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Despite the high prevalence of incest, survivors are reluctant to disclose its existence for reasons such as shame, guilt and the presence of an accusatory and stigmatizing social discourse. The current mixed methods study examined the internal discourses of 13 incest survivors in Israel, reflected in self-reported internal dialogs which emerged during interviews. The qualitative analysis revealed a dialectical tension between two themes – one reflecting an internalization of the social discourse (manifested as quotes taken from social discourse and uttered by the survivors) and the other an agentic discourse (manifested in utterances either resisting the social discourse or showing an empowering advertence to one's own fulcrum). The quantitative analysis showed that for seven participants the internalized social discourse expressions were most frequent, for five the agentic expressions were most frequent, and that for one the discourses were at equilibrium. The ubiquitous sub-themes manifested in the internalized social discourse were: victimhood (feelings of vulnerability and helplessness), survivorship (meaningless existence, despair and hopelessness), negative self-esteem and self-pathology (perception of the self as having pathological psychological problems), and denial/repression of the abuse. The ubiquitous sub-themes manifested in the agentic discourse were: positive self-image and sense of potency, hope, optimism and positive perception of life, and uprising against the parents and institutions that did not give support. The discussion is based on Butler's concept of vulnerability, which suggests how to address the harms inflicted by incest without erasing aspects of the survivors' agency and growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research literature deals extensively with treatment of children who experience ongoing trauma. However, this topic has received scant attention in music therapy research. This study is the first to explore the therapeutic methods music therapists use with children living under continuous war threat and offers a subsequent emergent theory. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, the researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 experienced music therapists working with Israeli children who experience continuous war threat in towns located near the Gaza Strip. The findings yielded three themes regarding the therapeutic use of songs. The first theme focuses on creating a playful and joyful space that emphasizes the importance of overcoming fear by "playing with it". The second theme, restoring a sense of control, focuses on the structured features of songs such as repetition of lyrics and melody in the chorus, use of rhyme, rhythm and fixed meter, all of which create an experience that provides a sense of control. The third theme, fostering resilience, relates to the ability of songs to represent the traumatic experience while conveying messages of strength and agency. The songs enabled the children to re-experience the fear of the trauma within a playful, controlled and resilient space. As a result, the traumatic memory was reframed and perceived as less threatening. The theory emerging from this therapeutic process was termed experiential reframing of trauma through songs (ERTS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Many studies have examined relational needs (RNs) of trauma victims in psychotherapy. However, this topic has received little attention in music therapy research. The current study is the first to focus on what music therapists working with trauma victims perceive as their clients' main RNs and how those RNs are musically addressed to enhance the therapeutic process. Method: This study used a constructivist grounded theory approach. Analysis of semi-structured interviews with 41 experienced music therapists working with trauma victims was conducted to identify themes in their perceptions of the main RNs of clients and how they address them musically. Results: Analysis of the interviews revealed seven RNs of trauma victims, which according to the music therapists, were addressed during therapy: need for recognition, acceptance, emotional witnessing, emotional responsiveness, safety, trust, and the need for someone to reach out. Discussion: Several significant concepts emerged in the process of addressing RNs of trauma victims. Musical validation highlights the ability of music to validate feelings aroused by traumatic memories and the clients' sense of presence and being. Emotional witnessing through music stresses the important holding role of music and its ability to organize traumatic experiences as meaningful and coherent narratives. Musical witnessing as a self-object is a process whereby the client becomes both the participant and observer in a two-part process of expression and reflection. Finally, attuned musical involvement is a process in which the therapist becomes musically attuned with the client, thus strengthening therapist-client relationship and facilitating the therapeutic process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The uprooting from the Gush Katif settlements in the Gaza Strip as part of Israel's disengagement in 2005 was a traumatic experience for the people who had lived there and lost their homes. To date, very few clinical reports and research studies have been found to focus on group music therapy with uprooted adolescents. Therefore, the goal of this study is to broaden the clinical and theoretical understanding of this topic. Method: The study used a mixed methods approach to examine the efficacy of a short-term group music therapy given to a group of six teenagers a year and a half after being uprooted from Gush-Katif. Findings: Three themes were found. The first theme describes the effect of the disengagement on the teenagers regarding their faith in God, their relationship with their parents, and their attitude towards society and government. The second theme reflects how group music therapy enabled the participants to confront the pain of uprooting from within a safe place. This was facilitated through structured musical activities that were repeated during all sessions. The last theme describes the contribution of the therapy program to reconnecting to faith, boosting strength and hope, improving emotional state, and recognizing the importance of interpersonal relationships as a means for coping with trauma. Discussion: The therapeutic value of rituals explains the importance of structured group music therapy in a short-term program for uprooted traumatized adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Much is known about adult children caring for their aging parents, yet the potentially unique experience of offspring caring for traumatized parents is underexplored. Therefore, the current studies assessed filial anxiety and sense of obligation among offspring of Holocaust survivors (OHS) in caring for their parents. Method: In Study 1, we interviewed 10 OHS (mean age = 61.0) in order to extract themes of filial anxiety. Based on Study 1's data, a newly constructed scale of filial anxiety was administered in Study 2 to 59 adult offspring (mean age = 56.4): 28 OHS and 31 comparisons. Study 3 included 143 dyads of parents and offspring (mean age = 55.4 and 81.7, respectively): 86 Holocaust dyads and 57 comparison dyads. Parents reported posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and offspring reported filial anxiety and sense of obligation. Results: In Study 1, interviewees referred to concerns about parent experiencing decline alongside caregiving difficulties. In Study 2, OHS reported higher filial anxiety and sense of obligation relative to comparisons. This group difference was mediated by sense of obligation. In Study 3, OHS with parental PTSD reported higher filial anxiety and sense of obligation relative to comparisons. Once more, filial sense of obligation served as a mediator. In Studies 2–3, results remained significant after adjusting for offspring symptoms. Conclusion: Parental exposure to the Holocaust, and especially parental PTSD, related to higher filial obligation, which in turn was related to higher filial anxiety. These findings bear important implications for practitioners working with survivors' families [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]