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Music is such a vitalizing and organizing experience for so many that its relative neglect from psychoanalytic literature leaves much to be added in understanding the musical mind and to the application of music to psychoanalysis. There is a natural overlap between listening to music and listening in therapy. Both encourage developing an active
listening presence, hearing multiple meanings, listening to context, and experiencing the unfolding of material over time.
Many therapists and analysts are interested in music and in bringing their musical selves into their work but may find it challenging to apply musical concepts to psychoanalytic principles. Additionally, Freud's lack of musical sensibility did not set an early foundation to the application of music to psychoanalysis. In The Moses of Michelangelo, Sigmund Freud wrote, “with music, I am almost incapable of obtaining any pleasure. Some rationalistic, or perhaps analytic, turn of mind in me rebels against being moved by a thing without knowing why I am thus affected and what it is that affects me” (Collected Papers, Vol. IV, Freud, , p. 257).
The Sound of the Unconscious by Ludovica Grassi is a welcome addition in “considering music as a primal and inherent characteristic of psychic structure” (p. 5). This book gives appreciation to the effect of music and sound on prenatal and infant development as well as clinical process. For those who find musical experience meaningful and structuring, Grassi's presentation of a musical unconscious will resonate as a useful reference to guide one's work.
Parallels between musical and psychoanalytic concepts are drawn throughout the book, allowing readers to more fully connect their musical backgrounds with their therapeutic work. A thoughtful review of the musical uses of repetition, variation, and imitation shows how psychological development can be thought of as isomorphic to musical development. Included in this review is an overview of how repetition is necessary for