So what about research in reflecting the psyche? How on earth can we research something, that is as nebulous and unconscious as this kind of phenomena? Sometimes that requires by its very nature interpretation in order to exist. And of course that can be researched, but it requires a different set of understandings to researching things that are observable. Because this way of thinking, about using music to change your life is based on a different set of beliefs and assumptions to those which can be easily measured. However, as we heard from Benedikte Scheiby in her interview, it is possible to quantify people's responses by asking them to rate their subjective state. People can choose a number to describe the degree of pain they’re experiencing between one and ten. And then we can compare the number that they gave before and after a therapy session to see if there's any difference. So it is possible to quantify, but I would ask you to consider if this is the most useful way. Some say it is, because numbers provide data that can be used within scientific frameworks to convince people about the effectiveness of using music. Music therapy researchers have demonstrated this using randomised control trials and meta-analyses, which are considered to be the highest levels of evidence within the hierarchy of the evidence-based framework. They have proven that music can have a considerable effect on negative symptoms, for example. But beyond subscribing to the beliefs of researchers who are used to investigating phenomenon, such as cells and the effects of drugs, what else could we show by research? Sometimes, it's the individual case study that has the most powerful influence. And the development of the field of psychotherapy, as well as medicine, has been predicated on what we have learned through the in-depth examination of single cases. Another possibility that's congruent with contemporary approaches to recovery within the mental health sector in many developed countries, is to solicit mental health users' perspectives on what has been valuable in music therapy, in how and why they think that might be. And Hans Peter Sully has provided a metasynthesis of studies where that has been done. And he showed that things like having a good time and being together, and feeling, and being someone, were considered to be more important than trading symptoms, as Randi describes in her podcast. So there are many ways to investigate how music reflects the psyche, both qualitative and quantitatively. To explore outcomes and processes in relation to improving mental health. So using music to reflect the psyche, what does that really mean? Well, just like you might use a mirror to look really closely at whether you have a hair that you want to pluck, or a pimple that you want to squeeze, so too does music provide a mirror for looking more closely at what's going on inside of us. It provides us with information about where we might choose to focus our attention and make decisions about feelings, behaviours, and beliefs that warrant deeper investigation. That might be rooted in past experiences and are no longer serving a helpful function. So whilst we probably won't choose to pluck or squeeze them, as we would our face, we might choose to rehearse different ways of being in the world by practicing our ways of being in relationship. Or in cases of therapy, to trust in our therapist enough to express those parts of ourselves that haven't been shared. Which, as Randi reminds us, might be joy and creativity as well as more vulnerable parts of who we are. And as Laura Medcalf describes in her review article for this unit, musical intimacy has some quite particular features, as we also explored in unit three. And this can demand even greater consciousness of the boundaries in order to ensure that a safe process is shared. This is particularly true for those of us who are grappling with trauma from the past. And statistics about rates of abuse, violence and neglect suggest that many of us have survived despite challenging childhoods. But what is special about music is that it can equally work with our conscious material that's been repressed, as it can reveal hidden parts of ourselves that truly shine and express our unique gifts in the world. Music is dynamic and joyous in that way.