Abstract
To the Editor
Rap music has established its place firmly as a part of our culture. Its association with mental health (Baker and Bor, 2008; Reilly, 2013) and possible treatment implications are being recognized (Sule and Inkster, 2014).
We report a case of a young adolescent whose rap song lyrics were utilized as the main medium for exploration of her trauma.
H is a 16-year-old girl who was referred for low mood and behaviour disturbances including school refusal. She had already been started on an antidepressant by her GP. On our initial consultation, it became apparent that H often wrote rap songs. For subsequent sessions, we asked H to bring her rap books and songs to discuss as part of her therapy.
In the following sessions, H shared a song with us titled ‘Don’t know what to say’. The song started with the line: ‘Personally I don’t want anyone to know about my life but my doctor said that it would help get all my anger out’. The song went on to say: ‘I am always getting told to spit what’s on my mind but I can’t get through this brick wall that’s in place of my thoughts’.
Subsequently, H described how she would write whatever came to her mind. She would choose the words that rhyme to capture the raw emotion that poured out of her. She talked about how she looked up to gangster rappers as she felt that they had a similar upbringing to hers. She also felt that by sharing her songs and lyrics through social media, she might be able to provide positive messages to young people in similar situations to hers.
In continuing sessions, we used her lyrics as a basis for exploration of her developmental history. Throughout these sessions, she spoke about her childhood trauma which was thinly veiled in her songs. There have since been some improvements in her mood and behaviour and she has managed to obtain a bakery apprenticeship.
Sule and Inkster (2014) argue that hip-hop music may be used to enhance psychological intervention in mental illness by targeting the appropriate patient population. In a psychodynamic sense, H utilized a form of free association through her songs which allowed us to access her inner emotions. The current case illustrates that this relatively modern form of music can be utilized effectively in therapy, especially in young adolescents.
Footnotes
Funding
This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Declaration of interest
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.