Reclaiming Healing Spaces: A Phenomenological Study On The Transformative Power Of Outdoor Therapy From The Lived Experiences Of Black Clinicians Working With Black Clients, 2024 National Louis University
Reclaiming Healing Spaces: A Phenomenological Study On The Transformative Power Of Outdoor Therapy From The Lived Experiences Of Black Clinicians Working With Black Clients, Lynn Murphy
Dissertations
This phenomenological study involved assessing the experiences of Black therapists who engaged Black clients in outdoor therapeutic contexts. The study was founded on the existing literature that shows the quality of the therapeutic relationship is pivotal for client retention and the Western standards that have historically favored treatment within indoor environments. To contextualize this research, a comprehensive literature review was commenced, covering topics such as the decolonization of therapy, the historical and present-day relationship between Blacks and the outdoors in the United States, sedentary lifestyles, the psychological benefits of time spent in nature, various types of outdoor therapy, and the …
Regulation Through Rhythm: A Literature Review On Dance/Movement Therapy Approaches To Facilitating Nervous System Regulation, 2024 Lesley University
Regulation Through Rhythm: A Literature Review On Dance/Movement Therapy Approaches To Facilitating Nervous System Regulation, Elizabeth Barbera
Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses
Abstract
The mental health field has started to pay attention to how trauma plays into a person’s overall mental and physical well-being. Because of this more research has shown the connection between mind and body. Yet the clinical implications and literature on theories of how to treat trauma and trauma related disorders do not always connect. This review of literature seeks to analyze the literature on Porges’, Polyvagal Theory and Amighi’s, Kestenberg Movement Profiles. An investigation of the current literature makes a connection between the phylogenetic order of both the nervous system and developmental movement. Considerations of how trauma, in …
Tap Dance Therapy For Children With Medical Complexity: A Literature Review, 2024 Lesley University
Tap Dance Therapy For Children With Medical Complexity: A Literature Review, Beth Calabrese
Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses
Although various genres of dance and movement have been studied to serve as therapeutic tools for individuals, research on tap dance for children with serious illnesses and complex medical needs is near non-existent. This thesis aims to analyze the available literature on tap dance and dance/movement therapy for children, as well as identify gaps in research in service of improving the quality of lives and mental health of children with medical complexity (CMC). Additionally, a discussion of a possible tap dance therapy (TDT) program for children with special needs related to medical complexities will be introduced, which will include evidence-based …
Embodied Co-Regulation: A Neuroregulatory-Informed Dance/Movement Therapy Transition Intervention Method For Arousal Regulation For Adolescents In A Partial Hospitalization Program, 2024 Lesley University
Embodied Co-Regulation: A Neuroregulatory-Informed Dance/Movement Therapy Transition Intervention Method For Arousal Regulation For Adolescents In A Partial Hospitalization Program, Anamaria Guzman
Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses
This thesis introduces a novel Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) approach, focusing on nervous system arousal regulation during transitions between therapy groups. The core of the method involves a brief 5-minute exercise designed to modulate arousal levels, encompassing alertness and energy, aiming to establish a baseline homeostasis. Rooted in Polyvagal Theory and Developmental Neurobiology, the approach assumes the co-regulation of nervous systems within a group therapeutic setting. Two primary outcomes are self-assessed: 1) somatic experiences documented through narratives and 2) nervous system biodata measured using the Flowtime headband monitoring of brainwaves, heart rate, and other biomarkers. Results indicated that all six sessions …
Utilizing Dance/Movement Therapy For Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Development Of A Method, 2024 Lesley University
Utilizing Dance/Movement Therapy For Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Development Of A Method, Jayda Pearson
Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses
While there is limited research on the use of dance/movement therapy (DMT) with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. This thesis introduces an intervention focused on utilizing (DMT) to assist children with ADHD in self-regulation during periods of dysregulation associated with the disorder. The research is backed by literature reviews covering various topics related to ADHD symptoms such as dysregulation, impulsivity, and attention difficulties. Furthermore, the thesis delves into the background of dance/movement therapy and explores how DMT can be integrated with other modalities such as play therapy for a comprehensive therapeutic approach.
Feldenkrais And Music Informed Listening: A Neurophenomenological Perspective On Autism, 2024 Lesley University
Feldenkrais And Music Informed Listening: A Neurophenomenological Perspective On Autism, Arona Primalani
Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses
Phenomenologists identify the subjective body and its felt-senses as the basis for human development and consciousness, including mental health. Several mental health disorders, when viewed from a phenomenological perspective, share common symptomology related to varying extents of fractured selves, which in turn hinders dynamic interaction between individuals, their actions, and their relationships with their social and material worlds. Autism is one such condition. Hence, I created an intervention to investigate how listening, which foster subjective and intersubjective experiences, lies at the heart of somatic and arts-based interventions. This thesis, first, begins with a summary of the presenting symptoms observed in …
Utilizing Flow Arts Movement As An Expressive Arts Therapy Tool To Treat Trauma: A Literature Review And Autoethnography, 2024 Lesley University
Utilizing Flow Arts Movement As An Expressive Arts Therapy Tool To Treat Trauma: A Literature Review And Autoethnography, Shannon Mcgrail
Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses
This expressive arts-based autoethnography research explores the effectiveness of using flow arts movement as a tool of expressive arts therapy to treat symptoms of trauma for individuals who experienced a traumatic event in their lifetime. While research on the use of flow arts movement to treat mental illness is in its early stage, much can be drawn from the literature on expressive arts therapy and dance/movement therapy research with a range of populations addressing trauma. Through exploration of trauma through neuroscience, mind, body, and integrated mindfulness through flow, this work aims to bring an understanding of using intermodal expressive arts …
To Dance Or Not To Dance? A Dancer's Journey To Becoming A Movement Therapist, 2024 Sarah Lawrence College
To Dance Or Not To Dance? A Dancer's Journey To Becoming A Movement Therapist, Madilyn Erber
Dance/Movement Therapy Theses
This thesis explores the impact of the word dance on people’s idea of what dance/movement therapy is. Dance/movement therapy was created by dancers who realized that dance had the ability to be therapeutic. In the 1940s in the United States, when dance/movement therapy was established, dance was not what it is today. Dance has expanded and is now seen in competitions, television/movies, and social media, which places a strong emphasis on the validation from others. The author aims to look at this shift in dance and how ideas present within dance do not align with the focus of dance/movement therapy. …
Embodying The Spiral: A Critical Framework For Returning To The Body Through Dance/Movement Therapy, 2024 Sarah Lawrence College
Embodying The Spiral: A Critical Framework For Returning To The Body Through Dance/Movement Therapy, Lilah Van Rens
Dance/Movement Therapy Theses
Spirals are fundamental to human existence–present in natural geological forms, skeletal and muscular pathways, and developmental patterns. Characteristics of the spiral in relation to the body include: spatiotemporal nonlinearity, the embracing of polarities and dismantling of binaries, grounded curiosity, “contra-lateral connectivity” and multidimensional integration and transformation. Nonlinear and spiralic temporality have been continually embodied, recorded, and practiced transgenerationally in Black, Indigenous, and queer communities as a form of resurgence, resistance, self-expression, building community and being in the world. How can embodying the spiral be a radical resistance to systems of oppression that continually isolate and disconnect people from one another …
Boys Don't Cry: Dance/Movement Therapy As Effective Treatment For Men Who Adhere To Traditional Western Masculinity Ideology, 2024 Sarah Lawrence College
Boys Don't Cry: Dance/Movement Therapy As Effective Treatment For Men Who Adhere To Traditional Western Masculinity Ideology, Carter Turrell-Celente
Dance/Movement Therapy Theses
Traditional Western masculinity ideology, which is adhered to mostly by white men (Levant & Pryor, 2020, p. 12), is the dominant construct of masculinity in the United States that influences expectations of behavior among males (American Psychological Association, 2018; Levant & Richmond, 2016). Men who adhere strictly to traditional Western masculinity ideology may find their lives negatively affected by their behavior related to socialized gender norms. Seeking help for mental health challenges goes against traditional Western masculinity ideology, as does emotional expression, which makes these men especially vulnerable to the negative effects of poor mental health. Dance/movement therapy is an …
Integration Of Adverse Childhood Experiences In Adulthood Through Dance Movement Therapeutic Techniques, 2024 Lesley University
Integration Of Adverse Childhood Experiences In Adulthood Through Dance Movement Therapeutic Techniques, Kimberly Hoj
Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses
Expanding knowledge about how to self-regulate when faced with challenging circumstances has the potential to benefit individuals and communities, especially in our post-pandemic environment with increasing needs for mental health support. This thesis provides a psychoeducational basis for use of dance movement therapeutic techniques to integrate adverse childhood experiences. The literature review refines an understanding of big T and little t trauma as it relates to mental illness, polyvagal theory, nervous system regulation, the window of tolerance, body armoring, somatic psychotherapy, trauma- informed care, adverse childhood experiences and post-traumatic growth.
This thesis culminates in a personal arts-based autoethnography informed by …
The Alexander Technique Applied To Dance And The Choreographic Process: Freeing Physical Expression From Trauma-Based Tension, 2024 Liberty University
The Alexander Technique Applied To Dance And The Choreographic Process: Freeing Physical Expression From Trauma-Based Tension, Julia Johnston
Senior Honors Theses
Ballet, contemporary, and modern dancers have expressed incurring trauma during their training and professional dance experiences; in a 2020 survey, 41% of professional dancers and 30% of ballet students reported experiencing or witnessing sexually inappropriate behavior in their respective workplaces and schools (DDP). This is just one example of a potential source of trauma for dancers. The physiological effects of trauma cause physical effects, creating tension in a dancer’s body. Dance relies on physical expression, the expression of thought and feeling through movement, to connect with the audience. Trauma-based tension inhibits a dancer’s range of physical expression and connection to …
Focus Group And Survey Responses To Postural Feedback During Creative Movement Exploration, 2024 University of South Carolina
Focus Group And Survey Responses To Postural Feedback During Creative Movement Exploration, Mary C. Matthews
Senior Theses
John H. Riskind’s “appropriateness hypothesis” states that posture, positions, and gestures can be emotionally self-regulating if an individual holds a posture that is appropriate for its context. A litany of studies on power posing suggests expansive postures could increase Feelings of Power. One meta-analytic review demonstrates the “robust” significance for evidence of “power feelings, emotion, or self-esteem” due to postural feedback while cautioning researchers on the empirical invalidity of evidence for behavioral and physiological variables. A qualitative description of individuals’ experiences as they change posture, gesture, and position would direct future research on postural feedback. The current project qualitatively examines …
Expressive Arts Therapy To Support Positive Experiences Of Embodiment Among Rural Lgbtq+ Adults: A Literature Review, 2023 Lesley University
Expressive Arts Therapy To Support Positive Experiences Of Embodiment Among Rural Lgbtq+ Adults: A Literature Review, Ann Stromgren
Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses
This paper investigates the use of expressive arts therapy to support LGBTQ+ adult clients in rural communities. Caring professionals in rural areas often lack training on how to work with LGBTQ+ clients, and best practices for clinical mental health counseling with rural LGBTQ+ clients have yet to be defined. Some evidence suggests that using “metronormative” best practices with rural clients may be irrelevant or cause harm (Giano et al., 2020). Although some recommendations exist for using expressive therapies with LGBTQ+ clients, they are rarely evidence-based, as very few empirical studies exist evaluating the effectiveness of expressive therapy interventions with LGBTQ+ …
Follow My Lead: Partner Dancing As An Intervention For Couples Therapy, 2023 Sarah Lawrence College
Follow My Lead: Partner Dancing As An Intervention For Couples Therapy, Ashmita Biswas
Dance/Movement Therapy Theses
Couples seek therapy for various reasons, including managing or navigating conflict, aggression, and infidelity, separation or divorce issues, and navigating psychological disorders or medical issues. Differences in communication style can also contribute to conflicts in couples, and much of this communication happens on a subconscious, non-verbal level. There are various components of partner dancing like,. This thesis proposes utilizing the elements of partner dance, such as nonverbal communication through the roles of lead and follow, use of music for synchronicity, spatial proximity, gesture and posture as interventions in dance/movement therapy with couples. Dance/movement therapy can help individuals be more aware …
Embracing Unity: Reconnecting With The Self In Contemporary Culture Through Dance/Movement Therapy Values, 2023 Sarah Lawrence College
Embracing Unity: Reconnecting With The Self In Contemporary Culture Through Dance/Movement Therapy Values, Dilara Akpinar
Dance/Movement Therapy Theses
This thesis explores the interplay between a sense of wholeness, environmental factors, inner conflict and injuries, and the transformative journey towards rediscovering one's sense of Self on a psyche somatic level. This paper delves into the significance of the Self as a central archetype in the human psyche: the totality of one's consciousness, encompassing both the conscious and unconscious aspects of an individual. By recognizing and confronting the unconscious aspects– of inner conflicts, polarities and perceptions– individuals can start to develop a healthier sense of self, based on self-acceptance and self-compassion. The interconnection between movement through dance/movement therapy values and …
Examining State Of Flow And Its Future In Dance/Movement Therapy: A Literature Review, 2023 Lesley University
Examining State Of Flow And Its Future In Dance/Movement Therapy: A Literature Review, Rachael A. Cohen
Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses
This paper analyzes State of Flow, the definition codified by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and analyzes how Flow as a concept has developed in current psychological and artistic research, alternative therapies, and mainstream medias. This paper also views existing Dance/Movement Therapy frameworks such as Body-Mind Centering and Kestenberg Movement Profile to see how Csikszentmihalyi’s definition could integrate into current Dance/Movement Therapy practice, as well as looks at Laban Movement Analysis and its future in Dance/Movement Therapy. This thesis also examines how gender and neurodivergence may impact how one can experience State of Flow.
Postpartum Depression: Healing Through Archetypes And The Expressive Arts Therapies, 2023 Lesley University
Postpartum Depression: Healing Through Archetypes And The Expressive Arts Therapies, Macushla Roulleau
Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses
This thesis is a literature review investigating treating postpartum depression through the expressive arts therapies and feminine archetypes. The expressive arts therapies explored for treatment are dance, music, art, and drama. Meditation, mindfulness, and writing are also included. The importance of expressive arts therapies in treating postpartum depression is of interest now because of the increasing number of mothers who experience postpartum depression who are looking for alternatives to treatment beyond, or complementing, traditional talk therapy and medication. A search for literature on treating postpartum depression with expressive arts therapies and archetypes was conducted on-line using the Lesley University database. …
Dance/Movement Therapy Used As An Intervention To Heal Racial Trauma Within The Black Community: A Literature Review, 2023 Lesley University
Dance/Movement Therapy Used As An Intervention To Heal Racial Trauma Within The Black Community: A Literature Review, Jennifer Noboise
Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses
The history of dance within the black community has served an important role while living through a racist and discriminatory society. Dance has been used to express anger, grief, and joy during hardships and moments of rejoicing from the black experience. African American people have endured years of trauma and abuse from oppressive systems. Research has been conducted to demonstrate that dance/movement therapy has been effective in treating those who have experienced a form of trauma since the trauma is stored in the body. Examining trauma symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and substance use, the research found these symptoms diminished …
Can Psycho-Social Benefits Be Observed In Those With Intellectual Disabilities During Dmt?, 2023 Lesley University
Can Psycho-Social Benefits Be Observed In Those With Intellectual Disabilities During Dmt?, Hannah Johnson
Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses
Often training and learning opportunities ignore the unique needs of individuals with intellectual disabilities. Helping this population cope with problems that will occur in their lives could increase their feelings of well-being and might decrease feelings of isolation. This workshop used the techniques from Mary Starks Whitehouse’s practice of Authentic Movement (Whitehouse et al., 1999) to support paticipants’ emotional self regulation during training for a new job at an apple orchard. The use of Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) as an intervention for individuals with intellectual disabilities could increase coping skills, which could create greater opportunities for them to increase their …