The Piano and the Couch: Music and Psyche

When trauma stifles the music of talented musicians, the path to recovering artistic expression and salving the soul lies in a deepened understanding of how music and psychology converge.

In this important book, Margret Elson draws from multiple psychological approaches and her own extensive musical experience to address problems in that delicate arena where psychopathology impedes artistry—and where the roots of suffering emerge.

Through detailed descriptions of real life sessions with pianists, Elson takes us on an odyssey through the unconscious worlds of her musician clients, revealing their journeys through darkness and surprise, and ultimately into the light.