Between The Notes – NHS Pilot Success

Bex Johnstone, owner of Between the Notes Music Therapy tells us about her recent success as she finishes up a recent NHS pilot study, running music therapy groups at two mental health units across Derbyshire.

 

“I recently completed a pilot study in Derby’s inpatient acute mental health units. It was a total privilege to be with so many patients during one of their hardest and often most traumatic times of their lives having been sectioned involuntarily or voluntary to keep safe whilst getting better. This study was a first in the UK in that I also brought instrument packages all funded by NHS.

I spent months emailing research and papers to commissioners to get a budget together to allow for me to buy very particular instruments for the setting. Having trained on a placement at a mother and baby post partum psychosis unit, I knew what instruments worked better than others in these settings.

Lyre harps, tongue drums, nature sound boxes, drums and ukuleles are now part of weekly life at the hospitals, with staff starting a ukulele group, an OT will start a djembe circle and nature sound boxes are used in relaxation groups.

 

 

I started running my group sessions at Carsington first, a predominantly female unit. I worked with patients to connect back to themselves and to others (often they have experienced such trauma that to connect to self is terrifying, yet the disconnection to self creates a lot of disassociation and mental health issues.) I have been blown away time and again at the power of music to connect to inner worlds.

Patients wrote songs, poems, communicated non verbally and improvised a lot on the new instruments. Sometimes improvising to abstract paintings or other themes.

A recent song created from one of these sessions included the lyrics:

“Second chances, my mind advances, as the rain it dances, I will find my way….”

 

 

I also started my work at a unit in Radbourne which is now a male only ward.

I focused a lot on communication as men have often been more shut down to expressing themselves than women in family systems. We would do lots of non verbal music exercises with the instruments; listening, mirroring and matching the feel, volume and tone that another had played. When given the space, time and a non judgemental environment, the male groups opened up to write some of the best raps, songs and reflections I had come across. I wish I could share them with you. When the sun came out we also did singing groups in the Garden.

It is interesting how the music groups often taught a lot about listening. Patients grew confidence in really listening to each other, whether with words or not.

Overall this pilot scheme taught me how important it is to give each other space and time to share. I hope with this experience I can offer that space in my studio for people who want to connect back to themselves or express something inside that is hard to get out with words.”

 

 

If you’d be interested in booking a studio session with Bex or finding out more, get in touch via email at info@betweenthenotes.co.uk you can also follow Bex via Instagram at @betweenthenotes_musicservice