Music Imagery

Music Evoked Imagery


IT AIN’T:
Telling somebody to imagine themselves on a desert island... Planting suggestions in the mind of a hypnotized subject so they will be more likely to do, be or act in a certain way later. For everyone (although it has been used with autistic, substance abuse, chronic pain, terminally ill, artists/creative folks)

Brief history:
Grew out of research in the 70s on the conscious mind. Initially the research employed the use of drugs (hallucinogens) to evoke an altered state of consciousness. Control problems - not in the control of the subject, once the drugs were given, the experience was not under the control of the researcher, - could not be regulated to provide specific types of stimuli with a therapeutic ambiance, and the drugs appeared to contribute to the experience in very negative ways. It was found that music and deep relaxation could produce the same deep exploration of consciousness, without the uncontrollable features.

General description:
MEI is a therapeutic tool to be used in getting to the inner-world of the client. The inner-world holds that information which:has not before been available to the conscious mind, may be nonverbal or preverbal (prior to adequate language)would be interpreted, analyzed or rationalized by the conscious mind to the point that it is no longer reflective of the emotional truth of the event.Knowledge comes in many forms – pictures or visual imagery (remember the color of your favorite t-shirt or toy)body sensations or kinesthetic imagery (remember a time you were cold)a sense of gut-level understanding or intuitive imagery (that “aha” that comes out of the blue)You may experience some or all of these in a session. Take what you get. It is your inner self talking to you. If it seems “strange” you may be discovering a new side to yourself, or a new level of yourself.In a 1:1 session - there are two critical parts to Music Evoked Imagery. The music as the co-therapistMusic is unlike any other art form in that it is dynamic and each moment leads into another, different moment. Art and poetry, although capable of expressing deep emotion, express it in a static way. They are moments in time, not leading to or resolving of any prior moment.Because of the dynamic, flowing movement, music acts as a carrier to the “traveler”, moving the person into, through and out of experiential events. The movement of the music prevents the traveler from becoming stuck or mired in events, unlike conventional talk therapies which can either leave a person in muck or to which the person can respond with the usual repertoire of defenses, with the business-as-usual outcome, remaining stuck.The features of the music serve to shape the traveler’s experience with regard to movement and resolution. Music creates a container which provides a safe and structured environment in which to experience the full expression of the inner world.Interestingly though, the interpretation of the music is decidedly individual - it is a projective screen for the traveler. Just like the Rorschach, each image is personalized, however, the movement of the music evokes not only scenes but movement, relational interactions, emotive expressions, beginnings, middles, and ends. The therapist as guide and witnessIn a 1:1 session, the therapist in MEI is essentially a witness and scribe, a companion for sense of security and safety, and a lens to help focus the traveler in as an event unfolds. The term “guide” is not literal, in that the therapist does not strive to shape the journey, but rather invites the traveler to explore, deepen the experience, assess and at times, physically confront the experience. MEI is about as nondirective and "noninvasive" as a therapy process can get, however the forces and movement of the music prevents the traveler from just “lolling around”. Because the traveler is experiencing this journey in an altered state of consciousness, it is frequent that the traveler does not readily:recall all the information they have sharedrecall the order in which events unfoldedretain all the significant awareness (memory is not strong at all in this state)The therapist writes down the information shared by the traveler verbatim and logs the points in the music program when it occurred, so that the entire journey can be recreated for the conscious mind in post-session processing.Process:Pre-session : traveler focuses his intention, so as to narrow the focus of the search as he enters the altered state of consciousness. Because of the vastness of the unconscious (oh! them wide open spaces...) it is far more effective and efficient to clearly define the purpose the journey. Induction: leads the traveler into an altered state of consciousness using a variety of relaxation techniques.
Music: short session today – 5-7 minutes. In a 1:1 session, the music lasts from 10 – 50 minutes, depending on the purpose and the focus of the session.Post- session: In a 1:1 session, the guide and the traveler review the imagery and content of the session and the traveler looks to see how this relates to the intention or the focus of the session. Processing doesn’t end when you walk out the door – depending on the depth of the material, the processing may last hours to weeks. You have opened a door within, and over time, that open door can change your life.While the material usually needs further processing in the conscious state, the emotional triggers have been released or reduced, and often there is an intuitive understanding and acceptance which immediately changes the intrapersonal status or response on the issue.

An Auditory World: Music and Blindness

Musicophilia Chap.13

1.[原文p.160] An Audiotory World: Music and Blindness
[譯文p.173] 盲人的恩寵

[譯評] 漸漸發現譯者習慣將書消化過後，再針對其中的重點下標題，有點類似編輯的角色，只是讀者若光看標題而不看內容，會摸不著頭緒吧!

[試譯]只聞其聲---上帝的另一扇窗

2. [原文p.160]musical memory V.S. musical imagery
[譯文p.173] 音樂記憶與音樂意象

[譯評] 音樂記憶可以理解，可是"音樂意象"是指創作方面總是能將心中的圖像轉換成音符，還是在欣賞音樂之時，能將聽到的音符轉化成心中的圖像呢?

[試譯]
對音樂的記憶力及想像力方面(有著不凡的超能力)

紙鋼琴

記得小時候上YAMAHA的鋼琴課

老師發了一條紙做的鍵盤給我們

要我們帶在身上，有空練習指法

我記得當時在彈著紙鋼琴的時候，耳朵彷彿聽見手指正在彈的樂曲

這是聯覺，還是錯覺?

Musicophilia---目錄的編排

本書雖然有29個故事，但Oliver Sacks把它分成四個部分，很可惜，中文翻譯完全把這四個部份的名字省略不翻，讀起來較原作者就少了那麼點組織及層次

Part one : Haunted by Music
建議譯文: 樂音，在心頭縈繞
Part two : A Range of Musicality
建議譯文: 音樂超能力
Part three: Memory, Movement, and Music
建議譯文: 是音樂觸動了我
Part four: Emotion, Identity, and Music
建議譯文: 在音樂中，找到自我

我想譯者真的應該把這些主題翻出，整本書會變得更有層次！

翻譯書名的考量

正如我們所知，本書的英文書名叫做Musicophilia--Tales of Music and the Brain
但中文翻成 腦袋裝了兩千齣歌劇的人(這是書中29篇故事中其中一篇的篇名)
跟老師曾經討論過這個問題，我當時在想: 如果中文版將其直譯--- 愛樂性---音樂和大腦的關連 。聽起來真的很不具賣相!!!但是若用只用一篇文章的篇名來代表整本書未免太過偏頗。不可諱言的，我也是因為書名才買了它~~

註 關於Musicophilia一字的翻譯在序言有提到:譯者翻為---音樂之愛。老師說這個字是拉丁文，我在網路上找到的資料都是和此書書名有關，也查不到此字真正的意思，但我看前後文的解讀是---不論先天或後天對音樂的喜愛及駕馭音樂的能力。