ANGER MANAGEMENT
THROUGH MUSIC
REDUCING AGGRESSION IN ADULT OFFENDERS
Vaughn Kaser MCAT, MT-BC
Nicole Cassingham MT-BC
Atascadero State Hospital
Maximum Security Forensic Psychiatric State Hospital
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1275 Patients Beds
Interdisciplinary Teams
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Types of patients
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PC 1370 - Incompetent to Stand Trial
PC 2962 - Mentally Disordered Offenders on Parole
PC 1026 - Not Guilty By Reason of Insanity
PC 2684 - Mentally Disordered Inmates
The Recovery Model Philosophy
THE
ELEMENTS
The Wellness and Recovery Foci
1
Psychological
5
Substance
Abuse
2
Social Skills
3
Dangerousness
and Impulsivity
6
Medical, Health,
Wellness
9
Occupational
Skills
10
Leisure and
Recreation
7
Legal
4
Hope and
Spirituality
8
School and
Educational
11
Community
Integration
Focus 3

Dangerousness and
Impulsivity
The Lesson Plan
Topics
Objectives
Method
Outcome
Measures
Materials
Schneck, Daniel J. and Berger, Dorita S. (2006). The Music Effect.
London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Taylor, Dale B. (1997). Biomedical Foundations of Music As Therapy.
Saint Louis: MMB Music, Inc.
topics
Flight
Fight
Fright
Disconnecting
Aggression
Increasing
Awareness
Ideas and
Beliefs
Reducing
stress and
tension
Routine Interventions
Instruments Used
Control
Out of
Cycle into Civility
My Own Prison
Can this be true?
Expressive
Guided
Improvisation
Cathartic
Release
Anger
Management
Does Catharsis Help Manage Anger?
Concerns: Could We Be…
Encouraging Physical Aggression?
Supporting Physical Acting Out?
Literature Review
Steven Koelsch
Music in the Treatment of Affective
Disorders: An Exploratory Investigation of a
New Method For Music-Therapeutic
Research
Music Perception Vol 27, Issue 4
“Mounting evidence indicates that making music, dancing, and
even simply listening to music activates a multitude of brain
structures involved in cognitive, sensorimotor, and emotional
processing”
“Music can strongly affect emotion and mood…emotional
effects form an important basis for possible interventions using
music in the treatment of disorders related to autonomic (below
the level of consciousness, controls visceral functions) endocrine
(hormones-adrenal gland-stress), and immune system
dysfunction, because the activity of these systems is under the
modulatory control of emotional processes.”
“music can have effects on the activity of virtually all limbic
and paralimbic structures (that is, of core structures of
emotional processing)” Koelsch
Study by Blood and Zatorre (2001)
Supported the assumption that music can evoke
real emotions-because the activity of core
structures of emotion processing was modulated
by music
Key point: Modulation
Other studies showed involvement of the amygdala in
emotional responses to music (p.308) - Koelsch
“The hippocampus plays an important role for the
generation of tender positive emotions (such as joy and
happiness)…The activity changes in the hippocampal
formation…are relevant for music therapy…individuals
with reduced capability of producing tender positive
emotions show reduced activity…it could be
hypothesized the music therapy can help to
(A) Reanimate activity in the hippocampus,
(B) prevent death of hippocampal neurons” -Koelsch
Amaral, Rocha and Oliveira, Martins
“Limbic System: The Center of Emotions”
The Healing Center
Amygdala. “Connects with the hippocampus, the septal
nuclei, the prefrontal area and the medial dorsal nucleus of
the thalamus. These connections make it possible for the
amygdala to play a role on the mediation and control of
major affective activities like friendship, love and affection,
on the expression of mood and mainly, on fear, rage and
aggression. Being the center for identification of danger is
fundamental for self preservation. When triggered, it give
rise to fear and anxiety which lead the animal into stage o
alertness, getting ready to flight or fight”
Choi, Ae-na
Soo Lee, Myeong
and Lee, Jung-Sook
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“Intervention Reduces Aggression and
Improves Self-Esteem in Children with
Highly Aggressive Behavior: A Pilot
Controlled Trial”
eCAM Advance Access 7/17/08
Music intervention group showed
significant reduction of aggression and
improvement of self-esteem compared
with control group. Activity included
singing, playing percussion instruments
and hand bells.
Neurobiology of Aggression
“Motivation and Emotion”
Textbook/Emotion
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Decrease in frontal cortex function is
associated with aggression and an increase
in impulsive behaviours (Paus 2005)
Decreased communication between the limbic
structures and the Prefrontal Cortex may also
influence aggression
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Remember Phineas Gage
Schaffhausen, Joanna
“Biological Basis of Aggression”
“The hypothalamus and pituitary gland are important parts of
the brains limbic system associate with emotional response
and arousal. These structures, along with the septum and
amygdala, may play a role in mediating aggression”
Pituitary gland is controlled by the hypothalamus. The
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA). Interactions
among these organs (HPA Axis) are a major part of the
neuroendocrine system that controls reactions to stress and
regulate many body processes including digestion, the immune
system, mood and emotions, sexuality, and energy storage
and expenditure -Wikipedia
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Learned From Family
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Developmental Stages
Co-Pathy
Social
Cohesion
Cooperation
Coordination
Contact
Social
Cognition
Communication
Koelsch, Stefan. “Toward a neural basis of music-evoked emotions”
Cluster of Excellence “Languages of Emotion”
Freie Universitat Berlin, Germany
And….
QUESTIONS?
Thank You!!!
“YOUR BODY HAS LEFT TO RIGHT FROM RIGHT TO WRONG BUT YOU HAVE
A HALO FOR YOUR MIND FOR RIGHTOUSNESS THROUGH MUSIC”
- INDIVIDUAL