Intuition and the Concept of Immediacy
 

Author:

Mieke Van Uytvanck

Abstract:
Within a music therapeutic context, intuition is defined as ‘preverbal immediacy’. Initially, this dissertation is based on Bergson, whose philosophy deals much with intuition. Bergson considers intuition as an ‘immediate experience’. The character of immediacy is addressed by Kierkegaard, who states that the concept of immediacy cannot put into words, but can only be expressed in music.
By relating Bergson’s and Kierkegaard’s descriptions to Lacan, the author developed the notion that intuition can be placed on a preverbal level. Attempt to offer concrete definitions of intuition, threaten the integrity of notions that identify immediacy as one of its essential characteristics. Therefore, the preverbal quality of intuition is significant in music therapy. As with Kierkegaard, music therapeutics considers music to be a preverbal phenomenon. If music is preverbal, and lacks to conceptual meaning, it is natural for the music therapist to fall into reverie, as described by Bion, while improvising. Thus, intuition and musical improvisation are ineluctable connected by virtue of their preverbal character. The interpersonal developments in an improvisation are located on a preverbal level and can only be registered by the intuition of the music therapist. This theoretical part will be related to the experience of working with psychotic patients and the special work as a music therapist with children in Israel, considering the language struggle.
Finally, intuition is established as an omnipresent conception in a music therapeutic process, both on a musical level and on an interpersonal level.
 

Key words;
Intuition – Bergson – Kierkegaard – preverbal - reverie
 

Biographical details:
Mieke Van Uytvanck, trained as a music therapist at the College of Science and Art at the Lemmenstinstituut (Leuven). She has practiced as a music therapist, in a institution for children in Israel for 6 months. At present, she works as music therapist within a setting for people with developmental disability.