Sarah Lawrence College
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Experiences of Adults at 50% Risk of Inheriting a Genetic Mutation for Early-Onset Dementia
No full textBackground: An extensive body of scientific research on biomarkers associated with early-onset Alzheimer disease (EOAD) and familial frontotemporal dementia (FTD) has emerged from the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer’s Network (DIAN) and Longitudinal Evaluation of Familial Frontotemporal Dementia Subjects (LEFFTDS) studies. Yet, little of that research has focused on the participants’ lived experiences. Therefore, it is not well understood how to best support these individuals as they face futures that may resemble their parents’ pasts. Methods: Semi-structured interviews with 6 informants (1 male, 5 females, age 30s-60s). Half of the participants chose not to know their genetic status, two knew they carried a pathogenic mutation associated with FTD, and one knew she did not have the pathogenic variant for EOAD that runs in her family. Results: Analysis of the interviews yielded four overarching themes: family disease, influence on family relationships, personal reactions, and research participation. Conclusion: The participants were aware from an early age of a debilitating medical condition occurring in multiple close relatives, even if they did not know or understand what the condition was. This fact, influenced by varying family dynamics, encouraged participants to take control of their situation by seeking out information and planning for the future, which in turn motivated them to partake in longitudinal, observational research
Taking a Breath: Understanding the Interrelationship of Breath in Dance/Movement Therapy and Everyday Life
Get PDFThe integration of breath throughout contexts within dance/movement therapy and daily life can empower an able body-minded individual to explore awareness, which can ultimately achieve a greater sense of overall well-being. This thesis attempts to consider ways in which the breath can be used in both dance/movement therapy and in everyday life. Beginning with an introduction that questions ways in which the breath can be integrated more thoroughly in the field of dance/movement therapy and the takeaways that can serve able body-minded individuals in their everyday lives, it then transitions into the review of literature in physiological contexts, breath and the body-mind-emotion interrelationship, breath awareness in everyday life, and breath in the role of dance/movement therapy. The author also writes about her personal experiences with breath and the information it has provided her as an able body-minded human being and dance/movement therapist
The Practice of Choreography Within Practice-as-Research: Choreographing in the Simultaneity of the Non-Simultaneous
No full textThis thesis establishes the practice of choreography within the methodology of Practiceas- Research (PaR) and draws on performance theorist and dramaturge Bojana Cvejić’s idea of choreography as “problem-posing” to emphasize choreography’s capacity to provoke ideas, questions and problems in the creative and performative process. It centers the choreographic practice around the question of time and engages in conversations about the conceptualization and actualization of time philosophically, theoretically and choreographically. Investigating Marxist philosopher Ernst Bloch’s concept of the simultaneity of the non-simultaneous, the author connects this theory to her personal experience of living in America as a Chinese national. Advocating for the idea of choreographing in the simultaneity of the non-simultaneous, this project emphasizes that choreography can not only function as a liberating vehicle charged in the non-simultaneous situation, but also potently raises the following questions: Can choreography both embody and establish a social, cultural, political and artistic identity? Is there a national border line and a historical artistic lineage guarding and trapping the identity of the work itself? Can choreography not only evoke all of these questions, but also be liberated from these limitations and contradictions
Dance of Attachment: Dance/Movement Therapy with Children Adopted Out of Foster Care
Get PDFThis thesis is an investigative inquiry into the use of dance/movement therapy with children adopted out of foster care and their families. By focusing on the relevance of attachment and trauma with this population, this thesis draws connections between dance/movement therapy theoretical components and literature and the needs of this population. Children adopted out of foster care experience disrupted attachments and traumatic histories of separation, abuse, and neglect. As the literature illustrates, attachment and trauma are body-level experiences, and when addressing these issues, they must be approached through a modality that involves, engages, and values the body and the memories, interactions, and healing potential that it holds. Dance/movement therapy presents as an ideal treatment for attachment and trauma-related issues, especially when working with children whose primary language and learning tool is movement. Dance/movement therapists have unique abilities to identify, assess, and address issues through the body and movement, and possess the potential to support former foster children and their adoptive families by using nonverbal means to build attachment, process experiences, and resolve trauma
Descriptive Analysis of the Testing Outcome Populations of a Highly Facilitated Cascade Genetic Testing Framework for Cancer Predisposition
Get PDFThis research analyzes the demographic determinants of testing uptake in a highly facilitated cascade testing protocol pilot effort for families with inherited cancer-predisposing mutations. The program provided no-cost genetic testing to the family members of mutation carriers using direct contact, telephone genetic counseling, and mailed saliva kits. This facilitated intervention resulted in high uptake of testing for second degree relatives and reduced sex-based risk disclosure. Uptake rates were highest among females and older individuals. Young Caucasian males were most likely to decline testing. Contact was limited for non-Caucasian and international individuals with low English-language proficiency, resulting in lower uptake rates for these groups. Overall, uptake rates were comparable to traditional testing methods and conditional uptake rates were lower than expected. More work is needed to improve upon facilitated testing methods and to elucidate why some facilitation tools may lead to reduced testing uptake