Effectiveness of the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) in the Treatment of Depression: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The purpose of this research is to study the effectiveness of the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) as a treatment approach for depression. Specifically, this study will examine the treatment outcomes of a series of individual GIM sessions for persons with mild or moderate depression. It is guided by the following three research questions: In individuals with depression, does a series of GIM sessions 1) reduce severity of depression, 2) reduce severity of anxiety, and 3) improve mental well-being in comparison to a control group? The hypothesis is that a series of individual GIM sessions will be associated with improvement in depression, anxiety, and mental well-being that is greater than the waitlist control group.

Background: The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music is a music-centered depth approach to exploring the self. In GIM, therapist-selected programs of music from the Western classical tradition are used to evoke and develop a client's spontaneously generated imagery in a highly focused non-ordinary state of consciousness. In dialogue with the therapist, the client explores this imagery in a transformative process.

Preliminary evidence suggests that the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music may be an appropriate therapeutic approach for persons with depression. Used in psychotherapy, it has been documented as treatment for depression in qualitative research, case studies and clinical practice. There is quantitative evidence that GIM may be effective at reducing depression and related symptoms in a variety of clinical and nonclinical populations. A systematic review examined the evidence of psychological and physiological change associated with a series of individual GIM sessions and found a cluster of positive treatment effects related to mood including improvements in depression and depressed mood, mood disturbance, and anxiety. There is also evidence that these treatment effects may persist over time.

Design: This quantitative research will use a split-plot factorial, or mixed, design with two conditions: (a) an experimental group who receive a series of individual GIM sessions and (b) a waitlist control group who receive a series of group GIM sessions after completing a waitlist period. The research is utilizing a waitlist control condition to meet the ethical demand of providing a degree of parity between experimental and control condition, improve feasibility of the research, and to mitigate bias produced by the inability to fully mask participants to their group assignment. The research will be conducted in a naturalistic setting in a private office in a psychology and counseling practice that has been retained for the length of the research study. This research is studying intervention effectiveness rather than efficacy, and therefore the design allows for a degree of flexibility with the provision of the intervention as is normal in a real-world clinical setting.

Recruitment: Adults seeking treatment for depression will be recruited from outpatient mental health care providers and from the community. At the time of enrollment in the study, participants will be asked to provide the name and contact information of their most recent mental health care provider. In the event that a participant requires more intensive treatment while participating in the research study, the participant will be referred to that mental health care provider for a formal assessment. If a participant does not provide information for a mental health care provider, they will be referred to a mental health assessment and referral center in the community.