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Maximiliano McCoubrey, psychologist: 'Music can unconsciously lead us to something we haven't fully healed'
🇦🇷 Argentina /Culture & Society

Maximiliano McCoubrey, psychologist: 'Music can unconsciously lead us to something we haven't fully healed'

From La Nación · (2h ago) Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Clinical psychologist Maximiliano McCoubrey explains how music unconsciously triggers forgotten memories and emotions.
  • He states that a song can evoke a sensation or memory before conscious recall, acting as an emotional compass.
  • McCoubrey, who specializes in trauma, uses music in his performance piece 'Somos lo que cantamos' to help people access unresolved emotions.

In a world often dominated by the spoken word, clinical psychologist Maximiliano McCoubrey offers a profound insight into the subconscious power of music. His work, particularly highlighted in his dialogue with La Nación, reveals how melodies can act as potent keys, unlocking deeply buried emotions and memories that conscious thought may fail to reach.

Una canción puede activar una memoria emocional antes de que podamos explicarla. A veces no recordamos primero la escena, sino que aparece primero la sensación. Y de pronto estamos otra vez ahí

— Maximiliano McCoubreyExplaining how music triggers emotional memories.

McCoubrey, an expert in complex trauma, emotional abuse, and pathological narcissism, emphasizes that music's impact is both symbolic and physical, often operating below the level of conscious awareness. He explains that a song doesn't just trigger a memory; it can first evoke the associated feeling, transporting an individual back to a specific moment or emotional state. This phenomenon, he notes, is why a song is often more than just a tune—it can be an "affective direction," guiding us back to past experiences and versions of ourselves.

La música organiza recuerdos, vínculos, épocas. Nos devuelve algo de lo que fuimos en un momento determinado. Por eso una canción no es solo una canción, muchas veces es una dirección afectiva

— Maximiliano McCoubreyDescribing the organizing power of music on personal history and emotions.

His performance piece, 'Somos lo que cantamos' (We Are What We Sing), exemplifies this principle by integrating psychology, music, and theater. This innovative approach aims to provide a pathway for individuals struggling to connect with their emotions, using music as a bridge to access and process what might otherwise remain hidden or unnamable. McCoubrey's extensive following on social media further attests to the widespread need for such tools in navigating emotional landscapes.

La música tiene algo muy particular: es simbólica, pero también es física. Impacta directamente en el cuerpo. Opera muchas veces de manera inconsciente

— Maximiliano McCoubreyDetailing the dual symbolic and physical impact of music.

From an Argentine perspective, McCoubrey's insights resonate deeply, touching upon the rich cultural tapestry where music plays an integral role in daily life and emotional expression. His work validates the common experience of being unexpectedly moved by a song, reframing it not as a simple nostalgic reaction, but as a powerful psychological process. This perspective offers a valuable lens through which to understand personal healing and emotional well-being, highlighting music's unique capacity to facilitate self-discovery and resolution.

La música muchas veces llega donde la palabra todavía no puede entrar. Hay emociones que no aparecen cuando las buscamos de frente, pero sí cuando una canción abre una puerta

— Maximiliano McCoubreyHighlighting music's role in accessing emotions that are difficult to verbalize.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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