The Use of Cognitive-Behavioral Music Therapy in the Treatment of Women with Eating Disorders

Abstract Based on a review of the research literature, a Cognitive-Behavioral Music Therapy (CBMT) program was implemented at the Renfrew Center of Florida, a women's residential treatment facility specializing in eating disorders. CBMT goals focused on three levels: behavioral issues, cognitive distortions, and underlying causes of the eating disorder. Music served to motivate patients as they engaged in the difficult process of recovery, and it enhanced their positive affect about the process. Techniques included song-writing, singing, drumming, and lyric analysis discussion, and patients were treated in large and small groups as well as individual sessions. Music therapy added a new dimension to the interdisciplinary team and was well-received by patients.