Dissertation Oral Defenses
This dissertation examines the deep-seated recognition of a Goddess in Hindu culture and iconography. It describes the history of Hindu traditions giving special attention to anthropomorphic images of divinity and the reemergence of the feminine principle. Reflections extend from the most ancient source of Hindu mythology, the Indus Valley civilization, into contemporary interpretations of Tantrik…
This research seeks to deepen understanding of the body’s role in becoming conscious. Using literary hermeneutic methodology with a somatic depth psychological lens, this dissertation interprets materials from the disciplines of depth psychology, developmental theory, neuroscience and affective neurobiology, and psychopharmacology. Integrating these areas of expertise supports the understanding that the body is the essential…
This study is an investigation of nondual experiences with the intention to describe their essences and their meaning for six co-researchers, using Clark Moustakas’ Heuristic research methodology. Additionally, it examined the impact of these nondual experiences on their emotional wellbeing, sense of self, and their relationships, in an effort to determine the psychological benefits and…
The present study aims to ascertain some of the archetypal underpinnings of the experience of paternal postpartum depression using the Descriptive Phenomenological Methodology of Giorgi (2009). The intention is to produce a phenomenological description of archetypal themes and patterns as they emerge in the reported experiences of fathers experiencing or having experienced emotional duress during…
In an era of ecological and social crises, this study aims to better understand relationships between humans and nature. More specifically, this research seeks to identify experiences which might shed light on the perceived, but problematic, psychological disconnection between humans and nature in the Western world, about which many ecopsychologists have written. Employing ecopsychological and…
The purpose of this research was to investigate the transformative learning experiences of formerly incarcerated participants in The Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP), a three-level experiential training program in nonviolent conflict resolution. It explores participants’ interpretation of changes in their mindsets about violence and nonviolence following intensive training in AVP transformative and constructionist pedagogies while…
This hermeneutic study explores potential connections between Carl Jung’s idea of the number four representing wholeness and possible archetypal profiles of the four classical elements of fire, earth, air, and water. Viewed as archetypal symbols of potential psychic functions, the elements may present as patterns within psyche, building a possible bridge between alchemical processes of…
The purpose of this historical-humanistic hermeneutic inquiry is to explore the psychological and cultural emergence of the head huntress of the Holy Scriptures, Salome, daughter of Herodias, princess of Judea, as evidenced through the Modern era circumscribed by the turn of the 20th century, showcasing the lives and creative output of Oscar Wilde and C.…
Based on literary, historical, anthropological, and psychological data scholars have formed a post-modern concept of Dionysus that expresses him as a timeless and exceptional god originating from ancient Greece. Dionysus’ unique personality is antithetical even unto itself and has therefore been difficult to rationalize beyond assumptions concerning the god’s historical lineage. Mythographer and psychoanalyst Rafael…
The purpose of this inquiry was to develop a depth psychological understanding of immigration as a liminal experience. The Free Association Narrative Interview (FANI) method derived meaning from the lived experiences of five recent immigrants from both Western and Eastern cultures. Emergent themes referenced the expanded understanding of immigration as a process of homecoming, perceived…
During the early seventeenth century, the witch hysteria engulfing Europe reached its height in the Basque territory of Spain. There, between 1609-1611, members of the Spanish Inquisition tried and executed a number of the local residents as witches. Though the historical trauma of this “witch burning” time took place over four hundred years ago, I…
This study utilizes a heuristic methodology to seek answers to several questions regarding a depth psychological approach to canine-assisted therapy. First and foremost, the study investigates why canine-assisted therapy is important as a psychotherapeutic modality, and secondly, it seeks to identify the benefits that patients, therapists, and dogs receive from their engagement in such a…
The provisional construct “moral injury” has been proposed as a means to recognize the impact of certain stressor events commonly encountered in war, yet excluded from the current definition of postraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), especially the psychological consequences of moral violations, whether experienced as perpetrator, witness, or victim. Although frequently co-morbid and exhibiting similar syndromes…
A great deal of material has been written about Chinese religion. Unfortunately, only a small fraction of this has covered the folk religion, and even less time has been spent on divination and magical practice. Operating from an engaged scholar methodology, this dissertation offers a partial remedy to this situation. Through both field study and…
This research explores whether the predominance of Logos in science, privileging dispassion and analysis, and the absence of Eros, privileging emotion and relationship, have detrimental effects on scientists and on society. The inner world of science and scientists was explored through a study of Greek deities, who serve as archetypes of different modes of being.…
This interpretive phenomenological analysis research study examined the lived experience of Traveling Environmental Workers (TEW) in light of their attachments to home and place. Four participants were asked a series of open-ended questions regarding their experiences and were encouraged to share their thoughts and feelings about their occupation. The findings included stories of emotional encounters…
Dreams are the wellsprings for embracing aspects of the self and the community that have been split off, denied, and repressed. The intent of this research is to invite interested individuals to draw on the images that arise from shared dreams situated in the world of the post-Soviet Ukrainian psyche. When the figures and images…
This hermeneutic research journey begins with the premise that Jung’s and Corbin’s works presuppose a visionary capacity far removed from the experience of most people. In Corbin, this capacity is associated with an apparitional imaginal world and creative Imagination depicted in Islamic Sūfism as accessible only to mystics. Hillman’s writings in archetypal psychology, which are…
In the Middle Ages the cardinal virtue Prudence is revered and her depiction widespread. In the modern era, however, few Westerners esteem Prudence or can recognize her iconography. This dissertation describes what happens to her personification between the sixth and twenty-first centuries by examining cultural artifacts ranging from Constantinople to the United States using content…
Through an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) research design, this dissertation explores the experience of psychotherapists who engage in mindfulness-based psychotherapeutic approaches. The principal research question is, “How does mindfulness appear in the professional setting as a psychotherapeutic modality?” This research identifies and explores common themes that arise for participants. The common themes were: (1) Formal…
