Dissertation Oral Defenses

This study explores the theoretical intersection of philosophy and psychoanalysis with consideration of the hermeneutic-interpretive tradition and the phenomenology of consciousness as the theoretical and practical foundation for psychoanalysis. This paper places emphasis on key contemporary psychoanalytic models, namely relational theory and intersubjective systems theory (IST), and examines these theories in light of Freudian and…

Separation from nature, in all of its forms, rests upon the illusion of self and the universe as separate and discrete subjects. This conception of self is deeply woven into contemporary Western culture. The research framework for this exploration utilizes heuristic inquiry. Depth psychological approaches supplement and support the understanding generated by heuristic inquiry and…

Eye contact is central to the process of attachment, and hence intrapsychic and interpersonal development. This study shows how strabismus, a congenital eye condition, produces loss of vital eye contact with mother, and consequently loss of emotional connection with her, during the earliest days of life. This loss contributes to a rupture that arrests emotional…

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of physicians in the process of healing within the context of our current medical system. As an autoethnographic study it explores the healing process from wounds the researcher experienced as a physician, teacher, student, and at times a sick patient. This study reflects on the…

This study explores what happened that led a woman with long term recovery from a severe substance use disorder back into active addiction. Recovery over the long term requires ongoing personal development and involves awareness and interaction between both conscious and unconscious aspects of the psyche. Long term recovery was likened to C.G. Jung’s concept…

Psychological studies of the lives of competitive swimmers focus primarily on training and competition, rather than life experience as a whole. Addressing the need for research in this area, this narrative inquiry draws on Jungian and archetypal psychology to explore the archetypal patterns and themes shaping the swimmer’s life, both inside and outside the pool.…

Both her feminine subjectivity and extensive time frame (ranging from 1914-1974), make the works of Anaïs Nin’s an important example of the depth and range of self-exploration, perhaps more so than in previous writers. Nin was committed to a creative process inclusive of psyche, the body and aesthetics derived from her own life experiences. This…

This dissertation explores how desire is a motivator for individual change and growth. The conscious presence of material desires is often a driving force of tension between the mind and body. Examining how the body communicates biologically aids in our understanding of some of the conflicts that arise in the individual psyche. By understanding the…

The practice of yoga is far more powerful than it is currently being given credit for in the West. It is seen as primarily a physical practice, but the benefits of yoga reach far beyond the body and mind. Yoga is capable of producing emotional, spiritual, and psychological wholeness—benefits that are not being fully explored…

The purpose of this hermeneutic study was to explore how concepts from the empirical turn in the philosophy of technology could be used to understand the expanding roles of technologies in clinical psychological issues. We live surrounded by advancing technologies with accelerating development. However, depth psychology has a notable lack of the vocabulary, frameworks, and…

Television, purveyor of episodic story and moving image, the glowing hearth of countless homes, is an undeniably powerful force in contemporary Western culture. It is a veritable god to many of us. When we invite Television into our living rooms and bed-rooms, we enter into relationship with a mythological sibling of the ancient Greek god…

Links between shame and art making have been felt, intuited, and examined but have not been sufficiently documented in depth psychological studies. This research explores the relationship between creating assemblage art and shame; effectively asking: can assemblage art help to re-assemble the self? The study surveys depth psychological conceptions of shame, art, and the role…

Traumatic wounds do not simply disappear over time. The results of war, starvation, and racial abuses imprint themselves biologically and psychologically within individuals and entire cultures, carrying forward unwittingly to new generations. This dissertation studies the transgenerational effects of Jewish historical trauma in the wake of protracted anti-Semitic persecution culminating in the Nazi Holocaust. The…

The purpose of this participatory, mythologically oriented on-line study was to determine if working with mythic artifacts in an imaginal manner as a form of self-care results in enhanced well-being among long-term caregivers. The on-line workshop for adult women caring for a parent uses caregiving topics paired with mythic narratives and encourages journal writing to…

Current birthing practices in the United States focus on the outcome and location of birth: surgical or vaginal, medicated or un-medicated, hospital or home. Little focus is placed on the multivalent experience of body, mind, spirit and psyche. After an unwanted birth by cesarean, well-meaning nurses and friends often say, “Be happy! Your baby is…

The introduction argues that our ability to reevaluate existing mythologies and worldviews requires a critical engagement with the world. War, global capitalism, climate change, toxic emissions, urbanization, and distribution of territory have triggered dramatically negative changes to the planet— changes that many artists are attempting to address. In chapter 2 the intention is to show…

The purpose of this study is to better understand the impact of early relational trauma of individuals adopted during their toddler years, between 18 months and 36 months old. A phenomenological approach was employed to collect and analyze data from interviews with eight individuals adopted during toddlerhood. Each participant completed the Adult Attachment Interview, a…

he purpose of this study was to describe the phenomenological experience of men who identify ethnically as Mexican American. In the research literature, group identification, microaggressions, cultural complexes, and archetypes were shown to influence the quality of the experience for individuals of this ethnic group. To identify these processes in individuals this qualitative study gathered…

In 1975, James Hillman published Re-Visioning Psychology, which is perhaps his most important book, and certainly constitutes one of the main texts in archetypal psychology. This dissertation argues that the ideas presented by Hillman forty years ago have lost much of their psychological value, and are again in need of revisioning. In order to execute…

This depth-oriented study focuses on narratives shared by six women about their midlife transition experience and the evolution of their self-expression. Truth-telling is generally defined as a person’s willingness and dedication to speaking her own personal truth regardless of the consequences. The narratives of the six postmenopausal women, including the researcher, who participated in this…