This study aimed at evaluating the possible benefits of starting Integrative Improvisational Music Therapy (IIMT) sessions with 10 min of Resonance Frequency Breathing (RFB), a type of slow breathing known to be beneficial for stress reduction and emotional regulation. A client diagnosed with anxiety disorder and social phobia attended 12 IIMT sessions. Using an alternating treatments design, RFB was systematically alternated with a control intervention (Vibroacoustic Therapy, VAT). Therapy processes were assessed through the Session Evaluation Questionnaire (SEQ) and the continuous measurement of Heart Rate Variability (HRV), a biomarker of autonomic nervous system response. RFB was consistently accompanied by higher HRV and followed by lower Arousal, when compared to VAT. The music psychotherapy process displayed two phases, with the first being emotionally more challenging than the second. In the first phase, the high frequency HRV component (HFnu) during music improvisations and Positivity scores were comparatively higher in sessions starting with RFB, whereas in the second phase, post-session Smoothness and Positivity were comparatively lower after RFB. The therapy outcome was positive, with marked symptom improvements. RFB appeared to have functioned as an adaptive intervention, modulating the emotional difficulty of the sessions according to the therapy phase and the client's current needs.
AbstractPatients diagnosed with both substance use disorder (SUD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often experience hypervigilance, increased fear, and difficulties regulating emotions. This dual diagnosis increases treatment complexity. Recently, a short-term music therapy intervention for arousal and attention regulation (the SMAART intervention) was designed based on neurobiological findings. Twelve patients with SUD and PTSD (50% females) in outpatient treatment participated in six weekly one-hour sessions of the SMAART intervention. Six patients completed the study. PTSD symptom severity was evaluated with the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Scale Interview for DSM–5 (PSSI-5) pre- and post-intervention, and sustained attention was evaluated with the Bourdon–Wiersma (BW) test. A significant difference in measurements for the PSSI-5 overall symptom severity was found pre- and post-intervention. Furthermore, participants showed significant improvement on subscales of hyperarousal, mood and cognition, and attention. The BW test completion time decreased significantly. Two participants dropped out before the end of the intervention due to craving. Concerning future research, it is recommended to define the role of the music more explicitly and to change the design to a randomized controlled trial. A risk for future larger studies is a high dropout rate (50%). Several limitations of the study are discussed.
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