Music is often considered a fanciful activity; a pleasant distraction from the seriousness of life. In this article, music is placed centre stage and its relevance for human attunement is explored across multiple domains.
Introduction
Music is everywhere. It plays at all times, through all cultures and has been considered by many writers to be a fundamental human trait, if not the distinguishing one (Blacking, 1973; Mithen, 2006; Sacks, 2008; Spitzer, 2021; Tomlinson, 2015). This article will review the psychoanalytic writing around music and demonstrate its importance for thinking about being human, specifically how to think about human experience through our ears. Since the topic is not commonplace, relevant background theory will be provided, although ultimately the focus will be on psychotherapy and a number of existing therapeutic trends relating to music.
The article is available through the IACP website here.