Kathleen M. Murphy, PhD, LCAT, MT-BC, Jonah Pomerantz, MS – “Music Therapy, Spirituality, and Addictions”

Addition remains a worldwide problem, with 64 million people reporting  having a substance use disorder in 2022. Borling (2011) outlines a 3-phase process of recovery, namely bio-physical, psycho-emotional, and psycho-spiritual. Further, Borling (2011) among others note the importance of spiritual connection and spiritual health in sustained recovery (e.g. Snodgrass et al., 2024). There is a small body of research that supports the inclusion of music therapy for addressing goals related to bio-physical and psycho-emotional recovery.  However, less is known or discussed in the literature related to music therapy and psycho-spiritual recovery.  The connection between music and spiritual practices within healthcare settings has been discussed (e. g. LeRoux & Sauer (2016).  However, the application of music therapy methods to address spiritual health is lacking. Music therapists may be uniquely positioned to address the spiritual health needs of individuals in recovery given this connection between music and spiritual practices.

In this presentation we will define spiritual health and spirituality as it applies to addiction recovery. Results of a recent survey in which US music therapists were asked to describe how they address spirituality and spiritual health when working with individuals in recovery will be shared. This will be followed by a discussion of how and why the Bonny Method Of Guided Imagery and music should be considered when addressing spirituality and spiritual health needs of individuals in recovery. Suggests for imaginal listening, including imagery foci, and music selections, will also be presented so that attendees who are not Fellows of the Association of Music and Imagery can safely incorporate imagery into their clinical practice.

The published literature on music therapy and spiritual recovery largely is based on the writings of American music therapists.  This is a huge gap in our research base.  The hope is that by sharing what we know form an American perspective, will inspire music therapists in the international community to develop music based experiences to address the spiritual health needs of individuals in recovery within in their cultural context. We hope to spend some time soliciting feedback and suggestions from attendees from the international community so as to broaden the understanding of how music therapists can work within their client’s cultural and spiritual practices.  The session will conclude with recommendations for addressing spiritual health needs within music therapy across all treatment settings and suggestions for future research.

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