Massey Documents by Type

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/294

Browse

Start date: 2021Subject: search.filters.subject.Psychic trauma

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    An exploration of factors that have facilitated and constrained access, adoption and availability of mind-body therapies as adjunctive interventions to treat trauma-related conditions in Aotearoa, New Zealand : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology at Massey University - Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa, Albany, Aotearoa New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2025-06-29) Standing, Meredith
    This qualitative study explores factors that facilitate and constrain the use of mind-body interventions to treat trauma-related conditions in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ). The phenomenon explored references mind-body therapies as an adjunctive treatment option with a focus on trauma-sensitive yoga. This study is intended to examine mind-body interventions as a complementary treatment approach and augmentation of interventions such as cognitive behavioural therapies and other validated, evidence-based approaches to treating trauma-related conditions. There is a significant body of literature that supports the use of talk therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, to treat symptoms associated with trauma-related mental health conditions. Recent research has revealed that in many cases, trauma cannot be resolved through interventions that utilise talk therapies alone, as trauma, according to some theorists, is located not only in the core of the brain but also within the body. A practical treatment approach to mitigate individual experiences of trauma is to integrate Western psychological talk therapy approaches with those that focus on calming the nervous system, such as trauma-sensitive yoga, romiromi, mindfulness, and somatic experiencing. The current study highlights factors across the social system that have facilitated and constrained the access, adoption, and availability of mind-body therapies as complementary approaches for treating trauma-related conditions in the NZ context. Findings in the current study highlight that in the NZ context, few factors have facilitated access, adoption and availability of mind-body therapies as adjunctive interventions to treat trauma-related mental health conditions. A more significant number of factors, it appears, have constrained access, adoption and availability of mind-body therapies. Findings illuminate an overall positive attitude toward the utility of mind-body therapies as adjunctive treatments for trauma-related conditions, which highlights the potential for greater use of such interventions in the NZ setting.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Resistance, healing and empowerment through autobiographical therapeutic performance–– 愛，媽媽 (Love, Mum) : a solo matrilineal memoir and autoethnographic inquiry on Chinese womanhood and ‘The good woman’ ideal : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Creative Writing at Massey University, New Zealand. EMBARGOED until 30 July 2027.
    (Massey University, 2024) Lam, Cynthia Hiu Ying
    My research is an autoethnographic inquiry that employs creative and critical methodologies to examine the question: How does the process of writing and performing one’s life experiences and trauma act as a form of resistance to the dominant ‘good woman’ narrative, leading to personal healing, empowerment and transformation? Through the creation of my one-woman show, 愛，媽媽 (Love, Mum), a matrilineal memoir about three generations of Chinese women, I investigate how the creative process involving the writing, rehearsing and performance of my play can become a form of resistance and counter-storying against the dominant ‘good woman’ narrative, leading to personal healing and empowerment. I begin by discussing the historical context of the virtuous Chinese woman, and present research by scholars who demonstrate that depression in women contains a gendered lens, resulting from the socio-cultural pressures of living up to the ‘good woman’ ideal. My analysis uses the methodological framework of autobiographical/autoethnographic therapeutic performance (ATP). This is a method that focuses on the working through of personal traumatic material through writing and performance. My research utilises a transdisciplinary praxis, combining both arts-based and psychoanalytic theories and practice related to trauma recovery and the healing processes of ATP. My investigation is autoethnographic and deeply personal as my own life experience and creative process is used to answer my research question, as well as shining a light on the socio-cultural structures we live in. Employing a mixture of creative practice, personal reflection, theoretical examination, and a close reading of my play script and performance, I demonstrate how the creative process I went through has led to a form of personal healing and transformation, with the potential to impact and engage with the wider community.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Media exposure to trauma, psychotherapy, and false memories : a recipe for disaster? : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2022) Sievwright, Olivia
    The proliferation of social media use in recent years has meant individuals are at increased risk of being exposed to images of real-life violence and trauma. This issue, along with growing concerns about the inaccessibility of formal psychological therapy, raises questions about the demand for computer-delivered therapeutic interventions. However, previous research has raised concerns about the potential for some therapeutic techniques to increase susceptibility to misinformation (e.g., Houben et al., 2018). In this thesis, I aimed to test the effects of a computerised trauma intervention on trauma memory vividness, emotional intensity, and susceptibility to misinformation. Experiment One describes novel procedures and materials for investigating misinformation effects in an online context. Participants (N = 99) completed the study online. They first watched a 10-minute video of a fictional school shooting. Between five and ten days later, they were randomly assigned to receive misinformation or no misinformation about the video before completing a recognition test. Misinformed participants were less accurate at discriminating between misinformation and true statements than control participants. This effect was most strongly supported by ROC analyses (Cohen’s d = 0.59, BF10 = 8.34). The study showed the misinformation effect can be established in an online experiment using candid violent viral-style video stimuli. The novel materials developed in Experiment One were employed in a second experiment to test the misinformation potential of Cognitive Bias Modification – Appraisal (CBM-App) training; a computerised trauma intervention. In Experiment Two, participants viewed the school shooting video and rated the vividness and emotionality of the video. They then received a post-trauma debrief via video before being randomly assigned to either complete the CBM-App training intervention or a control task. Participants again rated their memory vividness and emotionality. Five to ten days later, all participants re-rated their memory vividness and emotionality and then received misinformation about the trauma video. Lastly, participants completed a recognition test. Results showed CBM-App training successfully instilled a positive cognitive bias; however, the intervention had no effect on trauma memory vividness or emotionality. ROC analyses also demonstrated no effect of CBM-App training on susceptibility to misinformation. The present research raises questions about the efficacy of CBM-App training for reducing trauma-related distress. Moreover, findings suggest that while there is the potential for memory distortion in many therapeutic interventions, this may not be the case for CBM-App training. This research has implications for the CBM-App, misinformation, and trauma literature. It is hoped the present research provides a foundation for further research investigating therapeutic interventions and misinformation effects in an online trauma context.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Performing pūrākau : liberating bodies, healing wairua, and reclaiming ancestral wisdom : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2021) Pearse-Otene, Helen
    Studies by government agencies and advocacy groups report that Māori women and children are more vulnerable to experiencing family violence, sexual abuse, and incest than Pākehā. They acknowledge colonisation and historical trauma as contributing factors, and call for a systems-focused response to tackling sexual violence. This includes providing access to contextually responsive and culturally appropriate interventions. This study initially aimed to explore traditional Māori understandings of incest and healing from sexual trauma that are embedded in the pūrākau (ancestral story) of Hinetītama/Hinenui Te Pō, and her parents, Hineahuone and Tānemahuta. As it would apply a unique Māori theatre pedagogy called Theatre Marae, the project was then expanded to investigate the utility and potential of this innovative approach, which draws together Māori and non-Māori performance traditions, therapeutic models, Māori language, and customs in a process for creative inquiry. In pursuing these two activities, the resulting thesis comprises three publications. In the first article (chapter 2), I unpack the conceptual framework of Theatre Marae pedagogy as a suitable approach for kaupapa Māori (by Māori, for Māori) arts-based research against the backdrop of growing scholarship in Indigenous research and psychologies. In the second article (chapter 3), I deepen this exploration into Theatre Marae and its core methods within an historical account of the theatre company most associated with the practice, Te Rākau. The third article (chapter 4) builds on the preceding chapters by returning to the initial focus of this study and describing how Theatre Marae was applied in a performance-based analysis of this ancient pūrākau as a narrative of survival and healing. The analysis revealed new themes that highlight the collectivist customs of traditional Māori society as protective factors against the proliferation of sexual violence and incest. When drawn together in this thesis, these articles and contextualising discussion illustrate how Māori ancestral knowledge can inform the development of more culturally responsive therapies for recovery from historic sexual trauma. Furthermore, in presenting Theatre Marae to the realm of kaupapa Māori research, this thesis contributes to an international agenda to decolonise research in ways that are emancipatory, healing, and transformative for Indigenous communities.