Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Role Of Personality In Moving Encounters With Sacred Art, Jacob Lang, Despina Stamatopoulou, Gerald C. Cupchik

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

In Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions, the material world is understood to contain access points to the transcendent. An icon may move the awestruck believer to emotional engagement and reflection on moral and religious themes. Personality dispositions potentiating the experience of being moved in religious aesthetic contexts have not been thoroughly studied. The present article describes the development and testing of a cross-sectional study into potential belief and personality-related predictors of being moved by sacred art in a lab environment evocative of a holy site. Ninety (90) Christians in Canada and Greece completed personality measures and viewed and rated …

Empathy, Ethics, And Empowerment: Supervising The Transpersonal Therapist, John Elfers, Patty Hlava

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

This grounded theory study addressed the question What model explains the essential qualities, skills, and competencies of an effective supervisory relationship for transpersonal therapists in training? It emerged out of a recognition that current training models for supervisors were not inclusive of competencies to address the needs of therapist trainees who are oriented toward a transpersonal approach to psychotherapy. The results of 22 interviews with trainees and supervisors surfaced a fundamental tension within the supervisory relationship in the distinction among the primary responsibility of the supervisor for ensuring client welfare, and encouraging supervisees to develop their personal therapeutic orientation and …

Honoring God: Purity In A Promiscuous World, Tonnette Kellett

Doctor of Leadership

A significant number of Native American girls get pregnant in their teens, permanently affecting their future. This issue has been observed both within the Choctaw communities in Mississippi and among local churches surrounding the reservation of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. The project, Teenage Consequences, was developed through stakeholder workshops and feedback and is a result of the independent research of a much larger project entitled Honoring God: Purity in a Promiscuous World. Five videos have been created and uploaded to YouTube and TikTok. Moreover, the content will be a curriculum in nearby churches catering to Native American communities …

Overcoming Racism In The Church Small Group Study Guide, Audrey E. Robinson

Doctor of Leadership

The role of Christianity in the formation of white supremacy has been embedded and hidden in the Church far too long. The objective of this project is to provide comprehensive data that articulates the evolution of racism in the Church in a manner that evokes conversation and heart-to-heart sharing between Blacks and Whites of faith. The goal is to pave the way for repentance, healing, and reconciliation. Research led to the development of the Overcoming Racism in the Church Small Group Study Guide class. The class is an online course with eight content sessions. It provides laser-focused video lessons and …

Trauma-Informed Leadership And Innovation In Adversity: Resilience On The Wings Of Joy: A Guide To Posttraumatic Growth, Jean De Dieu Ndahiriwe

Doctor of Leadership

My current ministry in chaplaincy involves helping those I serve find hope and better coping mechanisms as they deal with life behind bars and to help them remain productive citizens, once released back into the community. Unfortunately, several of these inmates struggle due to countless causes, including unresolved childhood trauma. They often fail to settle back into the community even after release, returning to prison to serve more sentences, a vicious cycle that seems to keep repeating. Similar challenges of failure to thrive are evident among immigrants and refugees, especially child refugees. I was born during a time of civil …

Evaluation Of E-Governance Implementation: A Multi-Attribute Analysis Of E-Government Services Associated With The Annual Hajj Pilgrimage In Saudi Arabia, Moayad Mohammed M. Hakeem

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

The Hajj pilgrimage is an annual global event in Saudi Arabia. It draws millions of pilgrims worldwide because of its religious significance as the fifth pillar of Islam. Its organization is a massive endeavor for the Saudi government. This research analyzes the Hajj-related E-Government service systems (websites and mobile apps). This research utilizes a multi-attribute evaluative framework to address two areas of Hajj E-Government services: usability (RQ1) and interaction with the services (RQ2). A combination of heuristic evaluation and survey methods was used. The heuristic evaluation by three expert evaluators revealed accessibility, interactivity, and functional issues. Users with disabilities or …

Different Forms Of Power In Worship Spaces, Patrick Russell

Obsculta

This project examines the importance of power in a worship space. In particular, looking at the historical structures of St. Paul's Cathedral in London and St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, this paper strives to lay out the presence of power inherent in places of worship. While other aspects could be used: power as a political structure, power of shared identity, power of scale, and power as a means of limits are given here for consideration.

An Open Mystery: Reflections On The Metaphysical Status Of The Participatory Approach, Jorge N. Ferrer

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

This paper provides an assessment and clarification of the metaphysical status of the participatory approach to transpersonal and spiritual phenomena (Ferrer, 2002, 2017a). To that end, I first respond to several criticisms of the approach issued by scholars in recent years; for instance, that it hides a perennialist metaphysics (e.g., Abramson, 2015) or that it is metaphysically vague (e.g., Taylor, 2021). After reviewing these critical discussions, I describe the open and minimalist nature of the participatory metaphysics, arguing that such features cultivate a fertile soil for transpersonal scholarship, human flourishing, and interreligious relations. Applying a biomimetic approach, I argue that …

The Authors

Textile Crossroads: Exploring European Clothing, Identity, and Culture across Millennia

Short professional biographies of the Contributors: Dimitra Andrianou, Giacomo Bardelli, Magali An Berthon, Tina Boloti, Cecilie Brøns, Ana Cabrera-Lafuente, Francesca Coletti, Roxana Coman, Catarina Costeira, Cristina Cumbo, Camilla Cziffery Nielsen, Klara Dankova, Anna Maria Desiderio, Kerstin Droß-Krüpe, Arianna Esposito, Astrid Fendt, Nade Genevska Brachikj, Francisco B. Gomes, Judith Goris, Audrey Gouy, Karina Grömer, Morten Grymer-Hansen, Mary Harlow, Susanna Harris, Sophia Larissa Hayda, Angela Huang, Floor Huisman, Alina Iancu, Zofia Kaczmarek, Marisa Kerbizi, Meghan Korten, Tetiana Krupa, Karolina Anna Kulpa, Lena Larsson Lovén, Ronja Lau, Yuliia Lazorenko, Susanne Lervad, Petra Linscheid, Christina Margariti, Maria João Melo, Elena Miramontes Seijas, Leyre Morgado-Roncal, …

The Euroweb Textile And Clothing Terminology Network And The Digital Atlas Of European Textile Heritage: Some Reflections And Results, Louise Quillien, Alina Iancu, Meghan Korten, Susanne Lervad, Joana Sequeira, Catarina Costeira

Textile Crossroads: Exploring European Clothing, Identity, and Culture across Millennia

One of the research areas of the EuroWeb project during the four years of the COST Action (November 2020 – October 2024) is the comparative study of textile and clothing terminologies in European languages across time. Inside the EuroWeb network, the research group on Textile and clothing terminologies has three topics of particular interest: 1. the specificities of these terminologies, and the strategies for naming textiles and garments; 2. the impact of European geography on textile and clothing terminologies, especially visible through textile terms formed after a toponym or through the circulation of loanwords; 3. the influence of textile and …

Exploring Dress, Gender, And Bodily Capital Through Pre- And Protohistoric Funerary Contexts: Case Studies From Southwestern Europe, Francisco B. Gomes, Catarina Costeira, Anna Maria Desiderio, Arianna Esposito, Giacomo Bardelli

Textile Crossroads: Exploring European Clothing, Identity, and Culture across Millennia

While uneven in their scope and reach, studies of dress and dress complements (fibulae, belt buckles, buttons, etc.) have a significant tradition within the broader study of the pre- and protohistory of Mediterranean Europe. Many of these studies, however, have had a strong focus on the typology of the dress complements and ornaments themselves, either as chronological indicators, ethnic markers, or both. In more recent years, however, a shift in research agendas has ushered in the introduction of new perspectives and new ways of thinking about dress and bodily adornment.

This contribution explores one such perspective in particular — namely, …

Displaying And Experiencing Dress Identities In Museums: Case Studies From The Etruscan Period To Modern Times, Karina Grömer, Astrid Fendt, Morten Grymer-Hansen, Anna Zimmermann, Kayleigh Saunderson, Camilla Cziffery Nielsen, Francisco B. Gomes

Textile Crossroads: Exploring European Clothing, Identity, and Culture across Millennia

Dress, clothes, and accessories receive and give meaning through their nearness to the human body. As P. Stallybrass writes: “Bodies come and go: the clothes that have received those bodies survive.” It is through the close interaction between dress and person that they both receive their meaning. Clothes shape the human body, and we in return shape our clothes. Dress communicates class, gender, nationality, and marital status, and we leave behind parts of us in its smell, wrinkles, wear, and tear: “Clothes receive the human imprint.” Archaeological and historical dress — no matter how ancient — remain intrinsically linked to …

What Is Transpersonal Psychotherapy? A Conceptual Template, Gabriel Fernandez Borsot

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

Transpersonal psychotherapy (TPT) lacks systematization, as it lacks a model that characterizes what qualifies a psychotherapy as transpersonal. Due to this situation, TPT has been developed in a state of fragmentation, through a multiplicity of idiosyncratic approaches. This idiosyncratic fragmentation jeopardizes the theoretical development of the field, undermines the possibilities of obtaining a wider recognition, and hinders the training and the research. To remedy this, this paper proposes a model of five components which characterize TPT: (1) purposeful use of states of consciousness, (2) transpersonal therapeutic framework, (3) transpersonal techniques, (4) focus on spirituality and/or existential meaning, and (5) suitable …

Social Justice Autobiography, James Jones

Writing Beyond the Prison Living Archive

Social Justice autobiography on Civil rights; Muslim; social justice; racial hypocrisy; freedom

Social Justice Autobiography, Javar Hollins

Writing Beyond the Prison Living Archive

Social Justice essay on Jim Crow South; crack epidemic; inter-racial cooperation

Imagine!, Gerard Lawless

Writing Beyond the Prison Living Archive

Essay on imagination and freedom.

Social Justice Autobiography, Chanelle Burnett

Writing Beyond the Prison Living Archive

Social Justice Autobiography on: Women prisoners; Humane treatment; Social Justice; Health care; Criminal Justice; Rehabilitation; Reform; Hypocrisy

Psychological Energy: Early Theorists In The Analytical Tradition, Michael Da

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

Since the dawn of Western psychology, theorists have used variations of the term “energy” to describe the dynamic forces at work within the psyche and the soma and the psychotherapeutic processes of change. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, terms used for psychological energy included “libido,” “psychic energy,” “orgone energy,” “bioenergetics,” and “psycho-energetics.” This paper uses philosophical hermeneutics to compare the major theorists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century: William James, Pierre Janet, Sigmund Freud, C. G. Jung, Wilhelm Reich, Alexander Lowen, and Roberto Assagioli. The analysis reveals that these theorists generally agreed that psychological energy …

Social Justice Autobiography, Lamont Kwesi Harrell

Writing Beyond the Prison Living Archive

Social Justice essay on Social Justice; Afrikan lifestyle and philophy; Marcus Garvey; Umoja- unity and (Ujamaa)cooperative economies

An International Call To Free Xinachtil, A Cause Celebre, Alvaro Luna Hernandez

Writing Beyond the Prison Living Archive

A political pamphlet calling to end the incarceration of a political prisoner, Xinachtil, Alvaro Luna Hernandez. The pamphlet discusses the Chicana/o Movement, the struggle for Aztlan, and the role of the criminal justice system in suppressing social justice.

My Soul's Awakening, Ramsceair Jacques Flemmings

Writing Beyond the Prison Living Archive

Poem on Religion; Mental Health

Find Me, Ramsceair Jacques Flemmings

Writing Beyond the Prison Living Archive

Poem on Mental health

Black Lives Matters, Sometimes, Bobby Delgado

Writing Beyond the Prison Living Archive

Critical Essay on Prison life; race/racism; Latinx; gangs; reform; race traitors; US politics; popular culture (film); Texas syndicate; brutality; torture; building tenders; convict guards; Donald J. Trump; Nazism; Hitler

I Object, Douglas E'Vonne Dawkins

Writing Beyond the Prison Living Archive

Poetry on social justice; criminal justice system; policing; systemic racism, Black genocide;

Unmasked, Remecos Barley

Writing Beyond the Prison Living Archive

Essay on Self-realization; Self-help; Mental health

The Healing Power Of Active Imagination On Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms And Wellbeing: A Mixed-Method Exploratory Study, Joshua Rutt, Jenny Wade

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

Despite many treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), recovery is often moderate at best. and symptoms often persist after treatment. This mixed-method study explored whether an active imagination protocol could serve as an effective low-cost, drug-free intervention for complex PTSD or persisting symptoms after a traumatic event. Seventeen participants were assessed using the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS), Multiscale Dissociation Inventory (MDI), and the Ryff Scales of Psychological Wellbeing (PWB) before and after a four-session, one-to-one active imagination intervention. On average, all quantitative scores significantly improved from baseline, and every subscale improved. For the sample average, PTSD symptoms decreased by 32%, …

Peak Teaching: Exploring And Fostering Sacred Experiences In University Classrooms, Charles Burack

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

Supporting the spiritual growth of college and university students with diverse backgrounds and orientations is both important and challenging. It is important not only because spirituality is a crucial dimension of human life but also because the majority of students at both private and public schools want their teachers to address spiritual issues in the classroom. A powerful way to address spirituality is to explore and foster sacred experiences in university classrooms. Sacred experiences include religious, spiritual, mystical, transcendent, numinous, and peak experiences as well as many other nonordinary experiences. The author offers guidance to educators on how to: 1) …

Making Sense Of Chaos: Populism In The United States And The Crisis Of Modernity, Juan David Halberstadt-Velasco

Theses and Dissertations

In 2016, Donald Trump achieved a surprising victory in the general election, despite a series of scandals that would have ended any other politician’s career. In the aftermath of the election, Trump’s base has shown steady support and borderline devotion to the president despite scandals, criminal indictments, and a double impeachment. Why? This research seeks to elucidate the sources of Trump’s apparent political infallibility by using the theoretical framework generated by Eric Voegelin. Voegelin’s perspective allows the identification of two main sources of support for Trumpism: blue collar industrial workers who have seen a decline in their economic prospects due …

Reevaluating Positive Freedom Through The Philosophy Of Amartya Sen With A Focus On Education As A Catalyst For Freedom, Emilie Mathilde Vesten Haakansson

Theses and Dissertations

Education has since ancient times been used as a societal tool to develop and cultivate society’s individuals into participating members. Education which is considered a fundamental human right also holds potential transformative power to enable and empower individuals to exercise their freedom to create a life that aligns with their own values, ideas and goals. However, how effective an educational system can be, ultimately depends on the accessibility and quality of the education as well as the overall system the educational institutions operate in. This thesis explores how education can function as a catalyst for furthering individuals’ freedom through a …

Colic As Trauma Release? A Comparative Exploration Of Play Therapy In Children With And Without A History Of Colic, Nilüfer Devecigil, Jenny Wade

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

Colic, characterized by excessive, inconsolable crying in early infancy, has long puzzled researchers and clinicians. Traditional approaches have predominantly relied on medical models, yet they have failed to provide satisfactory explanations or effective treatments. This blinded comparative qualitative study took a novel approach by asking: What are the womb and birth experiences of colicky babies in relation to the prenatal relational trauma between mother and fetus or within the fetal environment? The sample comprised 23 mother-child dyads, 10 children with a history of colic and 13 without, whose histories and interactions unfolded through 10 videotaped sessions of Experiential Play Therapy. …