Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Stasi Brainwashing In The Gdr 1957 - 1990, Jacob H. Solbrig, Jacob Hagen Solbrig

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the methods used by the Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), more commonly known as the Stasi, or East German secret police, for extraction of information from citizens of the German Democratic Republic for the purpose of espionage and covert operations inside East Germany, as it pertains to the deliberate brainwashing of East German citizens. As one of the most efficient intelligence agencies to ever exist, the Stasi’s main purpose was to monitor the population, gather intelligence, and collect or turn informants. They used brainwashing techniques to control the people of the GDR, keeping the populace paralyzed with fear …

Cultural Differences In Group Therapy: A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Embodied Experience Of The Cultural Bump, Natalie R. Breitmeyer

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

Utilizing transcendental phenomenology, this study sought to better understand dance/movement therapists’ experiences of the culture bump phenomenon in the group therapy setting. Culture bumps are defined as moments in which two or more people enter a situation with different culturally-based expectations about customs, behavior, beliefs, communication styles, and other norms (Archer & Nickson, 2012). Data were collected using individual inperson semi-structured interviews with five Chicagoland dance/movement therapists who self identified as having experienced the phenomenon of the culture bump while in the group therapy setting. Data analysis was completed using Moustakas’ (1994) adaptation of the Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen method and resulted in …

The Intersection Of Anger Management Counseling And Embodiment In Dance/Movement Therapy, Maria Parise

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

The purpose of this research study was to explore how the embodiment of aspects of anger may integrate within anger management counseling. Through this research, the first step was taken in exploring the physical expression of anger as an intervention tool in anger management counseling. A personal understanding of anger expression and management was established which may be utilized in future dance/movement therapy (DMT) sessions. This study was guided by multiple research questions: How might the embodiment of anger integrate with anger management counseling? How might the sensations, images, feelings, and thoughts experienced in anger management sessions lead to an …

A Heuristic Inquiry Into The Subjective Lived Experience And Expression Of Authenticity As A Developing Dance/Movement Therapist, Elyssa M. Yeh

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

The purpose of this self-study was to explore and understand my subjective lived experience and expression of the phenomenon of authenticity, which included identifying the components of my professional identity; discerning the challenges, barriers, and limitations to my full experience and expression of authenticity; establishing awareness of when I am and when I am not engaging fully with my authenticity; and developing a sense of authenticity within myself that is adaptable to a variety of situations and relationships. Moustakas (1990) six-steps of a heuristic investigation were implemented in this qualitative inquiry. Data was collected using art-making methods and analyzed using …

Moving Myths: A Heuristic Inquiry Into The Role Of Jungian Concepts In The Theoretical Framework Of A Dance/Movement Therapy Student, Maura Reagan

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

The purpose of this heuristic study was to develop a personal dance/movement therapy approach and interventions that utilize the Jungian concepts of myth and archetypes. The researcher, a 24-year-old graduate student, is grounded in a humanistic-existential therapy approach and is interested in bringing additional symbolism and metaphor to my theoretical lens by examining how these specific elements of Carl Jung’s psychoanalytic theory can enhance my current framework. Data collection and analysis took place over five Authentic Movement Skype sessions with the researcher and research collaborator participating from private rooms in their respective homes in Chicago, IL and Seattle, WA. The …

Embodied Nonverbal Microaggressions From The Perspective Of Dance/Movement Therapists: Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Rebecca A. Schultz

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

This interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study explored dance/movement therapist’s embodied experiences of nonverbal microaggressions and how they experience nonverbal microaggressions in the clinical relationship. Data were collected via hour-long, video recorded, in-person interviews of four (N = 4) current practicing dance/movement therapists in the Chicago area. Data analysis was conducted using IPA of verbal and movement data where five key themes emerged (a) personal offense, (b) anger, and (c) curiosity towards experiences of nonverbal microaggressions; and microaggressions have the potential to both (d) strengthen and (e) harm the clinical relationship. Their experiences implicate the vital role the body plays in …

Neuronal Correlates For Neuroendocrine Habituation To Repeated Stress, Sara Matovic

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

One way that the body actively responds to an impending stressor is by increasing systemic glucocorticoids through the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. While it is essential for short-term adaptation to stress, the sustained activation of the HPA axis during chronic stress can be detrimental and is linked to stress-related psychiatric conditions such as anxiety and depression. Therefore, it is important that the HPA axis adapts, or habituates, during chronic stress to minimize the negative consequences. Corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) function to assimilate incoming information from the stress circuitry and …

Safety First: Fostering The Neurological Experience Of Safety In Dance/Movement Therapy Sessions For Survivors Of Sexual Trauma, Chelsea Joy Davis

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

The purpose of this clinical case study was to explore and describe how a neurological experience of safety was fostered for survivors of sexual trauma in dance/movement therapy sessions at a community-based rape-crisis counseling center. This study focused on how the theories of trauma-informed therapy and dance/movement therapy were applied to clinical practice with survivors of sexual trauma in order to shift them out of trauma-related responses. Reflections on this process were captured via structured and narrative journaling, which was then synthesized by highlighting and interpreting common themes that emerged. Findings indicated that externalizing trauma-related responses using symbolic imagery and …

Beyond The End Line - Putting The Mental Health Of Female Athletes First, Katherine Scholten

Honors Projects

Currently one in five adults are affected by mental illness. Student-athletes are a population that is under diagnosed for mental illness. In the world of college athletics, mental pain is as regular as physical pain. Coaches often push their athletes to suffer in silence for the betterment of the team. The NCAA has recognized the importance of mental health in college athletics, yet there is still much work to be done among universities across the country. This document is to serve as a resource and a guide on the effects of mental health among female student athletes and the best …

Engaging Collective Embodied Resilience, Enacting Ritual Movement Practice In A Social Change Process, Lauren Rose Milburn

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

Twenty-first century American society requires individual and collective bodies to navigate large and often invisible systems of oppression despite the felt-influence of inequality, injustice, and affective control. Drawing from convergent theories of social movements and dance/movement therapy, collective embodied resilience emerges as a dually activating and healing resource for change making. This qualitative research study utilized a participatory/action embodied artistic inquiry methodology to investigate how arts-activist co-researchers experience collective embodied resilience during participation in collective action. Employing arts-based methods of data collection and analysis, coresearchers explored collective embodied resilience to generate and share an accessible ritual movement practice within a …

Assessing The Long-Term Effects Of Brief Behavioral Health Treatment In Primary Care Patients, Debbie Gomez

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although increasingly studies show brief behavioral health services are effective for primary care patients (Bridges et al., 2013; Bryan, Morrow, & Appolonio, 2009; Corso et al., 2012; Gomez et al., 2014), there is a paucity of research exploring the long-term effects of these interventions (e.g., Ray-Sannerud, 2012). The primary aim of the current study was to explore long-term effectiveness. Specifically, the current study 1) examined whether reductions in patient global distress following brief behavioral health care services were maintained long-term, 2) evaluated whether improvements were reliable and not due to regression to the mean effects, and 3) explored medical cost …

Liking, Craving, And Attentional Bias In Non-Dependent Drinkers, David Lovett

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to better understand alcohol use problems by examining the effect of alcohol liking on alcohol attentional bias among non-dependent drinkers. An adapted model of Robinson and Berridge’s (1993) incentive-sensitization theory of addiction was proposed which theorized that manipulation of alcohol liking would produce alcohol attentional bias (assessed via visual probe task) among non-dependent drinkers. To test this adapted model, alcohol liking was manipulated and the effect on alcohol attentional bias was examined. Participants were 53 legal-age, college drinkers (Mage = 23.49; 32.1% female; 67.9% White Non-Hispanic). Participants completed measures of alcohol drink preference, …

Differences In Mental Health Education Across Baby Boomers, Generation X, And Millennials, Ashlyn M. Avera

Honors College Theses

There is no denying that mental illness has gained a strong prevalence in the United States. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, approximately one in five adults in the United States experiences a mental illness in any given year. Although mental health stigmas have played a role in the past, it does not mean they must continue to play the same role in the future. Research is now looking toward ways to decrease mental health stigma through increasing mental health knowledge. This study examines the starting point for which a society becomes literate in mental health. Using a …

Testing A Skills Training Course For Use In A Peer-Delivered Mental Health Intervention, Samantha L. Bernecker

Doctoral Dissertations

Millions of people who could benefit from mental health services do not receive treatment. If non-professional peers could learn to administer basic psychotherapeutic interventions to each other, taking turns as care provider and care recipient, this unmet need for mental health care could be partially filled. This study sought to test whether non-professionals could learn supportive psychotherapy skills from a massively scalable, free online course. Thirty pairs of individuals who were experiencing psychological distress or who wished to increase their mental well-being were enrolled in the study, and 19 pairs completed the prototype online course. Objective raters assessed participants’ skills …

Are You What You Have? The Role Of Motivation And Cultural Value Congruency On The Mere Ownership Effect, Pik Ying Chan

Theses & Dissertations

Previous research on mere ownership effect has shown that merely possessing an object results in enhanced evaluation of that object (Beggan, 1992), when compared with unowned (Belk, 1988; Dittmar, 1992; Prelinger, 1959) or others-owned object (Nesselroade et al., 1999). Since people see their possessions as an extension of their self-identities (Belk, 1988), it is suggested that making self-enhancing judgments about possessions would satisfy owners' desires to maintain positive self-image.

Extending the traditional mere ownership effect, this thesis examined whether people perceive having endowed the positive features of the product upon acquiring its ownership prior to its actual use, using essential …

Cortical Thickness Abnormalities Within The Salience And Reward Networks In Older Depressed Adults With Apathy, Monique A. Pimontel

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background and Significance: Apathy is a common comorbidity in late-life depression. Among older depressed adults, apathy is associated with a number of adverse outcomes, including increased disability, comorbid illness, and mortality. The etiological substrates of apathy in late-life depression nonetheless remain poorly understood, and little is known about its optimal treatment. To this end, the aim of the current study was to examine cortical abnormalities within the salience (SN) and reward networks (RN), two brain systems involved in the processing of incentive salience that may underlie the syndrome of apathy in older depressed adults.

Methods: We examined the association between …

A Conceptualization Of The Body In Psychodynamic And Body-Based Psychotherapies: Areas Of Overlap And Possibilities For Integration, Aleksandra Rayska

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The distinction between verbal and nonverbal psychotherapies is clearly visible in theory and clinical practice. Moreover, this duality of approaches promotes a split between the body and the mind, defining them as separate from each other. This dissertation helps bridge the divide between the literature in body-based therapies and verbally-based psychotherapy by (i) exploring the conceptual frame used to understand the body in psychodynamic therapy (ii) identifying the areas of overlap between psychodynamic theory and theories that underlie body-based psychotherapies, and (iii) proposing ways in which psychodynamic and body-based theories can inform one another. A clinical case was used to …

Women’S Sexual Fantasies In Context: The Emotional Content Of Sexual Fantasies, Psychological And Interpersonal Distress, And Satisfaction In Romantic Relationships, Sarah Constantine

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: Psychoanalytic thinkers propose that aspects of an individual’s sexual fantasies are related to her psychological and interpersonal functioning. The present study aims to elucidate the significance of sexual fantasies with respect to women’s emotional and interpersonal lives. The study evaluated a model, which hypothesized that internal representations of self and others (e.g. attachment security, maturity of object relations) along with psychological and interpersonal factors would predict both the emotional content (guilt, fear, affection) of written sexual fantasy narratives, and overall romantic satisfaction in heterosexual women. Methods: Five hundred and thirty four women completed self-report questionnaires online. Subsequently, the sexual …

The Effect Of The Dopamine Agonist Pramipexole On Measures Of Impulsivity In Young, Healthy Participants, Daniel Glizer

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Patients with Parkinson disease are prescribed dopamine agonists such as pramipexole to improve motor symptoms. Several studies have found that patients taking dopaminergic medication develop impulse control disorders. In contrast, other studies suggest that some behaviors become less impulsive with pramipexole. We evaluated the performance of 20 young, healthy participants who received pramipexole (0.5 mg) and 20 participants who received placebo, on the Go/No-Go, the Stop Signal Task, and the Balloon Analogue Risk Task. We found that the pramipexole group had more timed out Go trials on the Go/No-Go task than the placebo group, suggesting reduced motor impulsivity. There were …

Amelioration Of Prenatal Alcohol Effects By Environmental Enrichment In A Mouse Model Of Fasd, Aniruddho Chokroborty-Hoque

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy results in a spectrum of behavioural and cognitive deficits collectively known as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Currently, little is know about if and how the external environment may modulate these deficits. I have used C57BL/6 mice to study this interaction between prenatal alcohol exposure and the postnatal environment. Alcohol exposure during synaptogenesis produces high levels of anxiety-like traits and decreased memory performance. Alcohol-exposed mice (and matched unexposed controls) were put in 'environmentally-enriched' conditions of voluntary exercise, physical activities and cognitive stimulation to ascertain the effects of a positive postnatal environment. The results show that …

Bedtime Fading With Response Cost For Treatment Of Sleep Disturbances In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Sela Ann Sanberg

Theses & Dissertations

As many as 82% of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) experience numerous chronic sleep-related problems and at a much higher frequency and severity than their typically developing peers. Behavioral treatments are considered best practice and first-line treatment to address sleep problems. These treatments tend to address one specific sleep-related behavior at a time. Bedtime Fading with Response Cost (BFRC) is a promising intervention that targets a multitude of sleep problems concurrently and has yet to be replicated by more than one investigative team in the home setting with children on the autism spectrum. This study evaluated the effectiveness of …

Stepping In: My Experience Of Embodied Power Through The Relations-Cultural Framework, Sarah C. Rot

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

This qualitative embodied artistic inquiry self-study explored how I used my embodied power in an ethical and intentional way as a dance/movement therapist and illustrated how I experienced my embodied power as informed by relational-cultural theory. At the time of the study, I was a 24-year-old, White, female identified, Midwestern, second-year dance/movement therapy and counseling graduate student. Data were collected through five authentic movement sessions with a trained authentic movement practitioner. Data analysis took the form of creative synthesis through embodied writing passages following each authentic movement session. Results included a journey of self-compassion through a growing movement repertoire, which …

Addressing Common Mental Health Issues Prevalent Among Honors College Students, Steven Pham

Honors Theses

The prevalence and severity of mental health disorders on college campuses has been increasing nationwide. This review aims to address some of the prevalent mental health issues that continuously plague college students today. Recent trends in college student mental health are analyzed as well as literature regarding common disorders including depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. A comparison of honors and non-honors students is provided to contribute to an otherwise lacking area of research surrounding honors student populations. Effective practices and policies for colleges and universities to incorporate into their counseling services are also considered, with viable goals centering on the …

A Heuristic Inquiry: The Narrative Of A Beginning Dance/Movement Therapist's Professional Identity Development, Danielle Parmacek

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

There are theories, models, and theses that explain what generally happens as people move through the identified phases of counselor and professional identity development. However, there is little literature that illustrates how this growth actually happens for clinicians. The purpose of this heuristic self-study was to identify and gain a deeper understanding of the narrative of how my clinical experiences have influenced my professional identity as a dance/movement therapist. This study utilized the six phases of heuristic inquiry as a structure to guide this discovery. My personal recollections of three identified cases were used as data, which was then analyzed …

Encountering Disenfranchised Grief: A Pilot Investigation Of The Clinical Lived Experiences In Dance/Movement Therapy, Kate M. Dominguez

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

This study employed a transcendental phenomenological methodology to understand how clients’ lived experiences of disenfranchised grief are present within the clinical therapeutic relationship in dance/movement therapy. Data was collected through individual semi-structured interviews from four dance/movement therapists who have worked with clients experiencing disenfranchised grief. Moustakas’ (1994) adaptation of the Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen method of data analysis was used concurrently with data collection. Data analysis resulted in four textural themes: a) Disenfranchised grief can be described as disconnecting, overwhelming, complex, unrecognized, and pervasive; b) It is distinguished by exacerbated grief; c) It is recognized as a distinct form of grief; and d) …

You, Me, And We: An Artistic Inquiry Exploring Embodied Self-Awareness, Peter Navarro

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

Heuristic research methodology was used to engage in a creative and systematic process of self-exploration with a goal of fostering embodied self-awareness. I answered the following research question: How will engaging in embodied self-awareness influence and inform the relationships I create with others and myself? Additionally, I explored my use of Effort time and its influence on my embodied self-awareness. As the sole-researcher and participant, data were collected for 4 weeks in 8 sessions by self-reflecting on intuitively felt meaningful experiences between myself and another person(s), in addition to self-reflecting on my individual experience amidst those interactions. Movement narratives, embodied …

Decluttering The Mind: A Creative Approach Towards Becoming, Jessica Ann Lochte

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

The purpose of this research was to explore the researcher’s mind, as defined within the field of interpersonal neurobiology (IPNB), and concept of self in the context of professional development as a dance/movement therapist. An embodied artistic inquiry methodology was chosen to support this in-depth reflective exploration, utilizing visual art making and movement as methods of data collection and analysis. Primary research questions were inspired by Rogers’ (1961) views of psychotherapy, asking “Who am I as a therapist?” and “How may I become myself as a therapist?” The process was further structured through Siegel’s (2010a) nine domains of integration: consciousness, …

Kuelewa: Evaluating The Jabe Therapeutic Dance Program In Kibera, Sarah Moore

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectives of the JABE (Just And Best Entertainers) therapeutic arts dance program in meeting their stated goals and outcomes through a pilot summative mixed methods program evaluation. The participants of the study included 65% of JABE program participants ages 12 to 19 and JABE’s two program leaders including the Chairman and Program Coordinator. The data were collected through an embodied survey, art based individual interviews, semi-structured interviews, and a focus group. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Kvale’s interview analysis method, and Forniash’s analysis method. Findings showed JABE’s overall effectiveness at …

Role Exploration: A Heuristic Study Into How Various Roles Influence The Role Of Emerging Dance/Movement Therapist, Patrick Thomas Justin

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

The purpose of this study was to understand the roles I experience and how these roles inform my new role as an emerging dance/movement therapist. A qualitative heuristic study was used to explore the experience in the roles of student, peer, family member, and therapist. Data was collected through unstructured and semi-structured journaling, as well as journaling that occurred in response to movement sessions at the end of each data collection week. Movement sessions were structured in a way that each role was explored and then journaled about to find more depth in the data from the previous week. After …

Dmt For T1d: Using Dance/Movement Therapy To Facilitate Coping, Self-Awareness, And Positive Body Image In Adolescents With Type I Diabetes, Nicole L. Williams-Mulet

Dance/Movement Therapy Theses

This paper explores type 1 diabetes (T1D) and the risk factors associated from its diagnosis. In particular, this paper addresses the onset of T1D in adolescence, which is a developmental period riddled with its own challenges. T1D is a chronic, autoimmune disease that affects the body’s ability to produce insulin. Unregulated, T1D affects the body in numerous ways and can ultimately lead to death. Research has suggested that children diagnosed with T1D should employ an integrated treatment team to account for the physical and emotional struggles that come from living with the disease. Dance/movement therapy (DMT) is a form of …