The use of guitar as self-care in music therapy internship: An arts-based autoethnographic exploration

This arts-based autoethnographic study explored the experiences of a music therapy intern in a hospital setting with the guitar and the four methods of music therapy as self-care. The data collected in this qualitative study was in the form of musical and written journal entries. A total of twenty-four musical journal entries and twenty-four written journal entries were recorded to document each week of internship experience. The musical entries synthesized in this study yielded three overarching themes that described the use of guitar for self-expression, mood-enhancement, and spiritual encounter. The journal entries revealed three overarching themes: connection with the guitar, application of the four methods, and the effects of using the guitar as self-care which included the physical, emotional, spiritual, cognitive, and social aspects. The integrated data revealed that the journal entries complemented and supplemented the musical entries. Further research suggestions in the area of self-care include a focus on a specific method of music therapy intervention or the use of an alternate instrument.