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A Fractal Epistemology For Transpersonal Psychology, Terry Marks-Tarlow

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

The role of science has been controversial within the nascent field of transpersonal psychology. Traditional linear and reductionist models are insufficient to address rare and unreproducible states of mind, fringe rather than normative experiences, and highly personal or culturally specific aspects of awareness. Through a fractal epistemology this paper introduces novel metaphors, models, and methods within a more holistic, organic, and synthetic branch of science. Principles of the epistemology illuminate observer dependence, fuzzy boundaries, recursive patterns, and higher dimensional phenomena that emerge within the infinite expanses between ordinary, finite (Euclidean) dimensions.

A Reflective Commentary On Fractal Epistemology, Deborah J. Armstrong

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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Can Fractals Help Us Understand Transpersonal Experiences?, Elliot Benjamin

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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A Hearty Yes … And!, Katherine Peil Kauffman

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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Fractals As Transpersonal Metaphor, Larry S. Liebovitch

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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Because The Nature Of Nature Is Fractal: The Liberatory Potential Of A Fractal Epistemology, Katthe P. Wolf

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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Fitting Fractals Into Our Toolbox For Studying The Human Mind, Herb Klitzner

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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Toward A Science Of Transpersonal Phenomena, Shapiro Yakov

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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A Fractal Topology Of Transcendent Experience, Sally Wilcox, Allan Combs

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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How The Cerebellum And Cerebral Cortex Collaborate To Compose Fractal Patterns Underlying Transpersonal Experience, Larry Vandervert

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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Somatics Research Bibliography: A Working Tool For Somatics And Somatic Psychology, Eleanor Criswell Hanna

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Many years ago when Somatics magazine was young, it occurred to me that it would be valuable to collect and publish research article references in Somatics magazine that were relevant to the different somatics disciplines to encourage the development of the field. There were next to no studies devoted to Somatics itself, but there were many studies devoted to the elements of somatic practices. Somatics is a multidisciplinary field. It builds on the research findings from many fields, such as anatomy, physiology, neurophysiology, psychology, dance, biomechanics, and education. The references are selected to be suggestive to the interested researcher and …

Self-Determination In Transportation: The Route To Social Inclusion For People With Disabilities, Jessica Murray

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

People with disabilities encounter many challenges with transportation but are not usually considered in research about travel behavior and well-being. Research on transportation challenges is often disability-specific even though different access needs can complement or conflict with each other. I argue that disability should be centered in the study of travel and well-being because it magnifies problems that may also frustrate people who do not currently consider themselves disabled. The goal of the dissertation was to identify how basic psychological needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence apply to the context of transportation and identify ways to measure fulfillment and frustration …

Being And Becoming: Voice And The Performance Of Self By Black And Brown Women Members Of An Educational Space Organized In Whiteness, Anamaria Correa

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation joins the voices of experiences of Black and Brown individuals in elite white spaces of independent schools. As a qualitative research project this study utilizes narrative, I Poems, and art-ifacts to create an ecology of experiences illustrating the past and the resiliency of the present. This research disrupts status quo narratives of lauded diversity efforts of excellent private school education and is a call to action for accountability in anti-racist owning up and restructuring of independent school spaces, leadership, governance and cultural practices. Undergirded by Critical Race Feminist Theory as the theoretical framework this dissertation presents the intersectional, …

Neurodevelopmental Mechanisms Of Adverse Trauma Outcomes In Emerging Adulthood, Olena Kleshchova

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: Exposure to traumatic stress and adversity during the formative years of development can have adverse effects on mental health, neuroendocrine stress system function, and the brain, that persist into adulthood. One candidate mechanism that might confer vulnerability to enduring adverse outcomes of early life trauma is disruption of normal brain maturation. As the brain matures, functional interactions among brain regions change until the functional brain architecture (i.e., the functional connectome) reaches a mature state in adulthood. Given that different neural circuits have distinct developmental trajectories and sensitive periods, traumatic stress at a given point in development might have …

Prep Use And Barriers To Use Among Adult And Young Sexual Minority Men In The United States, Thomas Whitfield

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) was approved for all individuals 13 years of age and older in May 2018. However, research pertaining to uptake has mostly focused on adult sexual minority men (SMM), leaving out many barriers and facilitators that may exist for those under 18 years of age. Two of the most important precursors leading to PrEP uptake identified in prior research are the perception of self as a PrEP candidate and having intentions to begin PrEP. Developmental and dual processing theories suggest that individuals who are younger make behavioral decisions differently from those who are older. Developmental theories suggest that, …

Taking It To Heart: Trauma And Cardiovascular Risk In Court-Involved People Of Color, Tanya Erazo

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Research supports that racial disparities in health persist in the United States, with cardiovascular risk and cardiovascular disease remaining particularly high in low-income, communities of color (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013; Winkleby, Jatulis, Frank, & Fortmann, 1992). Public health literature often focuses on sociodemographic variables when assessing for health disparities without considering trauma or forensic populations. This dissertation provides an overview of literature that examines cardiovascular disease and its relationship to trauma, particularly in low-income, communities of color, and forensic populations. Although the dissertation culminates in providing results for an investigation …

Sex/Gender Differences In Serial Position Profiles In Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment And Healthy Controls, Emnet Z. Gammada

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Introduction: Alzheimer’s disease disproportionately affects more women, but paradoxically, men have a higher incidence of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Researchers have suggested that women’s verbal memory advantage across the lifespan reflects better premorbid skills, which then require more neurodegeneration to manifest early clinical impairment. To date, measurement of sex differences in verbal memory have used total list scores. We proposed that a granular examination of serial position effects (SPE) in list-learning can refine the source of sex/gender differences.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of participants with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Healthy Controls (HC) was examined from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging …

The Contribution Of Trait Emotional Intelligence To The Relationship Between Childhood Adversity And Pscyhiatric Symptoms In Adulthood, Aura-Maria Morales

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Trait emotional intelligence (TEI) has been found to be an important predictor of and protective factor against psychopathology, including psychopathology in the context of trauma (Hofman et al., 2016; Rudenstine & Espinosa, 2018). The long-established empirical investigation of the relationship between trauma and psychopathology has brought attention to the significance of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Similarly, recent literature has honed in on how important aspects of a person’s development such as their attachment style and the culture within which their development is embedded, can mutually inform their development of TEI. This dissertation is an attempt to derive a greater understanding …

The Role Of Attentional Processes In The Associations Between Syndemics And Hiv Risk, Raymond L. Moody

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Sexual minority men (SMM) remain the group most affected by HIV in the United States. The term “syndemic” has been used to describe high levels of comorbidity and additive effects that some factors—childhood sexual abuse, intimate partner violence, sexual compulsivity, substance use, and depression—have on HIV transmission risk behavior (TRB). Previous research provides support for an HIV syndemic among SMM, but mechanisms linking syndemic factors and driving the association between the factors and TRB are less understood. Some research suggests that executive attention and emotion dysregulation are linked with several syndemic factors. As such, the aims of this dissertation were …

Object Relations, Identity Formation, And Transitional Space In Religious Conversion, Arielle Rubenstein

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Conversion between broad religious groups is a life transformation undertaken by 15% of Americans, yet it has seldom been studied closely from a psychodynamic perspective. The psychological study of conversion began with a Protestant paradigm of sudden and total transformation of the self, and over time came to characterize different manifestations of conversion to more diverse religious groups. Research on conversion has primarily sought to understand whether conversion is essentially a psychopathological phenomenon, and has led to a multiplicity of both positive and negative, at times contradictory, findings. Research has shown that conversion is associated with insecure attachment, neurotic personality …

Development Of A Minority Stress Preventive Intervention For Sexual And Gender Minority Youth And Young Adults, Natalie Holt

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Mental health disparities amongst sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals are spurred by exposure to minority stressors and sustained by mediators of problems with emotion regulation, social support, and cognitive processes. Emerging clinical research suggests empirically supported behavioral health treatments can be culturally adapted to address these mental health disparities, however less work has focused on the prevention of symptoms. The present study developed a brief preventive intervention targeting mediators of the minority stress model for SGM youth and young adults aged 17 to 26. Focus groups with 8 SGM participants informed development to ensure the content and delivery of …

Parental Involvement As A Mediator Of Ace Scores And Intelligence Among Children, Shirin Mostofi

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) include physical, sexual, or psychological maltreatment, domestic violence, household mental illness, household substance abuse and incarceration of parents. ACEs may have negative impacts on children, including brain development and health outcomes. Parents are pivotal figures in children’s lives that contribute significantly to their health, and cognitive development, and may be a critical protective factor, contributing to children’s resiliency and healthy growth. This study focused on the intellectual development of 5-11 year-old children whom may have been exposed to ACEs in their homes. More specifically, the purpose of this study was to examine parental involvement as a …

The Relationship Between Subsyndromal Symptomatic Depression And Cognitive Dysfunction, Bryce Jacobson

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Subsyndromal Symptomatic Depression (SSD), or subthreshold depression, affects roughly 15% of community-dwelling older adults and puts them at increased risk for developing Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), which represents a risk factor for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and may expedite disease progression. While the relationship between MDD and AD has been well established, the interaction between SSD and cognitive functioning has not been explored in depth. Further, clinicians have long postulated that depression is not a monolithic disorder but rather a group of disorders which are heterogeneous in onset, symptoms, course, and treatment. One hundred and six participants, 65 and older were …

The Effects Of A Polyphenol-Rich Diet In A Fruit-Fly Model Of Traumatic Brain Injury, Alexandra D. Trofimova

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death in the United States. Inflammation and oxidative stress activated by the TBI can lead to systemic inflammation. Gastrointestinal complications are common secondary injuries to TBI and are associated with elevated levels of common pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress found across the body. Intestinal permeability after TBI has also been established in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. Pomegranate polyphenols have strong anti-inflammatory properties that may reduce brain and intestinal inflammation and improve functioning after TBI. This study examined the protective effects of pomegranate polyphenol supplementation in a Drosophila model of TBI. …

Adverse Childhood Experiences And Cigarette Smoking: Demographic Moderators, Taylor Cosanella

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Research suggests that there is a dose-response relationship between ACE score and cigarette smoking, such that as ACE score increases, so does smoking behavior, but little is known about what factors moderate this relationship. Therefore, the goal of this study was to examine demographic characteristics as potential moderators of relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and cigarette smoking. A secondary data analysis was conducted using the 2013 California Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data. The sample included 2,604 U.S. adults (54.8% female; Age: M = 53.3, SD = 8.10; 83.6%; Caucasian, 6.4% Asian, 5.9% Black or African American, 3.1% American …

Program Evaluation On The Kids First Program, Katherine E. Yamauchi

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study is a program evaluation of the Kids First program, an eight-week psychoeducation program, on parents and children who have experienced a divorce and/or separation. This study was conducted to assess the usefulness of specific program interventions as it relates to parental insight, co-parenting, and child adjustment. A descriptive analysis was conducted to examine results of the evaluations. Results indicated over 85% of the sample rated program satisfaction as moderately or very valuable, suggesting parents gained some knowledge and saw value in the program. Results also endorsed 95% of parents moderately or highly valued the effectiveness of the program’s …

Stage 2 Outpatient Adolescent Recovery (Soar) Program Family Therapy Manual, Sarah Yelim Nam An

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Rising suicide rates among adolescents is a serious public health concern. The frequency of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors drastically increases in the transition from childhood to adolescence (Nock et al., 2008; Nock et al., 2013). Suicide was the third highest cause of death between 1999-2006 for adolescents between the ages of 12 and 19, following unintentional deaths and homicide (Miniño, 2010). Despite the growing problem of adolescent suicide, treatments that meet Level One criteria, the highest level of research support for therapy as defined by the American Psychological Association (APA, 2006), are lacking. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for Adolescents (DBT-A), a …

Distress Among Parents Of Overweight Children With Developmental Disabilities, Lilit Hovsepyan

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The epidemic of childhood obesity, which occurs at higher rates for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), has been shown to have many deleterious health effects for both children and their parents. Previous research has consistently shown that child externalizing and internalizing behaviors are predictive of parenting stress in parents of children with IDD. Less is known about the nature of this relationship when an additional barrier, child weight status, is examined in the context of this relationship. The current study investigated child and parent factors related to parental distress in a sample of children with IDD who present …

The Development Of A Therapeutic Alliance Focused Intervention, Amanda L. Mendez

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The therapeutic working alliance is defined as the collaborative relationship between the therapist and the patient. This relationship largely determines whether the patient experiences therapy as helpful or unhelpful in reaching their agreed upon goals. The relationship between the therapeutic alliance and psychotherapy outcome has been well documented in the literature. The therapeutic alliance is considered a “main curative component” in the interpersonal process of therapy, and is the foundation necessary for successful therapy outcomes across various orientations of psychotherapy. Still, far less research has examined the relationship between specific therapist personality characteristics and the quality of the therapeutic alliance. …

Validity Of The Perceptual Ability Test, Brandon Schmid

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The Perceptual Ability Test (PAT), a subtest of the Dental Admissions Test (DAT), has been used for many years by US Dental Schools to evaluate the perceptual ability of incoming applicants of their program. Perceptual ability is broadly defined as the ability to accurately process and interpret visual sensory information. Perceptual Ability skills are important in the field of Dentistry, as they are critical to the applied use of various dental tools and in surgical skills. It is assumed that performance on the PAT is predictive of dental students’ surgical skill development. However, multiple studies have found that the PAT …