Movement and Mind-Body Therapies Commons^™

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 …

Dance Intervention For Stroke Rehabilitation: Restoring Occupational Performance Through Creative Movement, Olivia Paige Allen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Thousands of individuals are affected by cerebral vascular accidents, (CVA), also known as strokes in the United States each year, (CDC, 2023). Cerebral vascular accidents are one of the leading causes of death among the elderly population in the U.S. each year, (NIH et al., 2023). The deficits caused by a CVA can be global, from hemiparetic limbs and sensory loss to psychosocial impacts on an individual and their support system. In occupational therapy, the goal is to regain as much function and independence as possible for the individual who has experienced a CVA. Although many evidence-based intervention tools are …

Memory In Motion: Dance And Movement Therapy In Older Adults With Alzheimer's And Related Dementia, Ashley Picard

Senior Honors Projects

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and is caused by progressive neurodegenerative changes in the brain that alters one’s memory, attention, and language. As cognitive function decreases, people with dementia experience deficits in mobility, resulting in muscle stiffness and rigidity that debilitates their personhood. Therefore, an appropriate approach that creates a stimulating, pressure-free environment to encourage those with Alzheimer’s to move can help them have a renewed quality of life, positive behavior changes, and decreased anxiety. More specifically, incorporating dance-based exercises that utilize rhythmization, cognitive integration, social inclusion, and improvisation can be a holistic and practical approach …

Let’S Dance: Exploring The Physical, Psychological, And Social Effects Of Dance In Children, Alexis Sunderlage

Senior Theses

Movement and dance have a lot of positive health benefits, physically, psychologically, and socially. Children love to intrinsically move and creating a structured dance program is one way to gain the benefits of dance. The purpose of this study is to explore the physical, psychological, and social effects of dance in children while gaining insights that could be applied to the setting of occupational and physical pediatric therapies. This was done by conducting a literature review and exploring how children react to learning and following dance videos in a classroom setting by evaluating ability, engagement, and enjoyment by creating Let’s …

Beauty That Moves: Dance For Parkinson’S Effects On Affect, Self-Efficacy, Gait Symmetry, And Dual Task Performance, Cecilia Fontanesi, Joseph F. X. Desouza

Publications and Research

Background: Previous studies have investigated the effects of dance interventions on Parkinson’s motor and non-motor symptoms in an effort to develop an integrated view of dance as a therapeutic intervention. This within-subject study questions whether dance can be simply considered a form of exercise by comparing a Dance for Parkinson’s class with a matched-intensity exercise session lacking dance elements like music, metaphorical language, and social reality of art-partaking.

Methods: In this repeated-measure design, 7 adults with Parkinson’s were tested four times; (i) before and (ii) after a Dance for Parkinson’s class, as well as (iii) before and (iv) after a …

An Intervention With Dance And Yoga For Girls With Functional Abdominal Pain Disorders (Just In Time): Protocol For A Randomized Controlled Trial, Anna Philipson, Stefan Särnblad, Lars Ekstav, Mats Eriksson, Ulrika L. Fagerberg, Margareta Möller, Evalotte Mörelius, Anna Duberg

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

©Anna Philipson, Stefan Särnblad, Lars Ekstav, Mats Eriksson, Ulrika L Fagerberg, Margareta Möller, Evalotte Mörelius, Anna Duberg. Background: Functional abdominal pain disorders (FAPDs) affect many children worldwide, predominantly girls, and cause considerable long-term negative consequences for individuals and society. Evidence-based and cost-effective treatments are therefore strongly needed. Physical activity has shown promising effects in the practical management of FAPDs. Dance and yoga are both popular activities that have been shown to provide significant psychological and pain-related benefits with minimal risk. The activities complement each other, in that dance involves dynamic, rhythmic physical activity, while yoga enhances relaxation and focus. Objective: …

The Effects Of Argentine Tango On Balance And Quality Of Life In Subjects With Traumatic Brain Injury, Pamela Marie Peterson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study investigated the effect of a six-week tango-based intervention on the balance and quality of life on subjects with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Twenty-two men and women were assigned into three groups TBI group (TBI: n=2; 44.5±2.1 years), Treatment control (TC: n=8; 30.9±12.3 years), Control (CG: n=12; 32.8±9.6 years). The TC group showed an improvement in stress levels compared to the CG p

Perceived Importance Of Resistance Training In Collegiate Dancers, Kayla Major

Graduate Theses

Dancers are artistic athletes that use their bodies as their instrument. Dance is a sport that requires significant skill and higher levels of fitness. Unfortunately, dancers are not as physically fit as sport athletes. This may not only increase their risk of injury, but also limit their maximum dance performance. Resistance training offers significant physical and psychological health benefits. But, there is very limited research regarding dancers’ resistance training habits. The results of the few studies that exist unanimously suggest that there is no detriment to the aesthetics of dance, rather improvements in dance elements as a result of improved …