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The Piano and the Couch: Music and Psyche - A Journey into the Psyche of Talented Musicians and the Struggles They Overcome
When trauma stifles the music of talented musicians, the path to recovering artistic expression and salving the soul lies in a deepened understanding of how music and psychology converge.
In this important book, Margret Elson draws from multiple psychological approaches and her own extensive musical experience to address problems in that delicate arena where psychopathology impedes artistry--and where the roots of suffering emerge.
Through detailed descriptions of real life sessions with pianists, Elson takes us on an odyssey through the unconscious worlds of her musician clients, revealing their journeys through darkness and surprise, and ultimately into the light.
"A brilliant exploration of the nature of creativity itself."
— Robin Lakoff, professor emerita, University of California at Berkeley“Elson has done a masterful job of illustrating the interplay between music and psychology, and how one informs the other."
— Paul Sheftel, pianist, former faculty member at the Juilliard School, and piano editor for Carl Fischer