Faith in music : perspectives on music healing by traditional healers and music therapists

Abstract

This study explores music therapists’ and traditional healers’ understandings of their roles and relationships in the South African healthcare context with the hope of contributing to an emerging and fruitful dialogue. Interviews were held with two groups of participants: four traditional healers (TH), and four music therapists (MT), in this multiple case study. Thematic analysis was used to interpret the data. While the THs were mostly unfamiliar with MT as a discipline, THs and MTs converged in their views that musicking is a salient therapeutic approach in South Africa, as it is non-verbal and, therefore, crosses language barriers. The THs and MTs in this study acknowledged that the biomedical approach to mental health is valuable in relieving symptoms, but often does not approach the deeper cause(s). Therapeutic musicking, however, were thought to offer consolation, create opportunities for reflection, and a safe container to explore difficulties or trauma. Where MTs diverged from THs waas in their use of music to focus on clients developing personal agency. THs diverged from MTs in their use of music to perform spiritual healing. While the MTs recognised the value of spirituality for some clients, they saw this as being beyond their scope of practice. Both sets of practitioners described TH as a marginalised perspective that should be valued more, for its spiritual focus, and in light of advancing social justice. According to the MTs, validating marginalised perspectives is part of the greater therapeutic work of healing the effects of colonisation. The MTs hoped to learn from THs and gain a more cultural grounding in music, as well as indigenous knowledge systems. Both groups of practitioners envisioned a future healthcare system as having multiple modalities, with scopes of practice in mind, and developing more trust among disciplines, in order to better serve South Africa’s diverse population.