patterns, the implications of deep emotional connection and processing are approached using primarily nonverbal methods. Composite vignettes from the author’s clinical work demonstrate awareness of these factors in the moment as they impacted the session, therapeutic relationship, and other professionals’ understanding of music therapy in this population. Implications for emotional processing in clinical practice are presented as they relate to the concepts presented in this paper.

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Music Therapy for Children With Autistic Spectrum Disorder and/or Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Systematic Review

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.643234 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Hanna Mayer-Benarous ◽

Xavier Benarous ◽

François Vonthron ◽

David Cohen

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Music Therapy ◽

Neurodevelopmental Disorders ◽

Developmental Coordination Disorder ◽

Case Reports ◽

Preliminary Evidence ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Improvisational Music Therapy ◽

Positive Effect

Background: Several studies have reported contradictory results regarding the benefits of music interventions in children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), including autism spectrum disorder (ASD).Methods: We performed a systematic review according to the PRISMA guidelines. We searched the Cochrane, PubMed and Medline databases from January 1970 to September 2020 to review all empirical findings, except case reports, measuring the effect of music therapy on youths with ASD, intellectual disability (ID), communication disorder (CD), developmental coordination disorder (DCD), specific learning disorder, and attention/deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).Results: Thirty-nine studies (N = 1,774 participants) were included in this review (ASD: n = 22; ID: n = 7; CD and dyslexia: n = 5; DCD: n = 0; ADHD: n = 5 studies). Two main music therapies were used: educational music therapy and improvisational music therapy. A positive effect of educational music therapy on patients with ASD was reported in most controlled studies (6/7), particularly in terms of speech production. A positive effect of improvisational music therapy was reported in most controlled studies (6/8), particularly in terms of social functioning. The subgroup of patients with both ASD and ID had a higher response rate. Data are lacking for children with other NDDs, although preliminary evidence appears encouraging for educational music therapy in children with dyslexia.Discussion: Improvisational music therapy in children with NDDs appears relevant for individuals with both ASD and ID. More research should be encouraged to explore whether oral and written language skills may improve after educational music therapy, as preliminary data are encouraging.

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Modeling and electromechanical performance analysis of frequency-variable piezoelectric stack transducers

Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures ◽

10.1177/1045389x20905982 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 31 (6) ◽

pp. 897-910

Author(s):

Jianjun Wang ◽

Shuyuan Cai ◽

Lei Qin ◽

Donghuan Liu ◽

Peijun Wei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Experimental Study ◽

Performance Analysis ◽

Analytical Solution ◽

Resonance Frequency ◽

Analytical Model ◽

Dynamic Characteristics ◽

Active Element ◽

Underwater Sound ◽

Layer Number ◽

Electromechanical Performance

An exact analytical model of frequency-variable piezoelectric stack transducers is proposed, and their dynamic characteristics are studied in this article. Based on the linear piezoelasticity theory, the dynamic analytical solution is first derived, and then its correctness is validated by comparing it with the results of a special example in the previous literature and the ones of the experimental study. The effects of the tuning resistance and the layer number of the active element on the dynamic characteristics are discussed. Numerical results show that tuning the resistance and the layer number of the active element can enable the multi-frequency characteristics of the piezoelectric stack transducers. A proper layer number of the active element can minimize the short-circuited resonance frequency and the open-circuited anti-resonance frequency. These findings provide guidelines to design and optimize the piezoelectric stack transducers, which have promising potential in developing the multi-frequency Langevin transducers for some underwater sound and ultrasonic applications, such as ultrasonic cleaning, ultrasonic chemistry, and sonar radiators.

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Recovery from Adolescent Anorexia Nervosa and Associations with Diurnal Patterns of Salivary Stress Hormones: A Case Report

Case Reports in Psychiatry ◽

10.1155/2012/798512 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2012 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Andrea Oskis ◽

Catherine Loveday ◽

Frank Hucklebridge ◽

David Wood ◽

Angela Clow

Keyword(s):

Anorexia Nervosa ◽

Hpa Axis ◽

Affect Regulation ◽

Emotional Processing ◽

Single Case ◽

Stress Hormones ◽

Affective State ◽

Central Component ◽

Adolescent Anorexia Nervosa

In the neurodevelopment of adolescent anorexia nervosa (AN), dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is proposed to be a central component. Furthermore, a therapeutic milieu focusing on affect regulation can contribute much to treatment, given the emotional processing difficulties associated with this disorder. Studies of HPA axis function following such specialist treatments for adolescent AN, however, are rare. This study describes the diurnal pattern of HPA axis activation, including the cortisol awakening response (CAR), in a 16-year-old female diagnosed with AN both during illness and at clinical recovery following milieu therapy with a focus on affect regulation. Specialised single-case study statistics were used to assess whether the patient's data were significantly different from the healthy “norm” at illness and recovery. During illness, her measure of affective problems was outside of the normal range and cortisol and DHEA secretory profiles were significantly elevated across the diurnal period. However, at recovery both her affective state and HPA axis function became comparable to healthy controls. This case study suggests that salivary markers of HPA axis function can be feasibly incorporated into the clinical regime within a specialist adolescent AN residential service and could be used by clinicians to monitor prognosis and interventions.

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