Friday, September 12, 2008 By: Suzanne

Book of the Dead, pt 2

I forgot to mention a part of the book that was really exciting for me. While the character of Pendergast is in prison, he employs a technique that is familiar to music therapists. He is put in a cell in isolation next to another prisoner known as "the drummer." He is called this because he drums constantly and rarely sleeps. This constant drumming is nerve wracking to most people and even drives some insane if they listen to it long enough. However, Pendergast instead begins to imitate what the drummer is doing. Once he learns some of the rhythms he begins interacting with the drummer and following the complex rhythms. Then slowly, Pendergast begins to take the lead and moves the drummer in a new direction where he eventually is able to get the drummer to stop drumming completely. In music therapy this is known as the ISO principle, to meet a person where they are and slowly move them in the direction you want them to go. It was thrilling for it to be used in a book.

1 comments:

rcIsHere said...

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