Parapraxes in song recall: a neglected variable

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychotherapy
• Psychoanalysis

Background:

• Patients express their inner world through verbal, nonverbal communication, and music.
• Music evocations offer a unique pathway to understanding patients' feelings and images.
• Parapraxes (slips of the tongue/memory) can occur during music evocation in therapy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and classify parapraxes in the evocation of song lyrics and music by patients.
• To explore the role of music evocation in revealing unconscious transference-countertransference states.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of parapraxes in song recall from two empirical studies and private practice.
• Focus on parapraxes within lyrics, analogous to manifest dream content.
• Consideration of polyglot patients within treatment dyads.

Main Results:

• Parapraxes in song recall were identified and classified.
• These parapraxes are linked to unconscious transference-countertransference processes.
• Lyrics are more accessible to nonmusician therapists than musical elements.

Conclusions:

• Music evocation, particularly lyrics, provides valuable insights into unconscious dynamics.
• Parapraxes in song recall serve as indicators of therapeutic process.
• Understanding musical latent content requires specific musical knowledge for therapists.