The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) in the Treatment of Depression

Status unconfirmed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Depression

In brief

The purpose of this research is to study the effectiveness of the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) as a treatment approach for depression. Specifically, this study will examine the treatment outcomes of a series of individual GIM sessions for persons with mild or moderate depression. It is guided by the following three research questions: In individuals with depression, does a series of GIM sessions 1) reduce severity of depression, 2) reduce severity of anxiety, and 3) improve mental well-being in comparison to a control group? The hypothesis is that a series of individual GIM sessions will be associated with improvement in depression, anxiety, and mental well-being that is greater than the waitlist control group. GIM is a music-centered integrative therapy approach. In it, therapist-selected programs of music from the Western classical tradition are used to evoke and develop a client's spontaneously generated imagery in a highly focused non-ordinary state of consciousness. In dialogue with the therapist, the client explores this imagery in a metaphoric, transformative process. After providing informed consent and verifying that they meet all eligibility requirements, 30 participants are randomly assigned to either a treatment condition or waitlist control condition. Participants in the treatment group are provided with a series of 10 individual GIM sessions occurring once every two weeks. Individuals in the waitlist condition are provided with a series of four Group GIM sessions after the initial waitlist period. All participants complete data collection packets at pre-test, midpoint, posttest, 6-week follow-up, and 12-week follow-up. The individual and group GIM sessions are conducted by board-certified music therapists (MT-BC) who have completed training in the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music and have the credential Fellow of the Association for Music and Imagery (FAMI). The researchers will implement a Quality Assurance protocol to monitor fidelity to treatment. GIM is a therapeutic approach accessible on a limited basis worldwide, and trained practitioners are granted credentials by the Association for Music and Imagery (AMI) and Music and Imagery Association of Australia (MIAA). Databases of practitioners are available through these organizations.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT03917979

Run by

Aalborg University

People needed

30

Starts

2019-03-20

Expected to finish

2020-08-20

Last updated by the study team

2019-08-22

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Adults age 18 or over
• Meet severity threshold for mild to moderate depression as measured by the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (IDS-SR; score of 14-38) at the time of enrollment
• English-speaking
• Able to read and write at a fifth grade level or higher

You may not qualify if…

• History of psychosis
• Diagnosis related to depression other than unipolar depression, including but not limited to bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder
• Meeting threshold for severe depression as measured by the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (IDS-SR; score greater than 38) at the time of enrollment

Where it is running

• Guided Imagery and Music Research — Westfield, Massachusetts, United States (enrolling)
• Guided Imagery and Music Research — Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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