Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Benefits Of Art Therapy On Stress And Anxiety Of Oncology Patients During Treatment, Helen Shiepe

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Within the last ten years research on art therapy and its positive impact on oncology patients’ stress and anxiety during treatment has been minimal. Oncology patients whether they are children or adults when diagnosed experience similar reactions due to their diagnosis, treatment, and in some cases end of life care. The current question is whether or not art therapy does have a positive impact on decreasing the stress and anxiety with oncology patients while undergoing treatment. Deane, Fitch & Carmen (2000), discussed art therapy as a healing art that is “intended to integrate physical, emotional, and spiritual care by facilitating …

From Dread To Aliveness — Bottom-Up Creative Arts Therapies For Resilience In The Face Of Existential Stress: A Literature Review, Anna Olinova

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Existential stress results from persistent, uncontrollable personal circumstances or broader systemic factors. Such prolonged stressors constitute “little-t trauma” and take a toll on the body, mind, and spirit. As such, approaches for building resilience against such stressors should be integrative. Because stress implicates the nervous system, bottom-up therapies are foundational in support of building a felt sense of safety. Thereafter, top-down methods for increasing one’s subjective sense of meaning and aliveness can follow. However, traditional psychotherapy approaches to resilience—including those utilized in positive psychology—are often cognitive in nature and disregard the body and nervous system. Literature on bottom-up therapies commonly …

Dance Movement Therapy And Families With Children With Disabilities: Working And Moving Together: A Literature Review, Gabriella Cohen

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Dance/movement therapy is an evidence-based therapeutic treatment that is available to a vast variety of populations. Research proves that children under the age of 12 diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experience challenges with communication and social skills, abnormalities in body language and regulation, repetitive motor movements (fidgeting), difficulties in play or social activities, and sensitivity to sensory inputs. While literature suggests that dance/movement therapy can provide an effective reduction of the related symptoms seen in developmentally disabled children (ASD/ADHD), there is less emphasis on how dance/movement therapy can offer similar relief for the …

The Effects Of Meditation On Stress In High School Students, Cara Szeghy, Cara Szeghy

Mindfulness Studies Theses

Abstract

Young people today face many challenges including stress from social relationships, academic pressures at school, racism, social injustice, and the pandemic. This paper examines the efficacy of using practical and accessible meditation techniques to help decrease stress in high school students. Prior research on some of the causes of stress within this age group, including the history of mindfulness, the attention economy, incorporation of techniques into classroom curricula, and teaching meditation techniques to the high school age population, is explored. Further research on the benefits of teaching meditation to high school students, including a thorough examination of the complex …

Mindfulness-Based Gratitude: Curriculum Guide For An Online Six-Week Course, Anne Marie Pfeiffer

Mindfulness Studies Theses

This is a two-part paper. The first part of the paper presents research on how both mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) and gratitude interventions (GIs) offer a promising way to help mitigate the physiological and psychological effects caused by chronic stress by increasing one’s overall sense of well-being (Keng et al., 2011; Wood et al., 2010). Individually, mindfulness and gratitude practices may enhance positive effect and well-being, which suggest that combining both practices may further increase positive outcomes (Hicks et al., 2017) due to their complementary nature. However, research should be approached with caution as there are many methodological limitations that need …