Alef Trust, Wirral, UK and Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
Universität Bern
University of Pennsylvania
Lesley University
Duquesne University
Examining State Of Flow And Its Future In Dance/Movement Therapy: A Literature Review,
2023
Lesley University
Examining State Of Flow And Its Future In Dance/Movement Therapy: A Literature Review, Rachael A. Cohen
Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses
This paper analyzes State of Flow, the definition codified by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and analyzes how Flow as a concept has developed in current psychological and artistic research, alternative therapies, and mainstream medias. This paper also views existing Dance/Movement Therapy frameworks such as Body-Mind Centering and Kestenberg Movement Profile to see how Csikszentmihalyi’s definition could integrate into current Dance/Movement Therapy practice, as well as looks at Laban Movement Analysis and its future in Dance/Movement Therapy. This thesis also examines how gender and neurodivergence may impact how one can experience State of Flow.
Healing Childhood Trauma Through Improvisation & Theater,
2023
Chatham County Safety Net Planning Council
Healing Childhood Trauma Through Improvisation & Theater, Vira Salzburn, Garrett Zajac
National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference
This presentation will discuss the development, implementation, and techniques of the unique Savannah-based Front Porch ACTS program that uses empirically-supported, theater-based, and trauma-responsive Trauma Drama intervention providing an effective therapeutic alternative to serving children and adolescents affected by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and complex trauma.
Seeing And Unlearning Whiteness: A Mindfulness Workshop For Racial Justice,
2023
Lesley University
Seeing And Unlearning Whiteness: A Mindfulness Workshop For Racial Justice, Emily Haranas
Mindfulness Studies Theses
Racism is a deeply embedded, foundational aspect of American society. However, because the privilege of Whiteness insulates White individuals from the workings of systemic injustice and oppression and enables them to choose the conditions of their accountability in the movement for racial justice, many remain painfully blind to this fact. As such, there is a significant need for those who have been racialized White to develop a critical awareness of the powers and privileges ascribed to their racial identity. The working premise of this thesis is that mindfulness can assist White individuals in unlinking the socialized habits of mind that …
Two Dimensions Of A Bodhisattva,
2023
Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Two Dimensions Of A Bodhisattva, Douglas Duckworth
International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive
This paper presents two dimensions of a bodhisattva, the ideal of Maha- ya- na Buddhism. One dimension involves contemplative practices that disclose a pure nature that is always already present; this reality is unveiled after the obscurations that cloud it are removed. I refer to this as a “top-down” approach because it is based on qualities of awakening that are already there, yet lie beyond an ordinary being’s comprehension. The second dimension, which I refer to as a “bottom-up” approach, involves directed training and discipline. Unlike the top-down approach, this is not about “going with the flow” or simply letting …
Mindfulness Traps And The Entanglement Of Self: An Inquiry Into The Regime Of Mind,
2023
Dharma College, Berkeley, CA, USA
Mindfulness Traps And The Entanglement Of Self: An Inquiry Into The Regime Of Mind, Richard Dixey, Ronald E. Purser
International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive
Mindfulness meditation can provide salutary therapeutic benefits, as well as lead advanced practitioners to states of calm and equanimity. In this paper, we argue that such forms of meditation may subtly entrap practitioners in circular, self-reflexive feedback loops. Because these meditation traps fail to clearly discern the operations of mind, they offer a temporary oasis of peace within an unaltered dualistic realm of mind that leaves the root delusion of self-identity intact. Drawing upon Tarthang Tulku’s seminal book Revelations of Mind, we present what he refers to as the “regime of mind,” the processes of cognition, identification and re-cognition in …
Cognitive Illusion, Lucid Dreaming, And The Psychology Of Metaphor In Tibetan Buddhist Dzogchen Contemplative Practices,
2023
California Institute of Integral Studies
Cognitive Illusion, Lucid Dreaming, And The Psychology Of Metaphor In Tibetan Buddhist Dzogchen Contemplative Practices, Michael R. Sheehy
International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive
A classic set of eight similes of illusion (sgyu ma’i dpe brgyad) are employed recurrently throughout Indian and Tibetan Buddhist literature to illustrate the operations of cognition, its correlative perceptions, and experiences that emerge. To illustrate a Buddhist psychology of metaphor, the fourteenth century Tibetan scholar and synthesizer of the Dzogchen (rdzogs chen) or Great Perfection system, Longchen Rabjam Drimé Ödzer (1308-1363), composed his poetic text, Being at Ease with Illusion. This work on illusion is the third volume in Longchenpa’s Trilogy of Being at Ease (Ngal gso skor gsum) in which he presents a series of Dzogchen instructions on …
Authentic Mindfulness Within Mindfulness-Based Interventions: A Qualitative Study Of Participants' Experiences,
2023
Awake to Wisdom Centre for Meditation and Mindfulness Research, Nottingham, UK
Authentic Mindfulness Within Mindfulness-Based Interventions: A Qualitative Study Of Participants' Experiences, Supakyada Sapthiang, Edo Shonin, Paul Barrows, William Van Gordon
International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive
There are concerns that participants of some modern mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are receiving a superficial form of mindfulness training. However, empirical investigation of this issue according to participants’ first-hand experiences has been limited. Thus, this qualitative study aimed to capture the first-hand perspectives relating to authentic mindfulness of participants who had recently attended an MBI in the UK. Ten adults completed a recorded, online semistructured interview. Based on a thematic analysis, the following four master themes were identified: (a) authentic mindfulness as a construct, (b) positive aspects of the training, (c) something missing, and (d) recommendations for authenticity. Although all …
Psychology: Physiological Effects Of Negative International News On,
2022
Belmont University
Psychology: Physiological Effects Of Negative International News On, Ingrid Quezada, Husna Nabi, Willa Stauffer, Katie Young
Science University Research Symposium (SURS)
News depicting conflict in foreign countries is often perceived differently by those living in America, and these differences may also have implications for gender-related news. Foreign and national news is often categorized as "ours" versus "theirs" when reporting on or perceiving news (Nossek, 2016). This suggests that if a person classifies news as "theirs" versus as "ours", there could be a discrepancy in the emotional response to the news received based on how an individual decides to subconsciously categorize it. A person may have an emotional response upon seeing negative news, resulting in a physiological state change (Soroka, et al, …
Moderating Factors In The Relationship Between Bully Victimization And Psychosomatic Symptoms,
2022
Augsburg University
Moderating Factors In The Relationship Between Bully Victimization And Psychosomatic Symptoms, Tonya Paulson
Theses and Graduate Projects
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between bully victimization and psychosomatic symptoms, and to examine the protective influence of perceived parent and peer support across developmental age groups. Bully victimization frequency, somatic symptom severity, perceived parent support, and perceived peer support were assessed using archival data from 7,304 youth who participated in the 2009-2010 Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) U.S. survey, excluding perpetrators of bullying. Bully victimization and somatic symptoms were significantly positively correlated. Older adolescents consistently reported more severe somatic symptoms, but age did not moderate the relationship between bullying and somatic symptoms. Higher …
Taming The Wandering Mind: Where Buddhism & Polyvagal Theory Meet,
2022
Lesley University
Taming The Wandering Mind: Where Buddhism & Polyvagal Theory Meet, Tamara Embrey
Mindfulness Studies Theses
The ability to tame the wandering mind is at the heart of the insights emerging from the places where Buddhism and the Polyvagal Theory (Porges, 2001, 2011) meet. A polyvagal understanding of how our nervous system functions opens the door to developing skills that can strengthen our ability to regulate ourselves and others during times of challenge. The Buddha’s meditation instructions, laid out in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta, the Establishment of Mindfulness Discourse offers a type of attentional training that allows us to become aware of our current neural state so that we can make intentional choices to tame our wandering …
Transformative, Noetic, And Transpersonal Experiences During Personal Development Workshops,
2022
Research Department, Institute of Noetic Sciences
Transformative, Noetic, And Transpersonal Experiences During Personal Development Workshops, Helané Wahbeh, Cassandra Vieten, Garret Young, Agnes Cartry-Jacobsen, Dean Radin, Arnaud Delorme
International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive
The global personal development market was valued at $38.28 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow an additional 5% from 2020 to 2027. Many of these workshops promise to be transformational. This secondary analysis study examined transformative, transpersonal, and noetic aspects of personal development workshops. We found that 74% of post-survey records endorsed that participants experienced a moment of clarity or profound insight during their workshop. In addition, 66% endorsed that participants had experienced at least one noetic experience, and 84% endorsed at least one transpersonal experience. These analyses provide preliminary evidence for the transformational potential of personal development …
Toward Holistic Mental Wellness: A Literature Review Of Mindfulness-Based And Focusing-Oriented Art Therapies,
2022
Lesley University
Toward Holistic Mental Wellness: A Literature Review Of Mindfulness-Based And Focusing-Oriented Art Therapies, Lesley Vernon
Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses
Modern day living, for all its benefits, is synonymous with record levels of stress. The mental health clinician’s role is to assist clients in accessing the skills and tools necessary to reduce and alleviate the symptoms of stress-induced anxiety. Mindfulness is emerging as a potent and effective tool to restore one’s state of well-being. Likewise, engaging in art therapy has been shown to reduce stress and foster resilience. Grounded in humanistic and existential theories, this literature review aimed to assess the impact and effectiveness of two intermodal holistic therapies, specifically mindfulness-based art therapy (MBAT) and focusing-oriented art therapy (FOAT). A …
Building Nature: A Nature-Based Drama Therapy Method In An Urban Program,
2022
Lesley University
Building Nature: A Nature-Based Drama Therapy Method In An Urban Program, Courtney Bennett Mcduffee
Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses
Finding a mental health center that fits the needs of an individual can take time. Some individuals must travel to different states and enter large metropolises to find the specific type of support they need for their mental health journey. This can mean that for extended periods of time, as individuals go through residential treatment, partial hospitalization programs (PHP), and/or intensive outpatient programs (IOP), they can not only find themselves in a completely new community, but also entirely removed from nature. For this reason, my thesis focused on creating a method to reconnect humans ‘trapped’ in an urban setting with …
Where I’M From: Internal Manifestations Among Cambodian Women Using The Expressive Arts A Literature Review,
2022
Lesley University
Where I’M From: Internal Manifestations Among Cambodian Women Using The Expressive Arts A Literature Review, Noeun Chhim
Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses
Chronic mental illness has affected many Cambodian people, but, culturally, Cambodians aren’t accustomed to opening up and discussing their feelings, rather defining mental illness to craziness and seeking help is presumed taboo. Thus, Cambodians are often reluctant to talk about their experiences and/or their related illnesses. Though Cambodians have experienced inconceivable suffering and violence during the Khmer Rouge era, for the purpose of this thesis, I will be discussing the role of Cambodian women and investigate the extent of what they’ve witnessed and experienced. Cambodian women have suffered through many years of trauma and grief, during and after the Khmer …
Combining Non-Traditional Therapeutic Competencies With Dance/Movement Therapy In Response To Client Reactivity: The Development Of A Method,
2022
Lesley University
Combining Non-Traditional Therapeutic Competencies With Dance/Movement Therapy In Response To Client Reactivity: The Development Of A Method, Nicole Koontz
Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses
Individuals with reactive attachment disorder present as guarded towards therapeutic care and respond passively to treatment or become combative and aggressive. Previous body-based interventions for individuals with reactive attachment disorder included dangerous and unethical approaches that led to traumatization, distrust, and even death. Historical attachment therapies focused on making the client feel powerless and hopeless to accept care rather than practitioners adjusting to individualized client-centered care. A dance/movement therapy-informed method was developed to provide a nonthreatening therapeutic space to foster genuine participation for clients who present with reactivity towards treatment. The method was implemented over the course of seven weeks …
Implementation Of Community-Based Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Program For Youth With Complex Trauma,
2022
Chatham County Safety Net Planning Council
Implementation Of Community-Based Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Program For Youth With Complex Trauma, Vira Salzburn, Kierstin Graham
National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference
This presentation will discuss the implementation and scale-up of an evidence-based Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TSY) program as a part of a larger community-wide safety and resilience-building effort. It will explain the effectiveness of TSY interventions for both clinical and non-clinical populations and highlight the physical, mental, emotional, and social benefits of a modified yoga practice for youth and young adults with complex trauma.
The Mushroom, The Frog, And The Rainbow Of Desire: A Participatory-Psychedelic Spiritual Emergence,
2022
The Centre of Relational Inquiry
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 …
Locating The Embodied Sense Of Self And Examining Its Relationship With Psychological Well-Being,
2022
Center on Mindfulness and Integrative Health Intervention Development (C-MIIND), University of Utah
Locating The Embodied Sense Of Self And Examining Its Relationship With Psychological Well-Being, Adam Hanley, Natalie Lecy, Robert Hanley
International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive
Westerners tend to localize their sense of self in the head, and, to a lesser degree, in the chest. However, single-point, localization studies of the self omit direct exploration of the size and shape of the embodied self. This study explored a) beliefs about the location and spatial distribution of the embodied sense of self, and b) whether individual differences in how the embodied self was represented were associated with psychological and subjective well-being. Results from a sample of 206 American adults confirm extant reports, indicating that the embodied sense of self is most often located in the head and …
The Luminous Night Of The Soul: The Relationship Between Lucid Dreaming And Spirituality,
2022
Alef Trust, Wirral, UK and Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
The Luminous Night Of The Soul: The Relationship Between Lucid Dreaming And Spirituality, Tadas Stumbrys
International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive
Lucid dreams, in which the dreamers are aware that they are dreaming, can be a source of spiritual and mystical experiences. This empirical study aimed to explore the relationship between lucid dreaming and spirituality, taking into account the role of mystical lucid dream experience, in an online sample of 471 respondents, 95% of whom had lucid dream experience and 65% were frequent lucid dreamers. The findings support the relationship between lucid dreaming and spirituality: spiritual transcendence was positively associated with both lucid dream frequency and mystical lucid dream experiences. Thus having recurrent lucid dreams and mystical experiences in them may …
Using Legos® In Research Facilitation: An Advanced Scripted Research Method,
2022
California Institute of Integral Studies
Using Legos® In Research Facilitation: An Advanced Scripted Research Method, Samuel W. Root
International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive
Transpersonal research methods can help individuals access useful information and material that typically reside out of conscious awareness. The playful activity of LEGO® block-building can be adapted for research purposes and used to overcome research impasses, for example. This paper presents a novel transpersonal LEGO® building process for facilitation in each of the four major phases of research. Readers are provided with a 6-step script that takes between 30 minutes and 1 hour to complete. Steps include: Prepare to Exercise; Set Intentions; Build While Intending Solution; Appreciate/Take In; Project and Actively Imagine; and Reflect and Ease Out. Future studies could …
