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Benenzon Music Therapy Method
Relevant information about Benenzon Music Therapy Method.
Benenzon model began to take shape in the 60s, like the rest of the current music therapists. The method takes the name of its founder, Rolando Benenzon, who was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1939. He studied medicine at the University of Buenos Aires and trained also as a musician and composer. In 1965 along with Dr. Benenzon Bernaldo de Quirós created the study committee of music therapy in Argentina and as a result of it was founded in 1966 the Music Therapy at the Faculty of Medicine of the Universidad del Salvador Buenos Aires. Dr. Benenzon was cofounder of the WFMT (World Federation of Music Therapy) and is co-founder of the Association of Music Therapy in Brazil, Uruguay, Peru, Mexico, Ecuador and Venezuela, among others. Today is one of the highest standards of music therapy worldwide and the father of music therapy in Latin America. Among his most important texts and publications are:
The approach of its method is basicly psychoanalytic, but music therapy is an approach rather particular and difficult to classify. On one side is the music center, recognizes the unique clinical properties of music and requires no verbalization in order to achieve progress and, on the other side also makes use of psychoanalytic structures, giving priority consideration to the mechanisms of regression and analysis of transference and counter transference phenomena, placing music as symbolic means. A key element and pillar of this model is the concept of Musical Sound Identity (ISO). The ISO principle is understood as the infinite set of sound energy, acoustic and of movement that belongs to an individual and characterizes it, they comprise his identity. This movement consists of internal energy sound heritage, the experiences intrauterine gestational sound and the sonorous experiences from the birth to the adult age. They are closely related to the concept of the Freudian Unconscious. For Freud, the unconscious energies that tend to move the discharge, these energies are floating freely and govern according to what Freud called the primary process. The primary process is timeless, which means that in him past does not exist, present nor future, there is a lack of time, everything is present. This timelessness (different from the time conceived from the mind) has a lot to do with the time of the non-verbal. Another feature of the primary process is that it is not governed by logical considerations but they are pre-logical type. This means that the inconciente does not have an order and that does not exist either yes nor no, does not have contradiction principle. However, these energies are just those that form visual images and sounds. According to the author, in the unconscious sound energy form the Universal ISO and the Gestaltic ISO. Consider first the four types of ISO which he describes:
The ISO is a dynamic concept in which the individual and his history are involved. There is a close interrelationship between the ISOS, necessary for the recognition of these energies. For example, a sound coming from abroad will have an impact on the Universal ISO and the Gestaltic ISO to be recognized and, thus, be part of the Cultural ISO. This dynamics assumes that energy can go from one side to another, and that aspects that were in the secondary process can return to the primary process and vice versa. Sonorous energies that had temporality can stop having it in certain circumstances. These energies will be able to modify or to influence those that are in the Universal ISO. This means that, although clinical experience indicates that a binary rhythm, such as a lullaby, produce a state of calm, predictability and control because they are recognized, as found in non-verbal memory , this also depends on the history of the subject in question. Benezon is very careful not to confuse and make the difference between the Universal ISO and the Gestaltic ISO with Jungian archetypes and the ISO concept of the imprinting concept of Lorenz.
Initially Dr. Benenzon began his research and clinical intervention with autistic children, adolescents and adults patients. The theme of isolation was a problem widely investigated by Dr. Benenzon, who writes: "the isolation is not only the most serious social disease, the cause of many others, but the most challenged by the man" (R. Benenzon 2000 ) The fact of isolation, as well as in the case of autism, led Dr. Benenzon to establish the Permanent Assembly for Study and Research of Isolation. Other areas of intervention where this type of treatment is applied are: Social Musicoterapia, personal development, infantile psychosis, psychic incapacity generally.
The Benenzon method, does not respond to a single cause nor is based on a single ideology. It is rather a concausal model that is based on multiple ideologies, where simple and complex structures of thought are interlaced. The music therapy treatment based on this method consists on the use of sound-musical improvisation (active music therapy) in a non-verbal context. That is, we have the sonorous-musical comedy element, understood like an expression of the sonorous identity (ISO) with deep roots, old and ancestral. Therefore, is not about constructed sonorous realities or conventional music, but essential sounds of musical elements used by the music therapist and the patient in expressive and communicative-relational form. In this type of treatments, the patient structure through sound responds to this scheme:
The music therapist to make its intervention considers the following elements:
As we can see, an intermediary object is used as a tool for the job of nonverbal communication. It is not necessary that the object is musical, but it must be: predictable (fast recognition), daily and related to their cultural ISO, easy handling and movement, supportive relationships with other instruments. These characteristics allow the object can give fluidity to the communication channels, in order to arise the unconscious, conscious and preconscious. The music therapy frame will be constructed based on the particularitities of the case. The music therapy room will be properly acoustically isolated to secure the nonverbal communication. Preferently, the ground will be of wood lifted of the base, so that it exists an air layer in the middle and favors the vibration. The space must guarantee the freedom of movement. Between the music therapist and the patient must be constituted a therapeutic bond. The patient generally brings to the treatment the disorder that isolates him and that he wishes to modify, looking for in the music therapy some benefit. the music therapist must be a professional with formation, vocation and recognition of its ISO, as well as with the desire to modify and to work in therapeutic experiences. It is fundamental to construct a relation where both people show communicative intention in a nonverbal context.
The entire approach lasts a minimum of 6 months, of being necessary with maintenance sessions according to the case. In cases of much gravity, like for example, dementia, it becomes necessary that the professionals have easily recognizable clothes by the color or by the shape, the environments must have an indicative sign so they are easily identified. They must be personalized as possible with the use of historical and significant objects for the patient. The treatments with the Benenzon Method can last several years although it is very common to be extend by a year or two, depending this rather on the conditions of possibility of the treatment (economic conditions, institution, attendance) that on the own necessity of the case.
One of the applications of the Benenzon method is like an assistant of the medicine, and in this place along with the other therapeutic techniques, aid to the recovery of the patient and the physical and mental futures upheaval prevention. This model considers like main target to produce in the patient regressive states and openings of channels, undertaking through the new communication channels, the recovery process. There is, between therapist and patient, a space that will lead to open channels of communication through an intermediary object (musical instrument), and from there you can start the patient's recovery. It is based on the complex sound-man, is the musical sound or not. This complex extends from the emission sources of sound: the nature, the human body, musical instruments, electronics, environment, vibrations, organs receiving these sounds, the impression and perception in the nervous system to all biological and psychological impact for the development of the answer involves the complex, since it is a source of encouragement. The music therapy is defined as a psycotherapy, that is a relational non-verbal therapy that it has to do not necessarily with the man and with the patient. In this sense the Benenzon model opens a new horizon in the music therapy that until now was retained like a therapeutic technique appointed to the ill people. Prof. Benenzon considers that the objectives of the music psicotherapy have a much broader scope that has to do with primary prevention and improving the quality of human life.
The present definition of music therapy according to the Benenzon model is: The music psycotherapy is a non-verbal psycotherapy that uses non-verbal corporeal and sonorous expressions to develop a relational bond between the music therapist and others who need help, to improve the quality of life, to rehabilitate them, and get them back to society as well as produce socio-cultural-educational changes in the ecosystem and act in the primary prevention of community health. As we see “produce partner-cultural-educative changes” are an extremely complex objective that implies a horizon to approach, more than a destination. On the other hand, although it is possible and it is bet to improve the quality of life and the rehabilitation, these are processes that involve long time and they hardly have fast and eternal results. Clearly nobody solves all problems in a year of therapy. It will be possible while being considered as a process and a road ahead where results are achieved gradually.
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