Ebook: Essays on Analytical Music Therapy

This book brings together the major writings of Mary Priestley on Analytical Music Therapy, a psychodynamic approach to clinical improvisation she pioneered in England. Included in the thirty-one essays are: the famous “Herdecke Lectures” (which have never been published in English), selected chapters from Music Therapy in Action, and several other articles. Together, the essays form a journal of Mrs. Priestley’s masterful clinical work over the decades—her ideas, her feelings, and her music. Individually, the essays poignantly describe the lives of her clients, and the paths they found through improvised music. Mrs. Priestley interweaves theory with case examples, speaking plainly and directly not in the jargon of an expert but in the conversational style of a wise but humble human being openly sharing her life’s work with others.