Music performance anxiety (MPA) is one of the most reported psychological problems among musicians, posing a significant threat to the optimal performance, health, and psychological wellbeing of musicians. Most research on MPA treatment has focused on reducing symptoms of performance anxiety, but complete “cures” are uncommon. A promising addition or alternative that may help musicians enhance their performance under pressure, despite their anxiety, is pressure training (PT). In other high-pressure domains, such as sports and police work, pressure training has been proven effective in reducing choking and enhancing performance quality under pressure. Therefore, the aim of this narrative review is to explore the potential of pressure training in music settings. Specifically, we first provide a theoretical overview of current models explaining performance declines due to anxiety. Second, we discuss the current state of research on the effectiveness and application of pressure training in sports and police work as well as recent developments in pressure training interventions for music settings. While there is a limited number of studies investigating the effectiveness of pressure training on musicians' performance quality, research focusing on musicians' experiences has shown that pressure training can be particularly beneficial for enhancing performance skills, preparing for performances, and managing performance anxiety. Based on the reviewed literature, the final section points out suggestions for future research as well as recommendations for musicians, teachers, and music institutions for practical applications.
In this paper, we explore the desires that play a role at the palliative stage and relate them to various approaches to patient autonomy. What attitude can physicians and other caregivers take to the desires of patients at the palliative stage? We examine this question by introducing five physicians who are consulted by Jackie, an imaginary patient with metastatic lung carcinoma. By combining the models of the physician-patient relationship developed by Emanuel and Emanuel (1992) and the Hellenistic approaches to desires analyzed by Nussbaum (1994), five different ways of dealing with desires in the context of palliative care are sketched. The story of Jackie shows that desires are to a certain extent responsive to reasoning. In the palliative process, that can be a reason to devote attention to the desires of patients and caregivers and to determine which desires need to be fulfilled, which are less important, and how they are linked to emotions the patient has.
