*Reframing Motherhood within a Jungian Approach to Snow White: A Research Case Study Using… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109443*

understanding of the inner work engendered by matrescence as the client changes to embrace motherhood within psychic development. Firstly, there is an inherent comparative aspect to mothering which occurs both intergenerationally and with peers. This has the potential to destructively affect the transition to motherhood. Within the imagery, this was experienced as both a looking over to see if she is a good mother and a sense of many people watching her as a mother.

The gaze of others links to community expectations of the role and behaviors of the mother [4, 6, 7, 10, 32] with broader societal issues seen as linking to feminism and gender ideology. In this context, poisonous destructive behavior may occur between women, and broad and diverse support needs to be offered to new mothers [29].

However, what is of fundamental importance is the mother's relationship with the child, their partner, and inevitably with their own self in order to fully embrace a mothering role in a sustainable manner into the future of this long-term commitment. A close review of this GIM session has provided an opportunity for such foundational values to surface and be acknowledged within the psyche. Broader issues from the literature highlight that the maternal attributes engendered by the change to motherhood can lead to consequential role conflict as the new mother experiences multiple challenges and substantial inner change, where both achievements and losses influence the maternal role [13]. Various aspects of these challenges amidst ongoing change have been pointed to by the current client, such as the fragmented work of mothering with many tasks and seemingly many children to constantly look after.

Darvill and colleagues have noted the need for an appropriate support network prior to birth but connecting with other pregnant mothers [12], and this could be further extended to support women as they transition into their new role of motherhood and develop a sense of agency [32]. The fact that such deep psychic change was evidenced in a single GIM session speaks to the value and immediacy of the GIM music psychotherapy method as an option to consider and suggests that further value may be achieved in offering this method to new mothers who are both managing well or experiencing difficulties, as long as well-trained and experienced GIM practitioners are available to undertake this work (see MIAA, musicandimagery.org.au).

Limitations exist with regard to the research case study approach in terms of scope of a single client and the way that the current paper has sought to transform a previous case report into a more systemized research case study. Trustworthiness has been introduced by clearly articulating preconceived beliefs and assumptions such as emerging from a Jungian theoretical approach to interpretation. This current research case study is seen as problem-driven rather than methodology driven, and in applying this new methodology approach new understandings have been derived that link established literature to interpretation within a clinical self-report process.

Within a qualitative approach, generalizations cannot be made from this research case study but nevertheless the results assists with discovering and linking unexpected issues. The research case study approach forms a solid contribution to theory, research, and practice as noted by Wolf and colleagues [96].
