Music communicates where words fail, and music therapy has been proven to connect with those who were thought to be unreachable, making it an ideal medium for working with those who have suffered psychological trauma. Music, Music Therapy and Trauma addresses the need for an exploration of current thinking on music and trauma. With chapters written by many of today's leading specialists in this area, music and trauma is approached from a wide range of perspectives, with contributions on the following: * neurology of trauma and music; * music and trauma in general; * social and cultural perspectives on trauma; * contextualising contemporary classical music and conflict; * music and trauma in areas where there is war, community unrest and violence (Northern Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, South Africa); * music, trauma and early development. Including specific examples and case studies, this book addresses the growing interest in the effects of trauma and how music therapy can provide a way through this complex process.

This work brings together the experiences of practitioners who use group music therapy with diverse client groups in various settings. Chapters discuss work with children, adolescents, and adults of all ages, shiwing the wide range of applications for group music therapy: in assessment for clinical diagnosis; in work with clients who have learning disabilities, special educational needs, eating disorders or autistic spectrum disorders; and in neurological rehabilitation. Group music therapy is examined from different theoretical perspectives - including psychoanalytic and Foulkesian approaches - and in conjunction with art therapy.