Coltrane on the couch: What music therapy can teach psychoanalysis

This integrative literature review concerns music therapy and its implications for enhancing psychoanalytic psychotherapies. In clinical psychology, there is a paucity of awareness of music therapy and how music therapy relates to psychoanalysis. This study defines music therapy through historical and clinical lenses, with particular attention to approaches that draw heavily from psychoanalytic theory. This dissertation synthesizes literature from music therapy and psychoanalysis to reveal areas of practice where reciprocal dialogue between both fields is possible. I conclude by incorporating the findings into technical principals aimed to educate psychotherapists about music therapy, and its applications for psychoanalytic treatment. Acknowledging the legacy of psychoanalytic thinking within music therapy reveals that music therapy has much to offer in return.