Dissertation Oral Defenses

Classical, scientific, and Abrahamic origin stories of knowledge establish grounds. Upon excavating these grounds, this dissertation has found repeated and entangled emphases on isolation related to a materially grounded cosmology. The core evidence for this position comes from their comparable displays of the psyche/mind/soul/spirit’s entry into and/or imprisonment within body, the symbolic restraint of Classical…

This study examined women’s experiences before, during and after having bariatric surgery. By conducting an in-depth qualitative examination of the lived experiences of women who have had bariatric surgery, this dissertation sought to provide a framework for psychotherapists to assist patients with pre-surgical assessment, as well as with the provision of psychotherapy to bariatric patients…

This research study offers a revisioning of Black women’s rage, which is typically viewed as a destructive emotion offering no value to modern society. Through the use of multiple methodologies—alchemical hermeneutics, literary textual analysis, and a focus group—and examined through the theoretical lenses of depth psychology, mythology, Black feminism, and Black women’s literature, this dissertation…

The purpose of this research is to better understand the birth of psychoanalytic theories in the context of collaboratory and adversarial relationships. From the 1920’s, there were seminal papers that revealed theoretical variances which impacted collegial relationships and vice versa. Melanie Klein’s theoretical identity attracted attention as she transformed her observations of child play into…

Hidden within the many distractions of our modern day culture are people who have faced some of the darkest aspects of life and its unthinkable circumstances.  These same people have also triumphed over their difficulties in extraordinary ways.  This qualitative research dissertation explores the deep structure of numinous events in times of crisis and how…

Anorexia nervosa has been viewed as a culturally “Western” and modern disorder. Few researchers have seen the pattern of starvation in women as a violent protest in opposition to the devaluation of the feminine principle. This demonstration is directed toward one’s self and acted out against the body. Today, we see anorexia as a struggle…

The central hypothesis of this dissertation is that when an infant undergoes severe trauma, a phenomenon similar to the state of tonic immobility occurs, a concept that defines a reaction often observed in animals when faced with immediate danger. In psychological terms, one can observe what happens when the core self splits from the body,…

Jung’s theory of psychological types has often been marginalized by traditional Jungians for its complexity, misuse, opaqueness, and lack of depth. A proliferation of personality assessments exacerbates this shortcoming by operationalizing Jung’s theory through the introduction of quantitative measures. Scant attention has been paid to the relevance of psychological types with respect to unconscious aspects…

The Navajo deity, Changing Woman is not well known in the pantheon of goddesses, but she is everywhere. She is Earth, Feminine Creator, spirit, Feminine Spirit, Holy Spirit, breath, voice, the “Wisdom Feminine of the Old Testament, Ruach of Judaic thought, The Shekinah of the Cabbalists, Sophia of Gnosticism” (Moon, “Changing Woman” 164-165). She represents…

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/affective neurobiology and psychopharmacology. Integrating these areas of expertise supports the understanding that the body is the essential source of…