The present study compared the efficiency of cognitive-behavioral therapy, emphasizing self-instruction and attention-focusing techniques, with behavior rehearsal and with a waiting-list control in the treatment of debilitating musicalperformance anxiety. Clients were S3 pianists who experienced extreme anxiety in performing situations. Therapy sessions were conducted over a 3-week period with clients who met three times in small groups for l'/2 to 2 hours on each occasion and who also completed homework assignments. Self-report, behavioral, and physiological indexes of anxiety were collected at baseline, treatment termination, and follow-up intervals, Multivariate analyses indicated that both the cognitive-behavioral therapy and behavior-rehearsal programs were effective in reducing musical-performance anxiety in comparison to the control condition at the follow-up assessment, although there were no differences among groups at treatment termination. The cognitive therapy was more effective than the behavior-rehearsal program on several measures. Cognitive mediators of therapeutic change were examined and are discussed.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract