American Music Therapy Association

Many individuals who struggle with co-occurring disorders have learned to “comfortably numb” their feelings with substances. As they enter their recovery these feelings tend to surface and the potential for relapse is great. Feelings of guilt, shame, anger, hopelessness, and frustration can seem unbearable, increasing the potential for relapse. Music has long served as a safe container for expression of feelings. Such interventions as lyric analysis, song-writing, and improvisation are demonstrated with rationale as to their relevance to the promotion of 12-step philosophy. Case examples are used to highlight the effectivenees of these methods.