| Sumario: | Introduction: Despite evidence for stress-reducing effects of psychosocial interventions in cancer patients, there is insufficient research on the psychological and physiological effects of interventions that utilize music-based avenues to address distress in this population. Method: Women with nonmetastatic breast cancer (N = 10; M age = 50.25) participated in an exploratory study of effects of Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM; a depth approach to music psychotherapy) sessions on distress, psychological impact of cancer, quality of life, and relevant neuroendocrine markers melatonin and cortisol. Participants completed the Profile of Mood States, Hassles Scale, Impact of Events Scale, and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy – Breast Cancer and provided 15 cc of blood before (T1), at midpoint (T2), after the 13-week intervention (T3), and again at 6-week follow-up (T4). Results: Repeated measures analyses showed that after six bi-weekly sessions, participants reported significant pre-post decreases in depressed mood (η2p = 0.54) and total mood disturbance (η2p =.53), increased well-being (η2p = 0.44; all ps <.05), significantly decreased levels of fatigue by follow-up (η2p = 0.34; p <.05), and significant pre-post decreases in perceived distress, which remained at follow-up (p <.05). While no significant change was found in serum levels of cortisol or melatonin for this small sample, a large effect was found at follow-up for pre-post increased melatonin (η2p = 1.09) and a small-to-medium effect was found for the pre-post decrease in cortisol (η2p = 0.43). Discussion: These findings contribute to the growing evidence for GIM as an efficacious intervention for both reducing distress and normalizing stress physiology and provide support for further study.
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