Foundational considerations of trauma in music therapy & trauma-specific treatment: Part 1 – trauma history, definitions & core concepts

Abstract

Music therapy and trauma treatment continues to receive increasing attention in the literature. Heightened sensitivity and increasing awareness have fueled a growing urgency to address the range of presentations through which experiences of trauma may both surface and occur in treatment. As we work to gather, integrate, and disseminate available information, there remains challenges in meeting identified research needs that inform development of practice standards and many music therapists struggle to decipher the growing information on trauma. The purpose of this paper is to help clarify current understandings of trauma-related issues relevant across music therapy practice environments. This part-one of a two-part article series reviews foundational principles of trauma, including trauma terminology, history, definitions, and core concepts that impact most music therapy and trauma treatment areas. Types of trauma will also be considered, as will differences between trauma-informed care and trauma-specific treatment.