THE CASE OF THERESE:

MULTIDIMENSIONAL GROWTH THROUGH

GUIDED IMAGERY AND MUSIC

Cathy H. McKinney, M.A., RMT-BC, AMI Fellow

Music Therapist- Private Practice
Boone, North Carolina

Abstract: The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music provides the opportunity to
address several dimensions of the client's being simultaneously. This paper describes a
portion of one young woman's journey as she experienced such growth in the areas of
relationships, self·esteem, physical self-image, and spirituality.

INTRODUCTION

The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music [GIM] is a multidimensional

process which can concurrently address issues that span the range of human experience-
physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Therese's journey, part of which is
presented here, illustrates this; the following case material focuses on her growth in
relationships with friends, family, men, self-esteem, self- image and spirituality.

CLINICAL MATERIAL

Background Information

At the time of these sessions, Therese was a 28 year old woman working as a
therapist in a psychiatric hospital. She was from a midwestern state where her father taught
in a college. Her mother was a homemaker. According to Therese, her mother had
difficulty relating to family members and people outside the family. The client is the middle
child of five girls; they are close in age. At the time she requested GIM sessions, Therese
 PAGE 100 I McKINNEY

already had been in verbal psychotherapy "off and on" for approximately four years. She
participated in group and individual therapy with a psychologist concurrently with her GIM.
Therese had experienced a single introductory session [#0 below] two and one half months prior
to the series. The powerful experience of the initial session led her to request additional sessions.
Issues identified by Therese included difficulty trusting men or establishing satisfactory
committed relationships with them, a reluctance to acknowledge and express femininity, and
persistent loneliness. The facilitator noted polarized feelings related to parents- a totally
positive, almost worshipful attitude toward her father and a disdainful, sad attitude toward her
mother. There seemed to be strong ambivalence-needing their approval and love while at the
same time distancing herself from them emotionally and physically, as evidenced by her moving
to a location twelve hours away as soon as she had the opportunity.

Imagery Development

Therese was immediately able to experience and "go with" a wide variety of images. In
her introductory session two and one half months prior to the beginning of the series, she
experienced and allowed the development of visual, emotional, kinesthetic and tactile images.
Although the predominant images continued to be visual [primarily concrete] and emotional, in
later sessions she experienced olfactory images and both verbal and non-verbal auditory images.
In addition to sensory-kinesthetic images, Therese experienced memories [especially related to
her family], archetypal images [e.g., Mother Nature and "heavenly hosts"), and transpersonal
images [e.g., becoming the music, "like part of God, the Universe, of the rhythms of life"). Her
openness and ability to share verbally her experience enhanced her own engagement with the
images and at the same time enabled the guide to accompany her closely on her journey. Themes
which recurred in
initial sessions included difficulty owning positive experiences, concern about what others
would think, and being on the sidelines in social settings. Synopses of her sessions including
relevant pre-session comments and the titles of the taped musical programs used may be found
in the Appendix.

Multidimensional Growth

Therese's images provided on-going evidence of her growth, especially in the areas of
relationships, self- esteem, physical self-image and spirituality. Corroborating evidence was also
demonstrated in the life changes that she reported from session to session.
 GROWfH THROUGH GIM I PAGE 101

Relationships with Friends

Therese was working simultaneously on relationships with friends, with her family of
origin, and with men. She described difficulty achieving closeness in her peer relationships
because she did not want to let her peers see certain aspects of her life.
In her initial session, she was alone, expressing loneliness during much of the session.
She felt sad to see a couple in the distance, and her response was fear that they would see her
crying. She was alone at the beginning of the next session, sitting by herself at a party and hating
it "because nobody will come out from the group and see me."
The fifth session marked a change in this pattern. Again, she began this session alone and
lonely, but stated that it was "not so bad because I'm going to see some [unknown] people." She
proceded to enter a YWCA despite feeling scared "to want to go in." She slowly joined a
beginner's swimming class. This was especially significant since both in previous imagery and
in her outer life she had expressed self-consciousness when wearing shorts or a bathing suit
because she was overweight. After the class, the entire group [including Therese] went out to
eat. She thoroughly enjoyed this social contact. About the time of this session, Therese reported
signing up for a tennis class at the local YWCA.
Very near the beginning of the sixth session, Therese found herself with a group of young
people backpacking. Later in the same session, while feeling homesick, she initiated conversa-
tion with some tennis players in the park and noted, "It's good to be able to talk to people instead
of letting them go by. The homesick feeling is different because I talk to people. I don't feel
alone." This interaction was in contrast to the self-isolating behavior she demonstrated earlier
in her sessions. This also seemed to be a reflection of changes she was making in her outer life.
Prior to this session, she had talked of feeling very good about the friendships that were emerging
as a result of her reaching out to fellow students in the tennis class.
During the seventh session, a~ she prepared to move out of state, Therese acknowledged
her "belonging" and said goodbye. Many images affirmed her awareness of her connectedness:
people from the neighborhood saying, "You're part of that neighborhood," and Therese's telling
her landlords she liked "feeling like I belonged."
The therapist chose the taped musical program Qrievina [Keiser Mardis, 1980] and
Therese spent her eighth session in her new home [a wonderful metaphor for her growth!].
During Rodrigo's, Concerto ~e Araojug, Adagio, she described a fish tank which had been a
"going away" present from her old home. In it were fish which represented people who had been
important to her there. She made several references to taking good care of the present. Toward
the end of the Rodrigo, two co-workers from her new work arrived for dinner. One brought a ftsh.
Therese noted,"She's going to be a good friend". As the selected Dvorak, Czech Syite. Ro~anze
began, Therese returned to her new apartment. She noticed the "way it is fixed up, people coming
 PAGE 102/ McKINNEY

and going. I'm involved with other people. They're calling, wanting me to go do stuff". She
went ice skating with a group of "people I haven't met yet" she said, "although it feels like I've
known them for a long time" and she enjoyed having a good time with them. She noted that
although her skates were new, they were broken in and the lake on which she was skating was
unusually smooth. This may be seen as a metaphor for Therese 's positive attitude about her social
life in the" new state''.

Relationships with Family

The members of Therese's family of origin frequently appeared in her imagery sessions.
During both her initial session and the second session of the series, three of her sisters [with
spouses] shared meals with her. She noted that her parents were not there "because they couldn't
relax" and the oldest sister was excluded because "everyone would be uncomfortable." This
image seemed to accurately depict her relationship with her family on both internal and
interpersonal levels. However, these relationships quickly began to evolve. During an early
scene of the third session, she assertively stood up to her mother's "shouldn't" lecture and there
was "no argument." Later in that session, the same siblings as before appeared for a picnic.
Unlike the previous scenes, her parents were also there and were ''having fun." The oldest sister
was still absent.
In the fourth session, the family gathered again for dinner with the parents but still
without the oldest sister. Following the session, the guide observed to Therese that this sister
was continually absent and discussed with her the possibility that this sister could represent
aspects of herself that she continued to reject. She readily related to this idea and was able to
identify a number of positive as well as negative characteristics that this sister might symbolize,
including intelligence, capability, and independence. Although her parents were now present in
the images, they continued to be distant. In the fourth session, Therese attempted to hug her
parents when parting, but they were "scared to be touched" and unable to receive the embrace.
This seemed to signify Therese's own fear of"touching" or "embracing" these relationships and
the feelings associated with them.
During the sixth session, Therese allowed herself to fully experience her homesickness.
She described this as "hard ... 'cause I try to squash it all the time." She felt it however; and, it
began to change. She said, "I talk to people... I don't feel alone."
In her final session, Therese briefly experienced a family reunion. All the family
members were preBent, including a yet-to-be born baby. This seemed to be reflective of a future
state in her interpersonal relationships, although it may also have demonstrated the inner work
already underway.
Following her move out of state [to a place within a half-day's drive of her parents],
 GROWTH THROUGH GIM I PAGE 103

Therese reported more frequent and more comfortable interactions with her family. She also
reported that she had "made the effort and reconciled with [her] oldest sister." She described this
as both "a relief" and "exciting."

Relationships with Men

When she began sessions, Therese stated that her relationships with men had not been
satisfactory. She had kept her most recent relationship a secret from her friends, although it was
physically intimate and of more than a year's duration. It had ended when he married another
woman who was pregnant with his unborn child. Previous relationships included an affair with
a married man and an engagement which her parents had forced to be dissolved.
Prior to her second session, Therese reported a new relationship with a man [who will
be called Mike in this paper] who was treating her very caringly. This kind of caring from a man
was a new experience for her. During her session that day, she found herself on a honeymoon
with a man she did not know in her external life. He was very present with her during that session,
sharing her experiences and supporting her. At one point she described him as "the other half
of me." The session culminated with their making love; and then she flew , as a spirit manifested
by a color, playing tag and merging/ mixing with another spirit of a different color. This seemed
to symbolize the beginning of her acknowledgement, ownership and integration of her own
animus, or male aspects.
In subsequent sessions, Mike was often present. In the third session, during the
'I.Schesnekoff, Salvation is Created, she experienced an "approval of the relationship" that felt
"too good to be real." She described it as "having the blessing from a higher authority than Mom
and Dad." This seemed to be more an approval of her relating to her maleness and to men than
merely of the specific current relationship. Afterward, Mike would appear as a protector or a
comforter. As she prepared to move, he turned into an Irish setter who accompanied her on her
journey. [It may be significant that Therese has an Irish surname.]

Self-~teem and Physical Self-Image

The changes in Therese's self-esteem and physical self-image seemed to be symbolized
most clearly in her wearing a "white diaphanous dress." It first appeared in the second session
as she was feeling "the happiest I've ever been" with the "husband" described above. In it, she
danced in a field as he watched happily. Later she again danced in the dress, this time to ballet
music on stage in an empty auditorium. The music was the Respighi, Fountains of Rome, from
the taped musical program, Relationships [Bonny, 1979]. She described seeing herself from
outside herself as "~raceful, lithe"-words which she later said she usually did not associate with
herself.
 PAGE 104 I McKINNEY

The next time she wore the dress, she successfully stood up to her mother without
subsequent argument. This occurred in Session #3, during Debussy's, Les Sicenes, from the
taped musical program, GroyR Experience [Bonny, 1976b]. In that scene she stood in a window
as the wind blew the dress.
At the end of the tifth session, following major steps in relating to peers, she again found
herself dancing baUet in an empty auditorium to the Kalinnikov, Symphony 112 in A Andante,
from the taped musical program, Creativity I [Keiser Mardis, 1981 ]. This time she reported not
only seeing, but also feeling the gracefulness, and added that she looked "pretty" as she moved
to the music. During the Yamada, Aka Tombo, [on the same taped program], she continued to
dance, and then to ice skate. As the session ended, she stated, "It's surprising that I can move like
that. I never thought I'd be that graceful."
Prior to session #6, Therese expressed feeling very good about the progress she had made
in her imagery and in her relationships. Although she was still seeing Mike, she had established
some boundaries for herself. She had begun friendships with a group of people in her tennis class,
and was both surprised and bolstered by the success of her efforts. She felt less controlled by
the negative opinions that she believed her parents would have about her, especially about her
love relationships. Significantly, she began the session in her white dress.
Following her move, Therese began full body massages with a licensed masotherapist
and, a few months later, started working with a psychotherapist who also used bodywork
techniques. She reported this work to be "scarey," but acknowledged its physical and emotional
effectiveness.

Spirituality
Therese was immediately open to the music and highly sensitive to it. Her images were
congruent with the music and usually responsive to whatever it brought or whereever it led. The
exception to this was with vocal music. The evolution of Therese's response to vocal music
provides a graphic illustration of the changes that occurred in her acceptance of her spirituality.
Consistently and powerfully affected by vocal music, she moved from a position of fear,
apprehension and avoidance to a tranpersonal experience of unity.
Vocal music was used for the first time in the third session [when the guide chose the taped
program, Qroyp Experjence]. She was quickly engaged, in a cavern watching people "down
below" in a ritual, and she described it as "creepy." She followed as the people filed out onto
a beach; then she stopped, saying it was "too wierd."
When the Debussy, Nocturne, Les Sjrenes began, Theresa grunted. She characterized
the mood as "creepy~ like something's going to happen" and said the music was .. scarey ..., like
being haunted [in] a horror movie." She frowned when the 'Thchesnekoff, Salvation is Created,
 GROWfH THROUGH GIM I PAGE 105

began, and then her response began to change. She heard the voices as" going on in heaven" and
being given approval "from a higher authority." She said, "It feels too good to be real."
Following the session, she observed, "I don't do well with the ones with voices. Why did they
haunt me?"
In the sixth session, as the voices entered on the "Laudate Dominum," from the Positive
~taped program [Bonny, 1973J, she frowned and complained, "I have trouble with the
voices... [They] interrupt the pictures." In response to the guide's question, "What do the voices
remind you of?" she was immediately in church. She cried as she re·experienced feeling "good
to be in church" as well as feeling sad "because I didn't think I'd ever go back there." Later she
described feeling isolated and shunned by other teenagers there. By the end of the piece, she stated
that she was "feeling peaceful, not because of the people but because of the Presence." As the
voices entered on the Gounod, St. Cecilia Mass, "Sanctus", she again experienced an abrupt
scene shift. She was in an auditorium listening to her sister [a singer] participating in a choral
concert. She described the feeling as, " ... you live the music-Like part of God, part of the
Universe... like being part of the Rhythms of Life." Several months after her move, Therese
described her active exploration of spiritual groups and ideas. This was in sharp contrast to the
fear and avoidance she exhibited prior to her GIM sessions.

SUMMARY AND POSTSCRIPT

Therese demonstrated significant growth in her sessions. Although she recognized the
need for further work, she was able to acknowledge major strides in relationships with herself,
friends, and family. Her attitude toward her own spirituality was changed as she again connected
with the Presence that is both within and greater than herself. She terminated her sessions in GIM
when she moved out of state. Although there was no GIM facilitator in her new area, she sought
out a therapist who employs imagery and bodywork in her practice. She voiced feeling ready
to address body issues in a deeper way and felt that her GIM had been central to that preparation.
Three years following the termination of her GIM sessions, Therese was continuing her
personal work. She reported that many of the images which appeared in her GIM sessions
continued to figure prominently, including the white dress. She had lost approximately thirty
pounds without dieting and attributed this to the power of the image of the white dress.
Although Therese's experience with GIM was a brief nine sessions, she felt that it bad
a lasting impact on her life. She addressed physical, emotional and spiritual issues, often
simultaneously and sometimes without conscious intent. Because of her willingness to act upon
her imagery and to _h onor the "reality" of her experiences, she demonstrated significant and
enduring intrapersonal and interpersonal change through the power of GIM.
 PAGE 106 I McKJNNEY

GLOSSARY

Animus- Jung [1968, vol. 9, I. p.285] defined the animus as the hidden, unconscious, mascu~
line personality of a woman [for a more lengthy discussion, see Campbell, 1971, pps. 148-
163].

REFERENCES

Bonny, H. L. [1976a]. Music and p§ycho!OiY· [unpublished doctoral dissertation, Union

Graduate School, Cincinatti, OH.]

Bonny, H. L.[Selector ]. [1976b]. G.wug Experience. (Cassette Recording). Salina, KS: Bonny
Foundation.

Bonny, H. L. [Selector].l1976c]. Comfortinji. (Cassette Recording). Salina, KS:Bonny

Foundation.

Bonny, H. L [Selector]. [1973]. Positive Affect. (Cassette Recording). Salina, KS:Bonny

Foundation.

Bonny, H. L. [Selector]. [1979]. Relationships. (Cassette Recording). Salina, KS:Bonny Foun-

dation.

Bonny, H. L. [1978]. The role of taped music pro2rams in the GIM prgcess: Mgno2faph !fk
Salina, KS: Bonny Foundation.

Campbell, J. [Ed.]. [1971]. The Portable Jung [R.S.C. Hull, trans.]. New York: Penguin.

Jung, C.G. [1968). The Archetypes and the collective unconscious. In H. Read, M. Fordham, G.
Adler. [Eds), C.G. Jun2: The collected works.[vol.9, I]. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

Keiser Mardis, L.(Selector]. [1980]. Grievinji. (Cassette Recording). Olney, MD: Archedigm.

Keiser Mardis, L. [Selector]. [1981 J. Creativity I. (Cassette Recording). Olney, MD: Archedigm.

Keiser, L.H. [1986]. CoD§Cious listenin2: An annotated 2uide to the ICM taped music pro~arus.
Olney, MD: Archedigm.

APPENDIX: SUMMARIES OF SESSIONS

Below are ~ynopses of Therese's nine GIM sessions. Included are both pertinent
 GROWfH THROUGH GlM I PAGE 107

comments from the pre-sessions and the titles of the taped musical programs used. A Jist of the
pieces on each of the taped musical programs may be found in Keiser (1986). Most are also
included and discussed in Bonny [ 1976, 1978]. Session titles are those of the facilitator.

Session #0 - Tbe Cabin

Taped Musical Program: Quiet Music
Synopsis: Therese is alone overlooking a lake. "It's nice to be by myself... lt feels strange to be
the only one there and not be afraid." She sees a couple approaching and feels sad. "I can't be
sad. What if they walk up and see me crying?" She finds a farm house with porches and rocking
chairs. There is a man inside fixing dinner "for me ...I'm scared to go in because I like to watch
it the way it is." Despite her f~ar, she goes in. It's Christmas and she dances with the man. They
stop dancing to finish preparing dinner. She is disappointed because "the focus is on making
dinner and not sharing time."

Session #1 -Befriending the Dragon

Pre-session discussion centered around an upcoming visit to Therese's family that was both
dreaded and anticipated. Therese feared their disapproval.
Taped Musical Program: Irna~ery
Synopsis: Therese is on a pier with many people partying in the distance. "I'd rather sit by
myself and cry. I hate it because nobody will come out from the group to see me." She sails on
the lake with groups of people all around, feeling lonely, going nowhere. She builds a cabin in
a clearing. "Brownie elves'' clean the house, and a big dog and her cat are there. Back on the
empty beach with the dog she begins to run from something unseen. "If 1see it, it will catch me."
It is a dragon; fairies show her it is friendly. Therese feels sad when she has to leave. She sails
back to first beach party, feeling more relaxed, yet feeling embarrassed to be in shorts because
she feels fat.

Session #2 - The Honeymoon

Pre-session discussion centered around family visit that was surprisingly good and a new
relationship with a man who was treating her ·~very well}'
Taped Musical Program: Relatjonshjps
Synopsis: Therese is riding a bicycle on the Parkway. She stops to eat. A man is sitting with
his arm around her. She cries as she recognizes that she can share what she sees. On their
honeymoon, they walk through a little town. Tears pour from her happiness. They buy ice cream.
Wearing a white dress, she dances as he happily watches. Joined by three of her sisters- sister
K is absent- and the ir husbands, they play and have a picnic. She cries because she misses her
sisters. Later she and her "husband'' enter an empty auditorium where she dances on stage, again
in a white dress. She sees herself as graceful and lithe. As they make love, she flies above her
body. Another spirit, a different color, plays tag and merges, mixing colors.

Session #3 • The Blessing

Therese was continuing to see Mike and feeling much ambivalence about the relationship.
Taped Musical Program: Group Experience
Synopsis: Therese briefly watches people in a ritual she describes as "creepy." She and Mike
 PAGE 108 I McKINNEY

go for a carriage ride at night. When she returns the next day, her mom yells at her that she
shouldn't be out so late. She responds, "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. There's somebody
taking care of me." Uncharacteristically, there's no argument. The breeze blows her white dress.
Heavenly hosts are by the ceiling. "It's creepy, like something is going to happen. It's a scarey
sound for me, like being haunted." She feels like she's dying. Crying, she says, "I have to go
up into something else and leave behind everything I know and Jove." ... Therese frowns. ''All
that (Tschesnekoff] is going on in heaven." She cries as she realizes, "It's like having a blessing
from a higher authority than Mom and Dad." She proceeds to a picnic with 3 of her sisters and
parents. [As in Session #2, sister K absent.]

Session #4 - The Judges

Mike had asked Therese to marry him. Therese continued an inner struggle with the relationship
and whether to accept Mike's proposal.
Taped Musical Program: Mostly Bach. and the first cut of Comfortin~ [Bonny. 1976c]
Synopsis: Therese is in an auditorium choreographing a dance for skaters in white dresses. She
dances a solo. The scene shifts and she is with an orchestra, playing cello beautifully. Afterward,
the family [minus Sister K] eats and enjoys time together. As she is leaving, she hugs her parents.
They are rigid and can't accept the hug. "Dad wants me to be happy, but he's so uptight he can't
be touched. Mom, too, is scared to be touched." Mike comforts her as they leave. ~she thinks
of her relationship with Mike, two judges emerge, one in black, the other in white, who debate
the merits of the relationship. The session ends with Therese's sister singing a song about
loneliness and emptiness.

Session #5 - Learning to Swim

During the pre-session, Therese had drawn an analogy between herself and a jade plant relative
to her new growth. She had pinched the plant too far. It shriveled and became a "blunt dead end."
She felt she had pushed herself too far too fast and had become stuck.
Taped Musical Program: Creativity I
Synopsis: Therese is alone and lonely. Driving to another town to see some [unknown] people,
she goes to the YWCA, where she pretends to belong. She joins a beginner swimming class. "It
feels good to be part of the group." Later with others from work, she feels that life has passed
her by. The music fills emptiness in her stomach. The scene shifts to an auditorium where.an
orchestra is playing. At first, she is a colored spirit swooping above the black and white audience,
then she dances, wearing a white dress. "I never thought I'd be that graceful."

Session II' - Living the Music

Therese was feeling very good about her progress. She had established new social relationships
in a tennis class she had begun to attend. She was feeling much stronger in her relationship with
her parents and sisters as well as with Mike.
Taped Musical Program: Positive Affect
Synopsis: Wearing a white dress, Therese dances in an Alpine meadow. As the Mozart begins,
she is in church at Christmas. She begins to cry as she realizes that "it's sad to be in church because
I didn't think I'd ever go back there." She feels peaceful, "not because of the people, but because
of the Presence." M~erwards, remembering her childhood, she feels homesick. The feeling
changes after she talks with some tennis players in a park. Friends of her parents do not recognize
 GROWfH THROUGH GIM I PAGE 109

her "because I'm so different." The scene shifts to a choral concert in which her sister is singing.
"It's hard to describe the feeling. It's like you live the music, like you're part of God, the
Universe ... Like being part of the Rhythms of Life." For the duration of the Strauss, she floats
without a body on colored air currents, moving in and out of instruments, swirling the colors
together, making them flow.

Session #7 - Saying Goodbye

Therese had decided to take a job in another state. She expressed deep sadness about leaving her
friends, apartment and co-workers. She had also decided to terminate the relationship with Mike.
Taped Musical Program: Grjevini
Synopsis: Therese begins by sadly saying goodbye to friends. Mike turns into an Irish setter who
accompanies her. She walks through her empty apartment, and loads last items into her car. She
bids a tearful farewell to Mike [in human form] and drives away. She finds her new living space
to be a house rather than an apartment and spends time designing and appreciating it. As the
session ends, she still feels sad.

Session #8 - A New State

This was the final session. Therese was very sad and termination issues were predominant.
Taped Musical Program: Grievini
Synopsis: Therese is in her new apartment where there is a fish tank, a going away present from
her friends. Each fish is named for the friend it represents. Two co-workers from her new job
come for dinner and a movie. Later that night, she notices "how good things feel, how much
growth I've had." She dances in a field on top of a mountain. Mother Nature is there. She tells
her she can't always have peace "like this" only because she won't let herself. She also says that
Therese had not been able to see her before because Therese wanted her to be a man. On a swing,
Therese swings high, then becomes air and floats above the fields and mountains with Mother
Nature. Gently, she is transported back to her new apartment. People are coming and going,
calling, issuing invitations. She ice skates with others on a smooth lake. Mother Nature is there
as the "cool breeze of winter."