"I'm a Mental Patient": An Exploration of the Use of Rap in Music Therapy to Explore Issues of Identity in a Low-Secure Psychiatric Setting

Abstract

This project explores the use of rap in music therapy to explore issues of identity in a low-secure psychiatric setting. Individuals suffering mental health issues often face a loss of sense of self. Music therapy can offer an alternative form of expression and communication which can support exploration of self and identity. Recent studies have highlighted the growing use of rap as a means of expression in music therapy sessions, and studies show that identity emerges as a common theme for exploration. Examination of the literature shows that further investigation into the use of rap in psychiatric settings to explore issues of identity is required to gain knowledge and inform practice. Through the analysis of a case study of a music therapy with a 28-year-old male patient with a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder, the use of rap in music therapy in to explore identity within a psychiatric setting is investigated. Findings show that rap can be used to rewrite and reclaim identity; provide a containing space within which different identities can be explored and performed; and to bring internal issues into the therapeutic space, where they can be explored verbally and musically with the therapist. The findings indicate that further qualitative research in this area is required to help gain understanding of the potential benefits of using rap in music therapy to explore issues of identity within psychiatric settings