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The Mushroom, The Frog, And The Rainbow Of Desire: A Participatory-Psychedelic Spiritual Emergence, Gregg Lahood

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

This article will explore a spiritual emergency through a myth or fairy tale that emerged at the same time I had a frightening brush with death. Two days before the accident I had ingested psilocybin mushrooms. Michael Washburn, among other transpersonal theorists, will be used to interpret, amplify and re-frame this potential ‘psychotic episode’ with ‘borderline features’ into something more, perhaps, on the threshold of a shamanic initiation in a liminal state. The mythic sequence in my story anticipates the death-rebirth (perinatal pattern) and evolution of consciousness in the LSD research of Stanislav Grof; an evolution given epic participatory elucidation …

Meditation-Induced After Death Communication: A Contemporary Modality For Grief Therapy, Neda Wassie

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

Meditation-induced after death communication (MI-ADC) was introduced as a potential modality for grief therapy. Traditional and contemporary approaches were compared in order to evaluate effective paradigms and theories of bereavement. The Continuing Bonds theory of attachment emerged as an adaptive framework for grief therapy, especially with attention to meaning-making and the strength of continued bonds. Considerations were implemented from research in psychomanteum, mediumship, and induced after death communication. Specifically, visual stimuli and timing of after death communications were emphasized. The discussion was encouraging for the conceptualization of MI-ADC as an effective construct and as an inquiry for empirical research.

There's A Duwende On My Shelf: The Parapsychological Studies Of Fr. Jaime C. Bulatao, Sj, Carl Lorenz Cervantes

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

In the Filipino transpersonal worldview, the mind is not contained within the brain, and is often projected onto the world as “spirits”. Studying these cultural metaphors may allow for a deeper understanding of the Filipino psyche. Fr. Jaime C. Bulatao, SJ, one of the founders of the Psychological Association of the Philippines, studied the projections of the Filipino psyche as they manifested in paranormal phenomena. Bulatao provides the metaphor of eggs frying in a pan as a framework to understand this: the egg whites fuse despite the yolks being far apart. It is in the dissolution of boundaries that transpersonal …

What Is Transpersonal Psychology? A Concise Definition Based On 20 Years Of Research, Glenn Hartelius

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

Research on definitions of the field of psychology and themes in the literature of the field over a period of 20 years inform this description: Transpersonal psychology is a transformative psychology of the whole person embedded within a diverse, interconnected, and evolving world that pays particular attention to states of consciousness and developmental models reflecting expansion beyond conventional notions of self. Each element of this definition is examined, as well as the four phases of definitional development within the field from its founding in 1968 up to the present.

Brain Activity During Paired And Individual Mindfulness Meditation: A Controlled Eeg Study, Hessel Engelbregt, Hugo F. Alderse Baas, Sietske De Grauw, Jan Berend Deijen

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

Objective: In this study, we evaluated brain electroencephalographic (EEG) activity in healthy participants during the performance of paired and individual mindfulness meditation (MM). We hypothesized that EEG activity is differentially affected by meditation in pairs compared to individual meditation.

Methods: A total of 20 healthy female university students (mean age 19.54 years, SD =1.53) with no prior experience in MM participated in this study. All participants had to perform a 5-minute MM task together and individually while the other participant was in rest or performing a concentration task (control condition). To exclude social interaction as main factor, participants were separated …

Tripping In The Moment: The Spiritual Journey Of Baba Ram Dass, Charles S. Hamilton

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

Ram Dass, the iconic, countercultural, spiritual seeker, brought the wisdom of the East to those of us in the West through his many books and frequent, charismatic dharma talks. This view of his spiritual journey describes the transformation of Richard Alpert, clinical psychologist and product of the Western milieu’s often-shackling conventional expectations, into Ram Dass, the free, embodied soul who, through explication and example, and with witnessing attention, tries to guide us all to the always present abode of loving awareness. Ram Dass’s idea of self in existence was transformed: first, from a psychological object of clinical study, to a …

Emotion And Judgment In Young Women Of A Society In Transition, Maura A. E. Pilotti, Khadija El Alaoui

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

The present study asked whether emotional responses to narratives of moral transgressions are shaped by the reader’s assumed relationship with the injured party (i.e., oneself, familiar other, and unfamiliar other). Its goal was to test a cultural, religious, and individualistic account of such responses in young females of a traditional society in transition towards a sustainable integration into the global economy. To this end, female college students from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were asked to identify their emotional reaction to each of several moral transgressions, report its intensity and then judge the severity of the transgression. In agreement with …

Life Before Birth: A Thematic Analysis Of Memories Of Coming Into Life Part 2: Recollections Of Fetal Life And Birth, Jenny Wade

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

This article examines a second set of data produced in a thematic analysis of 68 “earliest memory” narratives submitted to an independent website to explore the question: what do people who claim to remember how they came into the world say about their experience prior to and including birth? Part 1 examined the first and largest subset of the data, narratives of an otherworldly existence consistent with Western reincarnation intermission stage 2 experiences, near-death experience accounts and mythic traditions. This article thematically analyzes descriptions of life in the womb, birth, and apparently veridical out-of-body and other paranormal impressions of events …

Unexpected Side Effects: A Cautionary Note On Challenges Of Persistent Self-Transcendence, Elizabeth D. Stephens, Harris L. Friedman

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

Self-transcendence is an ambiguous construct without consensual meaning, yet many claim that it relates to, or even causes, beneficial outcomes. Few discuss its potential deleterious side effects, choosing to focus primarily on positive effects. However, anything with sufficient potency to heal may have unintended side effects, especially when it leads beyond a transitory state to becoming an enduring trait, such as when self-transcendence (ST) becomes persistent self-transcendence (PST). With PST, evidence is overviewed here, along with two illustrative case reports, that people can suffer emotional difficulties, motivation changes, loss of self-reflexivity, anhedonia, dissociation, depersonalization, memory problems, and other psychological concerns. …

Life Before Birth: A Thematic Analysis Of Memories Of Coming Into Life Part 1: Recollections Of Another Realm, Jenny Wade

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

Autobiographic memories prior to birth remain controversial in psychology because such memories are traditionally believed to begin much later when some sense of self is formed. Prenatal sentience, including fetal learning, occurs in species from arthropods to humans, and evidence for autobiographic memories from pre- and neo-natal humans has typically come from clinical case histories of altered-state regression techniques eliciting records from adults or clinical case histories of children in normal states. This thematic analysis examined 68 “earliest memory” narratives submitted to an independent website to explore the question: what do people who claim to remember how they came into …

Attachment Style Moderates Polygenic Risk For Ptsd In U.S. Military Veterans: Results From The National Health And Resilience In Veterans Study, Amanda Jf Tamman

Theses and Dissertations

Polygenic risk scores (PRS) derived from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may inform risk models of PTSD. To date, however, no known study has examined moderators such as attachment style that may impact the relation between PRS and PTSD. Main and interactive effects of PRS and attachment style on PTSD symptoms were evaluated in a nationally representative sample of trauma-exposed, European-American U.S. military veterans (N=2,030). PRS were derived from a GWAS of PTSD re-experiencing symptoms (N=146,660) in the Million Veteran Program. Higher re-experiencing PRS and secure attachment style were independently associated with more severe PTSD symptoms. …

Cultural Wealth: A Legacy To Actualize College Goals And Aspirations For Black First-Generation College Students From African Or Caribbean Immigrant Homes, Amina Gordon

Theses and Dissertations

National data reveals that college access is most challenging for traditionally underrepresented students, including minoritized, first-generation college attendees and students from low-income families (Gibbons & Borders, 2010). The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand how Black first-generation college students (FGCS) from African or Caribbean immigrant families capitalized on Yosso’s (2005) community cultural wealth (CCW) to create and pursue college goals and aspirations. Participants were recent graduates from a suburban school district outside of the metropolitan area on the east coast and who were enrolled in their first or second year in college. The researcher answered the main research …

Invisible Doesn't Mean Inactive: Perspectives And Recommendations Of An Arabic Speaking Community On Parental Involvement And Cultural Responsiveness, Aziz Elabida

Theses and Dissertations

An extensive body of research has established the positive impact that parental involvement has on student academic, social, and emotional performance and well-being. These benefits are, however, not enjoyed by all students due to a string of logistical, communicative, perceptual, and cultural obstacles. The purpose of this study is to investigate the phenomenon of parental involvement as perceived and practiced by Arabic speaking parents in American public schools. This research is guided by the six typologies of Epstein’s parental involvement model (1995, 2007, and 2012) and Khalifa’s four strands of culturally responsive school leadership (2016). Through a descriptive single case …

Graduate Students’ Perceptions Of Psychotherapists’ Engagement In Common Factors, Manuel Jose Orellana

Theses and Dissertations

The study investigated the extent to which common factors (CF) interventions are found within the training recording of cognitive behavior therapies. Some scholars have proposed that effective psychotherapy can be accounted for by Common Factors that exist across all psychotherapies that work. This study aims to see if CF interventions are found within cognitive behavior therapies. To discover the extent to which CF interventions are found within cognitive behavior therapies, we asked graduate students in a psychotherapy course who were assigned to watch training sessions of CBT sessions and instructed to rate the therapists’ behaviors using the Multi-Theoretical List Psychotherapeutic …

Placement Instability, Perceived Social Support, And Internalizing Symptoms In Youth In The Child Welfare System, Michelle Cusumano

Theses and Dissertations

High rates of youth in the child welfare system (CWS) experience placement instability, or frequent moves between household, institution, or placement (Fisher et al., 2013). Placement instability has been shown to predict subsequent internalizing symptoms regardless of the maltreatment type, severity, or frequency experienced by the child in foster care (McGuire et al., 2018). Frequent moves between biological parents, foster or kinship caregivers, or group homes may detrimentally affect youth’s social support networks, which are known to serve as a protective factor for maltreated children and adolescents (Folger & Wright, 2013). The current study aims to examine longitudinally whether perceived …

Work Based Learning Experiences For High School Special Education Students: Best Practice And Student Impact, Pauline Shea

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to explore the various types and components of work-based learning experiences (WBLE), best practices, and the special education students’ outcomes in a suburban public high school located outside of a large metropolitan area. Students with disabilities (SWD) have a difficult time transitioning postsecondary, and acquiring and maintaining employment in a competitive global working environment. Due to their diverse needs, it became quite complex to match their abilities, interests, and preferences to the appropriate job experiences. In addition, this population needed to acquire not only appropriate job and career related skills but the essential 21st …

Design Of A Synthetic Temperature-Activated Epigenetic Biocontainment System, Owen Rivers Page

Theses and Dissertations

The need for an internal control to govern engineered strain survival is becoming apparent when considering the biosafety and ethics within biotechnological research. Using understudied regulatory elements known as RNA thermometers (RNATs) that can modulate protein translation based on temperature changes and a Type II restriction modification system, we posit the creation of a synthetic temperature-activated epigenetic biocontainment system, termed the ‘sentinel switch’. We have mined a wide variety of bacteria from Yersinia pestis to Synechocystis sp. looking for novel RNATs. A complementary synthetic biology approach based on library generation and screening of chimeric RNATs (ChRNATs) was also conducted. RNATs …

Effectiveness Of Problem-Based Learning In Urban Middle Schools On Mathematics Achievement And School Climate, Anika Z. Yasin

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the investigation was to determine if there was a difference in student performance on the NYS Mathematics State Assessment between schools that implemented PBL versus those that did not. The aim was also to determine if there was a difference in students' and teachers' attitudes about the school community, specifically in rigorous instruction and collaborative teachers between schools that implemented PBL versus schools that did not. The last part of the investigation was to see if rigorous instruction, collaborative teachers, and PBL program predicted student achievement scores on the NYS math state test. The middle schools are …

American Mission Schools And The Albert Academy School For Boys: Roots And Legacy Of Colonial Education In Sierra Leone, Theodore K. Andrews

Theses and Dissertations

This work is an examination of the role and impact of American mission schools on the culture of the peoples of Sierra Leone. Colonial capitalism – that is, colonialism with a capitalist component – was accompanied with western values and Christianity. The incorporation of Sierra Leoneans into colonial society was facilitated through education. Education served the purpose of socialization, in order that the institutions and system introduced into West Africa would be maintained. This research explores how the British colony sustained its control through education, although it eventually was weakened by the success of the missionary schools. This research provides …

Exploring The Relationship Between Restricted And Repetitive Behaviors, Anxiety, And Aggression In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Ashley Gabriele

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has demonstrated associations between restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) and anxiety, RRBs and aggression, and anxiety in aggression in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), yet no study has investigated the nature of the relationship between all three constructs. As such, the goal of the present study was to test the hypothesis that anxiety mediates the relationship between RRBs and aggression. Participants consisted of 115 parent(s)/guardian(s) of children with ASD who completed parent/caregiver-report questionnaires on the frequency and severity of their child’s RRBs, anxiety symptoms, and aggressive behaviors. The present study is the first to use construct-specific measures …

Teacher Perceptions Of Empathy In Educational Leadership And Its Impact On School Culture And Climate: A Qualitative Case Study, Sari Goldberg Mckeown

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to examine teacher perceptions of empathy in educational leadership and its impact on school culture and climate. While research has started to emphasize the role of empathy among educational leaders, there is a lack of discussion on teacher perceptions of empathy among educational leaders and how they perceive it may actually affect school culture and climate. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the field of education started experiencing an increase in job stress due to “inadequate school funding, balancing school management with instructional leadership, new curriculum standards, educating an increasingly diverse population, shouldering …

Student Perceptions Of Academic Advisement At A Public Suburban Community College: A Qualitative Case Study, Amanda L. Fox

Theses and Dissertations

This research study examined student perceptions of advisement experiences with a primary role advisor in a centralized advising office. The intent was to explore the connection between academic advising and student connectedness to the institution. This study utilized Tinto’s theory of student departure to provide an understanding of how student success can be impacted by institutional relationships, particularly in a community college environment. Tinto asserted that a student’s decision to stay or depart from an institution was largely impacted by interactions and relationships between the student and other members of the institution (Tinto, 1975). This study aimed to explore students’ …

Do Sleep And Executive Functioning Predict Intimate Partner Violence? Investigation Of A Moderational Model, Ayelet Hochman

Theses and Dissertations

This study assessed if sleep and the executive function (EF) of response inhibition interact to predict intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration in emerging adults. This study conducted a secondary data analysis on a sample of college students in romantic relationships who completed a series of EF tasks and self-report measures on emotional and relationship functioning. This study analyzed data from 86 college students (81% female) between the ages of 18-23. Moderational models were tested to evaluate whether deficits in response inhibition and sleep problems interact to predict IPV perpetration. Perpetration of any IPV, only minor forms of IPV, and only …

The Role Of Social Skills In Protecting Against The Impact Of Family And Community Violence On Youth Psychopathology, Emily Christine Hockenberry

Theses and Dissertations

Children and adolescents are exposed to family and community violence at high rates, and poly victimization is common. Further study is needed to assess the unique and additive effects of witnessing or directly experiencing violence in multiple contexts on psychopathology in urban youth of color. Additionally, analyzing the role of protective factors, such as social skills, in moderating the relation between violence exposure and psychopathology may aid in identifying unique and shared pathways by which different forms of interpersonal violence may impact mental health outcomes. This study sought to examine whether social skills (cooperation and assertion) moderated the relation between …

The Relationship Between The Racial And Economic Composition Of Schools With Teachers’ Perceptions Of Parental Involvement, Linda L. Harris

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the opinions and views of teachers on parental involvement in elementary and high school education in the United States. This study utilizes secondary data acquired from the RAND American Teacher Panel (ATP), which is a nationally representative sample of K-12 school teachers. The specific study sample consisted of 10,529 teachers from RAND ATP across 22 states in the United States and was designed to sufficiently facilitate national analyses. The May 2017 Measurement Learning and Improvement (MLI) survey was the instrument of application and was administered online. Over 20,900 invitation emails were …

The Impact Of Participation In Co-Curricular Activities On Academic Performance And Retention Utilizing Data Collected For The Co-Curricular Transcript, Harry Mars

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact that participation in co-curricular activities has on the academic performance and retention of students at an urban community college. This study utilized archived data to make quantitative analyses of the impact of participation in co-curricular activities on GPA scores and one-semester retention. The study included all of the students at Metro Community College who participated in one of the following activities during the 2018-2019 academic year: club member, club leader, leadership training, and mentee by a peer. Multiple regression was run to test the impact of participation in these activities …

Gendered Play In Early Childhood Classrooms: A Case Study Of Teachers’ Perceptions, Eleftheria Tzannetis

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate gendered play in early childhood settings by examining how preschool educators’ perceptions of gender create spaces that support gender exploration and expression. The study seeks to answer the following questions: 1. What are pre-k teachers’ perceptions of gender? 2. How do pre-k teachers’ perceptions of gender influence curriculum planning? 3. How do pre-k teachers understand gender inclusivity? The theoretical framework guiding this study and subsequent analysis of the data is Kohlberg (1966)’s social and cognitive perspective, as is an extensive literature review. Participants of this study were early childhood prekindergarten …

The Impact Of Blended Professional Development On Teacher Efficacy And Practice, Sonia Hood

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the impact of blended professional development on teacher efficacy. The variables hours of blended learning, subjects taught, and years of experience were investigated. Additionally, teacher efficacy was analyzed across domains of student engagement, instructional practices, and classroom management. Multiple regression analyses were conducted, and the Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale was administered to 112 teachers to investigate the following research questions: (a) What is the relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy and blended professional learning? (b) Is teacher efficacy influenced by the amount of time spent receiving blended professional learning, by the years …

Transforming Equity Into Lasting Solutions. An Examination Of The Effects Of Race On Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Aliceia Varriale

Theses and Dissertations

Culturally relevant teaching is proposed as a powerful method for increasing student achievement and engagement and for reducing achievement gaps. Nevertheless, the research demonstrating its effectiveness consists primarily of case studies of exemplary classrooms. This research sought to find any disparities that may arise due to challenges in equity policies by examining teachers’ racially conscious belief in operationalizing culturally responsive teaching. Due to its constructivist nature, culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) approach relies on the beliefs and attitudes of educators with respect to cultural efficacy, their view-points of the world and its cultures and their dispositions on race. The Culturally Responsive …

Patterns Of Change In Caregiver Anxiety And Depression During Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Tohar Scheininger

Theses and Dissertations

Caregivers play an integral role in their child’s trauma-focused cognitive-behavior therapy (TF-CBT; Cohen & Mannarino, 2006), an intervention that has established efficacy in treating children’s trauma-related symptoms (Cohen et al., 2017). Unfortunately, extant literature on TF-CBT lacks a comprehensive understanding and representation of demographic characteristics and baseline symptomatology for caregivers who participate in TF-CBT at community clinics. Furthermore, although researchers suggest that TF-CBT may improve caregivers’ own distress, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and depression from pre- to post-treatment (e.g., Cohen et al., 2004a; Cohen et al., 2004b; Deblinger et al., 2011; Tutus et al., 2017), there is no assessment of …