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Use of electronic music technologies for treatment of situational phobia: an exploratory study
Author(s)
Date Issued
2023
Citation
Fu, W. (2023 Aug 4). Use of electronic music technologies for treatment of situational phobia: an exploratory study. Thailand International Congress of Psychology 2023, Thailand.
Type
Conference Paper
Abstract
Background: Situational phobia was a condition in DSM5 which is under the disorder class of anxiety
disorders. In this study, music intervention methodology developed by Magee & Burland (2008) were
adopted to utilize electronic sound stimulus including various pure waveform (rectangular, square,
triangular, and sine) plus the background of white noise to lessen participants’ situational phobia.
Methodology: In this case study, 20 participants (Male = 10, Female = 10) with self-claimed situational
phobia (16 reported to have phobia to activities like presentation, while others reporting situation
including walking alone in the street). Participants did not have experience in participating other
modalities of music intervention (e.g. singing-bowl intervention, or visiting to music therapists).
Participants joined a self-paced activity with the Theremin apps (Femurdesign) which can choose the
wave form (rectangular, square, triangular, sine), frequency, delay, and echoes and create sound or
noises from movement of fingers on an Ipad device. Each session was 30 minutes (10 daily sessions in
total) and the changes in participants’ HRV and heart rate were recorded, and the activities were also
video taped for analysis. Participant were interviewed in an in-depth individual interview (two hours and
thirty minutes) to describe his experience. The transcript were analyzed with descriptive
phenomenology (Giorgi, 1997).
Results: Finding suggested that the self-paced Theremin sessions could allow participants to release
their anger through creating noises-like sound waves, and the change from angular (e.g. triangular,
square, and rectangular) waves was later replaced by sine waves when participants found that his anger
was released. The paper concludes with a discussion of impact of self-created noise as an art-form, and
comparison of realist view (i.e. sound quality affect one’s mental health) versus relativist view (i.e.
impact of sound quality depends on context and one’s own preference). (Project funded by HKSYU
URG number 20/06)
Availability at HKSYU Library
