Digital Commons Network^™

Mindfulness And Expressive Arts Therapies In Cancer Care, Maria Lacreta

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper considers the efficacy of utilizing Expressive Arts Therapies as a primary intervention in addressing the psychosocial needs of patients in cancer treatment and recovery. Significant evidence shows that a cancer diagnosis, current treatment protocols and the recovery process incur wide-ranging symptoms of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. At the same time, research is also beginning to demonstrate a remarkable potential for cancer patients to develop post-traumatic growth, if given the opportunity to integrate their experience. Particularly in the post treatment phase, cancer patients report feelings of hopelessness and emotional despair, but are able to process and account …

Movement, Laughter And Breath With Intergenerational Women: A Community Engagement Project About Connections, Lisa Hough

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This Community Engagement Project was created to explore how movement, laughter and breath can create connection for intergenerational women. A community event was facilitated at a suburban YWCA as an observational tool and for information gathering. Arts based research was conducted and evidence of non-verbal movements were recorded through observation, video recordings, and reflections from the participants in the session. In addition, published peer reviewed articles that explore these elements of expression were utilized as an alternative lens. Recent current events that are affecting women worldwide, such as the #metoo and Time's Up movements, offered the backdrop for this project. …

Body Based Meditative And Mindfulness Practices For Veterans With Combat Related Ptsd, Jessica Steurer

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature review investigates and examines how body based meditative and mindfulness practices can be an effective treatment method for Veterans with symptoms of combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder. Yoga Therapy and other Expressive Therapy modalities (Art, Music) have developed evidenced-based practices and supporting research for this treatment area. Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) has shown effectiveness when treating conditions Veterans often present with such as combat-related PTSD, Substance Abuse, Anxiety, and Stress. DMT is a modality that focuses on the integration of the mind and body. Veterans benefit from body-based practices because they help to focus on the present moment while …

Adolescents, Empathy And Dance Movement Therapy, A Literature Review, Jessica Tokarchuk

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Abstract

Aggression and violence among adolescents in the school setting has continued to increase in the past several years. Empathy is related to decreased aggression in adolescents. Teaching empathy and other prosocial skills in school has been shown to decrease aggression. Several researchers have presented curriculum and methods to teach these skills, however violence and aggression continue to occur at high rates in schools in America. Current methods used in schools in America need to be developed with different approaches. The development of a strong sense-of-self, self-esteem and emotion-regulation are needed to support the development of empathy. Secure attachments throughout …

Reflection Of A Sensory Art Therapy Directive In Supporting Coping Skills With Adults With Mental Illness, Heather Holloway

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Reflection of a Sensory Art Therapy Directive in Supporting Coping Skills with Adults with Mental Illness

Sensory Jars were created in 3 groups within the partial hospitalization program for adults, dealing with mental health and substance use issues, in order to support learned coping skills through a multi-sensory process. The creation of the jars were intended to specifically support a mindful grounding technique taught at the program called the “5, 4, 3, 2, 1” method. These jars were for the members to have a physical tool in which to help them practice this method before they found themselves within a …

Expressive Arts To Promote Regulation And Empathy In The Classroom: A Community Engagement Project, Brittany Haley

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The use of arts in regulating emotions through mindfulness and strengthening empathy through story-telling is reviewed in this capstone thesis. Learning how to regulate emotions while in childhood could be beneficial in providing success in other skill related areas such as inhibitory control and academic skill around reading or math. A story-telling and mindfulness method was developed for children in a school setting to learn to form relationships with each other. Insight was gained around the students’ own needs of emotion identification and expression as well as builds a sense of empathy. When a child has the ability to understand …

Art Therapy And The Recovery Process: A Literature Review, Michelle Sharp

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Addiction to drugs and alcohol is a multi-faceted disease that has physical, mental, and financial consequences for the individual and for society at large. The global burden of disease related to substance use disorder is 5.4 percent worldwide according to World Health Organization (2014). There is a need to expand knowledge of the illness as well as create a more effective treatment method. The demand for addiction-based treatment is rising. There is a need to explore and strengthen research on therapeutic approaches to help individuals to combat substance use disorder and aide in the recovery process. Art therapy, according to …

Moving Through Grief With Mindfulness, Compassion, And Community, Yasemin Isler

Mindfulness Studies Theses

Grief resulting due to death of a loved one is devastating and life altering. Traditional

approaches, in the Western cultures, to support grieving persons usually include counseling, grief therapies and grief support groups. Grief is a unique experience for each person; however, common responses are observable. Mindfulness based interventions and compassion practices have become acceptable ways to support conditions including stress, anxiety, depression, fatigue and sleep disorders. Some of these symptoms are also present with grief. Grieving persons may not be familiar with mindfulness based interventions or practices. They may not be considered as qualified participants for these programs in …

Teaching Trauma-Sensitive Meditation: Principles And Competencies, Marjatta Moimas

Mindfulness Studies Theses

This study investigates teaching trauma-sensitive meditation, its importance, and its principles and practices. In order to investigate this topic, five experienced meditation teachers were interviewed. The participants of this study were Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction teachers and insight meditation teachers from the Buddhist Theravadan tradition, living on the East Coast and the West Coast of the USA. The aim of the research was to gather practical experiences on teaching trauma-sensitive meditation and to share the knowledge that exists among meditation teachers with the ever growing number of mindfulness professionals. The data were collected from interviews which were transcribed and returned …

Promoting Secure Attachment Through Parental Mindfulness And Meditation, The Sampp Curriculum, Lauren E. Rubin

Mindfulness Studies Theses

This paper explains attachment theory, its acquisition in early childhood, and the difficulties that manifest from an insecure attachment. First time parents aspiring to raise their children differently than they were raised may lack the skills to alter habitual patterns of behaviors deeply embedded since childhood. The following research provides evidence of the myriad challenges that emerge from insecure attachments. Included are studies illustrating ways in which mindfulness and meditation have been found useful to individuals struggling with some of the challenges brought on by insecure attachments. Insecure attachments developed in early childhood have been found to impact relationships in …

An Investigation Into Learning And Development Associated With Embodied Mindfulness, Kristen Picard

Educational Studies Dissertations

The intention of this study was to increase understanding of how Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teachers cultivate embodied mindfulness. Recent publications reveal that embodied mindfulness is an essential competency for teaching mindfulness-based interventions. However, there is a gap in the literature related to how MBSR teachers learn or develop this competency. A qualitative phenomenological study influenced by a constructivist paradigm was designed to uncover the essence of MBSR teachers’ experiences of learning and developing embodied mindfulness. The participants were 10 MBSR teachers, defined as adults who received the designation of Qualified or Certified MBSR Teachers from the University of Massachusetts …

A Buddhist Perspective On The Global Environmental Crisis: Poetics Of The Wild, Cynthia D. Trone

Mindfulness Studies Theses

My thesis is about a Buddhist perspective on the global environmental crisis, including an exploration of how both ancient and modern poetry express a compassionate response to nature, a social science survey, and a creative project of my own poetry. The exploration in the rationale paper suggests that looking inward may be an important way to begin to understand individual responsibility for the global environmental crisis. In consideration of this is a discussion of ancient Buddhist wisdom and teachings about, and the relevance of, mindfulness, compassion, interdependence, and impermanence. In a creative extension of this discussion, an exploration of Buddhist- …