Guided Imagery & Music
Actualizing Life's Possibilities
The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music is a specialized music-centered psychotherapy method that combines guided relaxation, music listening, creative expression, and verbal discussion. It was developed by music therapist Dr. Helen L. Bonny and is founded on Psychodynamic therapy, Jungian concepts, and Gestalt theory. By stimulating imagery and exploring various levels of consciousness, this method can offer personal and transpersonal insights to individuals seeking personal growth, healing, and life transformation.
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A typical GIM session lasts approximately 1.5 hours. The session begins with a discussion about your life situation followed by establishing a focus or a goal for the session. Guided relaxation then takes place to prepare the mind as it enters the realm of creative imagination. While listening to music, everything that is evoked in this state of deep consciousness is verbalized – visual imagery, emotions, physical sensations, memories, and any other awareness. Upon returning from this relaxed state at the end of the music, the experience is then processed through various means - through verbal discussion, drawing, writing, or improvisation.
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Because imagery, emotions, feelings, and memories can hold personal, symbolic, metaphoric, and even spiritual significance, the GIM experience can be deeply meaningful. By uncovering what matters most in our lives, the experience can provide a deeper understanding of ourselves and is capable of promoting lasting change. More information: www.ami-bonnymethod.org