Somatic Psychology Commons^™

A Perspective On Imbalance: A Memoir Through The Lens Of Eating Disorders Anonymous, Samantha C. Lasky

Scripps Senior Theses

A Perspective on Imbalance uses a crab shell essay format within the adjusted framework of Eating Disorder Anonymous’ “Perspective on Balance” letter. This original letter speaks to how physical, social/emotional, and spiritual balance came to exist in the founder’s life after working the 12 steps of the program, but the author of this thesis felt more inclined to examine what life looks like in each of those categories before the 12 steps, as well as what happens when you choose not to work them (as this has been her experience thus far). The resulting linear prose essay includes themes of …

“It’S An Honor To Be In This Body”: A Black Feminist Grounded Theory Of Embodiment Among Black Womxn Yoga Practitioners (Bwyps), Natalie Malone

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Black womxn (i.e., individuals whose experiences align with Black girlhood/womanhood or whose bodies are perceived as Black, female, womanly, femme, or a combination) experience significant health and well-being challenges that may hinder their embodiment. Yoga is a complementary therapy that may help Black womxn improve their embodiment. This dissertation qualitatively explores the processes Black womxn yoga practitioners (BWYPs) engage in to cultivate positive embodiment. Participants were N=30 Black womxn who were short- (≤ five years; n=11), medium- (five–10 years; n=10), and long-term (>11 years; n=9) yoga practitioners. Participants completed individual interviews as part of the …

The Long-Term Psychological Effects Of Violent Crime On Victims: A Review Of Evidence And Supportive Interventions, Jayden E. Oleksyn-Lamb

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This study utilizes anonymous survey data collected from 26 mental health professionals in various regions of Canada to understand which psychological disturbances are the most prevalent among victims of violent crime as well as which psychological interventions are most beneficial for treating violent crime victims. The data revealed that Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), anger, guilt, self-blame, and shame are each highly prevalent. Findings also revealed that certain therapeutic methods including Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), Supportive Counselling (SC), Progressive Relaxation (PR), Cognitive Reprocessing Therapy (CPT) and Cognitive Restructuring (CR) are associated with …

Learning To Be An Autistic Therapist: Personal Steps Towards An Autism-Affirming Psychotherapy, Sasha D. Strong

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

How can Autistic therapists understand and support themselves, and how can this help them support their clients? In this paper, I recount my personal journey of healing and growth as an Autistic psychotherapist, 16 months after self-identification. Here is an overview of conceptual frameworks from #actuallyautistic authors, critical theory, queer theory, and social justice that I have found helpful. I also share some of the therapeutic and wellness approaches that have been important to me, including mindfulness and bodyfulness. Organic knowing has been pivotal for me in discerning between masking and aliveness, and regaining a choice around masking behaviors. This …

In A Dance With Words: Dance Movement Psychotherapy And Ontological Inquiry, Diana Mota

Turning Toward Being: The Journal of Ontological Inquiry in Education

This article explores intersections between dance, psychotherapy, phenomenology, and ontology, addressing how both verbal and non-verbal language enact ways of being in the world. The main aim is to investigate potential contributions of ontological inquiry to the practice of dance psychotherapy, to thereby strengthen the therapeutic relationship. Drawing on her practical experience and theory building in dance and dance therapy, the author presents clinical vignettes from a session as a laboratory to elaborate an ontological-phenomenological model. She concludes by clearly advocating for further exploration of these intersections and argues these fields are mutually enriching and complementary.

Mindfulness Matters: Addressing Anxiety And Navigating Toward Wellbeing Through Miea Mindfulness Practices, A Mixed-Methods Study Of Lgbtiq Graduate Writing Students, Kim Westerman

Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Mindfulness Matters: Addressing Anxiety and Navigating Toward Wellbeing Through MIEA Mindfulness Practices, a Mixed-Methods Study of LGBTIQ Graduate Writing Students

Anxiety has always been a part of the human experience, even before the phenomenon was conceptualized in the 17^th century and named by Freud in the 19th. And human beings have devised many strategies for addressing anxiety: reducing it, ignoring it, distracting oneself from it, despairing over it, medicating it, engaging with it, moving through it, co-existing with it. The current zeitgeist, more than four years into the COVID-19 global pandemic, situates anxiety as a central facet of …

Integrating Doctrine & Diversity Speaker Series: Breaking Bias: A Conversation With Attorney Anu Gupta 9-10-2024, Roger Williams University School Of Law

School of Law Conferences, Lectures & Events

No abstract provided.

Climate Grief And Dance Movement Therapy: A Literature Review, Elisabeth Lovin

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Research is starting to focus on the effects of climate change on mental health, especially future-oriented anxieties and uncertainty about our planet’s liveability. Less commonly discussed are feelings of grief for the climate-related losses we have already sustained. This thesis organizes current literature about climate grief and data about the psychosomatic effects of climate-related losses and examines general grief counseling research, as well as presenting applications of dance movement therapy for grief and loss. Cultural and historical gestures and movements of grieving bodies and portrayals of grief in dance history support the proposal that dance movement therapists are capable of …

Embodied Co-Regulation: A Neuroregulatory-Informed Dance/Movement Therapy Transition Intervention Method For Arousal Regulation For Adolescents In A Partial Hospitalization Program, Anamaria Guzman

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis introduces a novel Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) approach, focusing on nervous system arousal regulation during transitions between therapy groups. The core of the method involves a brief 5-minute exercise designed to modulate arousal levels, encompassing alertness and energy, aiming to establish a baseline homeostasis. Rooted in Polyvagal Theory and Developmental Neurobiology, the approach assumes the co-regulation of nervous systems within a group therapeutic setting. Two primary outcomes are self-assessed: 1) somatic experiences documented through narratives and 2) nervous system biodata measured using the Flowtime headband monitoring of brainwaves, heart rate, and other biomarkers. Results indicated that all six sessions …

Re-Member Selfhood A Drama Therapy Intervention, Option 1, Angelique Beauchêne

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Re-member Selfhood is a specific trauma-informed, drama therapy, intervention designed to meet the needs of adults with exposure to trauma and traumatic stress, who have pertinent adverse childhood experience scores and/or experience persistent trauma cycles over the lifespan concurrent with somatization. The aim of this thesis was to introduce an intervention which could function as indirect exposure and assist in the integration process taking the whole being of trauma sufferers into account, including body, mind, and soul. Additionally, the hope of this intervention is to decrease perceived physical pain, assist in the integration of the rejected aspect of self, and …

Rgb Root Matriz Color Dance, Danielle E. Gauthier

Theses and Dissertations

RGB Root Matriz Color Dance (Color Dance) is an immersive, interactive experience that combines poetic phrases and color filters to create a womb-like environment. Designed by Danielle Gauthier, this artistic piece uses a webcam to respond to users’ movements in real time, allowing them to confront and express their emotions through metaphor and dance. Color Dance creates a unique platform for self-discovery and empowerment by fostering a connection between the body and discomforting emotions.

The Anatomical Embodiment Of Morning Routines In The Reduction Of Anxiety: An Intervention, Natalie Wright

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The topic under investigation is whether physically embodying a morning routine that was designed through the lens of Laban Bartenieff Movement Analysis (LBMA) will reduce daily symptoms of individuals diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

Since morning routines play a significant part in one’s preparation for the day, I created an individualized LBMA morning routine for a specific client to embody. In addition to the routine, the client documented the process of their anxiety levels on a weekly basis. This client was a white, female, 19-year-old, lesbian college student who was previously diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). The movement analysis …

Under The Influence: The Dark Psychology Behind The Power Of Social Conformity And Obedience, Mary T. Howley

ENGS 15.11: Design and Education

My lesson, titled Under the Influence: The Dark Psychology Behind the Power of Social Conformity and Obedience intends to inform my students about the darker aspects of social psychology and the deeper, unconscious social influences that can lead good people to do terrible things in moments of conformity, obedience and group think. This course will cover professional laboratory experiments, real life historical examples, and psychological methods and tactics to give a broad range of information regarding this aspect of social psychology. With this information, the students will then have enough material to engage in group discussions regarding the deeper themes …

Attunement In Contact Improvisation: Therapeutic Implications, Basak Sila Bengisu

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This capstone thesis looks into the concept of attunement within the context of Contact Improvisation (CI), a movement form distinguished by spontaneous, in-the-moment interaction and interpersonal connection. Through a synthesis of theoretical frameworks and personal narrative, this literature review explores how CI cultivates attunement—a resonant interpersonal process, fostering shared understanding and synchronicity. The thesis reveals that attunement within CI involves self-attunement and contact attunement along with refining awareness and attention to kinesthetic and proprioceptive sensations. The therapeutic implications of attunement within CI extends to aspects such as body-mind alignment, emotional growth, enhanced mobility, and interpersonal skills. Aligned with principles of …

Evaluating The Role Of Interoceptive Awareness In Insomnia And Across The Sleep Health Spectrum, Lara Lobrutto

Theses and Dissertations

Interoceptive awareness, characterized by a non-judgmental and trusting attitude towards body sensations, is an understudied construct that is implicated in sleep and health outcomes. Interoceptive awareness is cultivated via contemplative and mindfulness-based practices. Given that it may be utilized to reduce pre-sleep arousal, which is a key mechanism in insomnia, interoceptive awareness is posited to be a protective factor for sleep health. A cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate university students (N = 420) in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States to assess the association between interoceptive awareness and sleep outcomes. Participants received a survey link and completed …

The Effect Of A Community Resiliency Model Education On Resilience, Psychological Empowerment, And Well-Being In Behavioral Health Nurses, Lorrie Smith-Esterle

DNP Projects

Background: Resilience, well-being, and psychological empowerment are associated with improvement in job satisfaction and nurse retention rates. The Community Resiliency Model (CRM) can promote emotional regulation, well-being, and create an internal state of balance in response to work-related stressors. Educating nurses on how to use CRM enables the recognition of changes in thoughts, emotions, sensations, and internal or external stimuli, which can promote resilience, well-being, and psychological empowerment.

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to evaluate evaluate the effect of a resiliency education using the Community Resiliency Model (CRM) on resilience, psychological empowerment, and well-being of behavioral health nurses. …

The Menstrual Cycle In Psychotherapy: Interventions, Therapist Engagement, And Blind Spots, Rozita Alaluf

Dissertations and Theses

There is a dearth of literature on psychotherapy and menstruation, except for the treatment and diagnosis of issues associated with premenstrual distress. This study aimed to bridge this gap by investigating the frequency and context of discussions about the menstrual cycle, the factors influencing therapists’ engagement with this topic, and the therapeutic approaches utilized to address the menstrual cycle within psychotherapy.

In phase 1, 118 psychotherapists from various theoretical backgrounds completed a survey on menstruation in clinical practice. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. In phase 2, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 7 psychotherapists, primarily identifying their theoretical orientation …

Mentalized Affectivity And Its Role In Acculturative Adjustment And Well-Being, Bassem Barada

Dissertations and Theses

Immigration is a phenomenon that occurs on a global scale and continues to grow in prevalence to our present day. Therefore, acculturation remains an essential area of interest for the mental health field. Specifically, assessment of identification with either one’s ethnic culture or the dominant culture remains a robust way to capture acculturative adjustment (Chance, 2015). More recently, emotion regulation has emerged as an important construct in understanding wellbeing. Mentalized affectivity (MA) is an insight-based regulatory process that highlights the importance of understanding current emotional distress in the context of one’s past history (Jurist, 2005). The three dimensions of emotion …

Can Affective Symptomology Predict Somatic Complaints In Symptom Checklists?, Catherine E. Scales

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Introduction: Persistent and medically unexplained somatic symptoms are widespread and pose significant burden to the healthcare system as patients often overuse consultation services when seeking a diagnosis for their symptoms. In turn, this can lead to misdiagnosis and unnecessary treatment. Since somatic symptoms are commonly associated with affective disorders but are not always associated with any specific medical diagnoses, identifying accessible methods of better guiding diagnostic tendencies for clinicians should be a priority.

Methods: Participants (N = 114, Mean age = 18.9) were undergraduate students recruited from the University of Arkansas with no prescreening requirements. Linear regression analyses were utilized …

Expressive Arts Therapy To Support Positive Experiences Of Embodiment Among Rural Lgbtq+ Adults: A Literature Review, Ann Stromgren

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper investigates the use of expressive arts therapy to support LGBTQ+ adult clients in rural communities. Caring professionals in rural areas often lack training on how to work with LGBTQ+ clients, and best practices for clinical mental health counseling with rural LGBTQ+ clients have yet to be defined. Some evidence suggests that using “metronormative” best practices with rural clients may be irrelevant or cause harm (Giano et al., 2020). Although some recommendations exist for using expressive therapies with LGBTQ+ clients, they are rarely evidence-based, as very few empirical studies exist evaluating the effectiveness of expressive therapy interventions with LGBTQ+ …