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Potential of the Arts to Promote Healing from the Social Effects of COVID-19
Get PDFFor children, the global COVID-19 pandemic can result in less socialization, changing family dynamics, and hearing of or experiencing death around them. These changes may cause adverse effects on their development, economic status, and mental health. Posttraumatic growth can help children develop new pathways of understanding themselves, their world, and relationships with others. Expressive arts therapies (EAT) offer an alternative, creative way to attract and help heal children. Dance/movement therapy (DMT) is an established alternative treatment for mental health. As a form of therapeutics for traumatic events, DMT uses the mind–body connection to express emotions, thoughts, and dreams and produce healing. Based on the literature review results, the author created arts/movement-based method interventions to help children identify and regulate their feelings throughout the pandemic. This method integrates mindfulness body scans, EAT, and DMT in a progressive painted/moving mural of feelings. It was presented to three fourth-grade integrated (with and without special education needs) classrooms (63 children aged 9 and 10 years). Through the lens of the Kestenberg Movement Profile tension flow rhythms, I observed participants in movement and painting, journaled and moved in response. Participants displayed sway, twist, strain/release, and running/drifting rhythms, consistent with traits of nurturing, adaptability, persistence, and being in the moment. These observations support the importance of treating trauma, holistic healing, body/movement, expressive arts, and emotional identification. The intervention can be applied once or in a series, in school or therapeutic settings, to help children grow from potential traumas of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Keywords: posttraumatic growth, expressive therapies, dance/movement therapy, COVID-19
Author Identity Statement: The author identifies as a straight, white, Christian woman from New England
From Mud: Lessons of Mindfulness Found in Clay Work
Get PDFA significant part of the earth\u27s history, clay represents the interconnectedness of all life. While clay has long been used in the field of art therapy, the use of the material in mindfulness has been unfolding. This creative thesis explores the significance of clay to humankind. It reviews Buddhist literature and text to identify the elements and parallels of clay work that make it a compelling contemplative material. Neuroscientific research that connects the mind and body interaction further make the case for clay work as an effective mindfulness-based practice. The creative component of this thesis is a clay retreat that offered a variety of contemplative practices centered around clay work. Practices included pinching clay and breathwork, R.A.I.N method inspired by Tara Brach, mindful walking and a Metta meditation. Each practice invited the clay as a companion or an anchor. The knowledge and skills may serve as a guide to other practitioners who seek to incorporate clay to their practice of mindfulness
A Literature Review: Posttraumatic Growth in Trauma Recovery Using Art Therapy: How a Superhero Learns to Fly
Get PDFThis literature review examines posttraumatic growth (PTG), a psychological construct based on the phenomenon of transformative, positive changes experienced by an individual or a community after struggling with trauma(s) and adverse life events. The intention of this capstone thesis is to explore processes in art therapy (AT) that enable PTG and broaden trauma recovery practices by focusing on well-being rather than pathology. This review examines quantitative, qualitative, and arts-based research that explored PTG directly and indirectly using AT, which revealed large gaps in PTG and AT research. Creativity, positive art therapy, social and community support, mindfulness, spirituality, and channeling confidence and resilience to persevere through metaphorical identification with superheroes and heroines were themes in the literature that enabled PTG. I discovered these same themes were related to the AT process leading to PTG and corresponded to similar aspects in the five outcomes of the theoretical model of PTG and in the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI). Based on this literature review, AT interventions paralleled these themes, which included mindfulness, positive art therapy, community open studios, visual journaling, and narrative exposure therapy (NET), superhero play therapies and art making for achieving creative self-efficacy (CSE). I propose a holistic, multi-dimensional approach for trauma treatments that enable PTG using AT and I suggest conducting further research to find multidisciplinary solutions that employ AT to address these commonalities on a broader scale
WHITE, WORKING-CLASS ADULT MALE STUDENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE EFFECTS OF WORKING-CLASS IDENTITY ON EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS
Get PDFThis qualitative, phenomenological study situated in grounded theory aimed to identify the forces that impede or support white working-class males in pursuing, adapting to, and remaining in higher education and making meaningful progress in their educational goals. Utilizing a feminist ecological perspective, the researcher was able to outline and provide context of the white working-class male experience in America. The primary research question guiding this study involved the ways in which white male working-class identity affects white working-class males’ return to higher education. An inductive approach involving Relational-Cultural Theory allowed for an in-depth exploration of the lived experiences of 10 white working-class males, each of whom gave up on their college education in favor of returning to their blue-collar occupations. Based on a two-tiered analysis, a case study analysis of three men led to the emergence of the following five themes: family of origin, religious and political views, hard work, higher educational attitudes, and attitudes on privilege. Next, a narrative analysis of all 10 men resulted in three additional themes, including devaluing education, geographic loyalty, as well as prejudice, racism, and sexism. Overall, these themes indicate white working-class males may not be able to truly “see” the problem, as they are within the safety of an identity that rejects higher education because belonging to the working class brings with it an inherent identity. Yet as the value of higher education continues to grow, they risk being left behind as they hold on to their ideals and identity as the sole breadwinner in the family. White working-class men and their location in American society and class structure also face continued internal and external threats to their perceived power. While educational pursuits can expose vulnerabilities, perseverance through the uncomfortable can become a transformative process.
Keywords: Working class, higher education, white male identity, feminist ecological perspective, class structure, privileg
Healing Racial Injustice with Mindfulness Research, Training, & Practice
Get PDFThis thesis offers a collection of authors and studies in support of improved research, training, and practice connecting mindfulness with racial justice through intergroup applications. The paper identifies barriers at work (e.g., colorblindness, spiritual bypass, white fragility, and implicit bias) in contemplative science, Western Buddhist communities, and secular mindfulness centers, which block the sizeable contributions possible in studying the intergroup application of mindfulness practice—specifically Lovingkindness Meditation, among others—when used as an intervention with anti-racist aims. Through secondary qualitative research, I reviewed six key works from Black authors on mindfulness and race, as well as six sample studies on the prosocial benefits of mindfulness, mindfulness for racial healing, and mindfulness for the African American community. My findings are that the six key works from Black authors can be used in tandem and that these authors are due sizable professional acknowledgement. This thesis suggests that, for racial justice, there is an interconnection between intergroup research, studies for racial healing, and studies safely incorporating the needs and participation of Black participants, as well as other stigmatized groups. I ultimately propose that mindfulness studies has a foundation to build upon with forms of measurement and models that are ready for application and improvement if only we move beyond the hyperfocus on the individual benefits of mindfulness for white people
Joining the Advocacy Conversation: How Dance/Movement Therapy can Influence Shared Decision-Making Policy for Children Seeking Grief Support: A Literature Review
Get PDFThe intention if this capstone thesis is to bring awareness to the current state of children’s grief support services and how dance/movement therapy can be used to address the areas where growth is required. The capacity of dance/movement therapy to facilitate the cocreation of improved grief support services lies in its ability to be used as an advocacy tool for children to process and express their experiences with grief. In collaboration with the shared decision-making model, the information gained from dance/movement therapy exploration can help children communicate their experiences with grief to those who have the power to shift how current grief support services are implemented. By analyzing the available research using a literature review format, three major themes surfaced. These themes include understanding children’s unique experiences with grief, the need to create grief support services that respond appropriately to presenting needs and advocating for the implementation of those services. When children’s voices are considered in the advocacy conversations that affect them, services can be structured to more effectively accommodate their needs. Based on these findings a tailored grief support framework for children was created outlining how to integrate the key takeaways from this research
Music Therapy Program Development in a Hospital Setting: A Critical Review of Literature
Get PDFThis capstone is a critical review of literature regarding development of music therapy programs in general hospital settings within the United States. This document will assist in defining important aspects of program success and serve to help better advocate for music therapy programs, creative arts therapies, and well-being programs functioning within a traditional general hospital setting. This capstone thesis presents key elements of successful music therapy program development, as proposed by in-field music therapist interview, studies utilizing music therapy in general hospital settings to serve both patients, hospital staff, and community outreach, suggestions for arts in health curricular development, and lastly consideration for the future including Telehealth music therapy and community endeavors. There is still much research to be done and to increase upon what is discussed within this literature review as the social, cultural, musical and healthcare landscape changes amidst a global pandemic and an ever-expanding field of arts in healthcare settings proceeds. This research shows that even though there is a large amount of research on music therapy in medical settings, standardization of the field, education and advocacy remain important as the field grows to meet the culture it operates within and the needs of the diverse communities that music therapy serves
Black Deaths Matter: Critically Understanding Black Female Clinicians’ Perspectives About Suicide In Black Communities
Get PDFSuicide is a multi-faceted human experience that threatens and harms Black communities. Historical data, critical theories, and extant research literature suggest that such threats and harms result from interactions between macrosystemic systemic forces and individual level meaning-making processes. To explore the dynamic and nuanced complexities between systemic forces and deaths often labelled “suicides” in contemporary U.S. Black communities, this project centered and amplified the critical perspectives of fourteen Black female clinicians. Because of their marginalized identities, intersectional lived experiences, critical orientation, and clinical training, these participants were well-positioned to analyze and understand the degrees to which suicides in Black communities are associated with oppressive macrosystemic dynamics and/or individual-level psychological factors. Narrative inquiry and aspects of the Listening Guide voice-centered method (LG)—specifically I poem development—highlighted voices of intersectional consciousness, systemic shaming, and internalized anti-Black shame. These voices illuminated six central themes for critically understanding suicide in Black communities: shame, hopelessness, trauma, racism, systemic problems, and fear. Participants also noted that violence, anger, and guilt shaped their perspectives to a lesser degree. To address these themes’ harmful, suicide-potentiating effects on Black communities, language, research, policy, professional association, and psychosocial assessment and intervention reforms are discussed
Examining the Role and Benefits of DMT in Adults with Down syndrome: A Critical Review of the Literature
Get PDFThis critical literature review investigates the use of dance/movement therapy (DMT) as a form of treatment for adults diagnosed with Down syndrome (DS). It examines how DMT can help adults with DS achieve higher functioning, enhanced well-being, and realize a greater sense of self-identity. The existing literature includes research studies, peer-reviewed articles, juried journals, theses, and dissertations which address how DMT has been used alone or in conjunction with other expressive therapies, to improve the overall quality of life in adults with DS. The material reviewed is organized according to the outcomes and benefits conferred upon adults with DS who have engaged in DMT as a form of treatment. The discussion addresses the strengths and weaknesses of the literature reviewed, to suggest the need for further research to better understand the psychological and emotional impact that DMT has on adults with DS
Building Character by Building Characters: A Literature Review Examining the Efficacy of Tabletop Roleplay as a Creative Intervention for Developing Social Skills in Adolescents
Get PDFIn the realm of tabletop roleplay games, Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) earned a reputation as the most prolific franchise within the genre and has since prevailed as a popular bonding activity for peer groups of all ages and backgrounds. Among the player base in the D&D community are those that gleaned its potential to offer a conducive space for personal growth, particularly in the realm of psychosocial development, given that D&D sessions facilitated dynamic social interactions among the members. The emphasis on imagination in D&D nurtures the tenets of intermodal expression, as players are encouraged to explore their creativity through the embodiment of their character in addition to engaging in the fictional play-space, which appeals to such concepts in expressive arts therapy as in expanding the range of play by decentering into an alternative reality or alternative world experience. This literature review desired to address the gap in literature analyzing D&D as a creative tool for social skills development, especially for adolescents who are in the process of cultivating their unique personalities. Recommendations for utilizing this method in a therapeutic setting were provided in addition to a fully conceptualized outline for a ten-week group curriculum which may act as a springboard for inspiring future endeavors in incorporating D&D roleplay with the selected population