SEEKING THE INNER FATHER: INTEGRATING GRIEF THROUGH GIM

Abstract

How can the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) facilitate the process of grieving the loss of a parent? A qualitative case study reviews excerpts from 34 GIM sessions with a 55-year-old man who confronted his own mortality while integrating grief and ambivalence about his father’s death. During the GIM series, the client differentiated himself from his parent and, with new spiritual maturity, discovered a capacity to father his inner child compassionately.