<p> This study is an exploration into the profound, life-altering experiences that a small sampling of mothers had while giving birth. The primary question addressed is "What is the nature of experiences that can occur for the mother during childbirth?" A group of 15 mothers in the United States was asked to share the experiences they had during childbirth, highlighting those elements that they define as profound, spiritual, transformational, and/or empowering. </p><p> The research was conducted as a narrative and visual arts inquiry, using an initial survey, semi-structured interviews, and an art creation process to produce visual expressions of experiences. Also included is an autobiographical element created from the researcher's experiences of childbirth. While the individual experiences varied, the stories revealed eight general themes that are explored using elements of the narratives and a coding of the art images, resulting in several trends. Through narrative and art, the individual experiences of the mothers are shared, emergent themes are analyzed, and a larger picture of profound childbirth experiences is shown. The nature of profound experiences during birth is highlighted in this study, as are the universal elements of birth.</p>

Humility is an integral virtue within Benedictine spiritual traditions. It is also the subject of a burgeoning body of empirical literature in the field of psychology. This dissertation undertakes an interdisciplinary dialogue between Benedictine spirituality and contemporary psychological science, exploring the potential for both fields to mutually inform as well as critique respective understandings of humility. Scholarship in Benedictine spirituality has not shown substantial engagement with the field of psychology around the topic of humility since the 1980’s. Likewise, no in-depth analysis of the Benedictine spirituality of humility has been conducted within psychology, despite increasing interest in interdisciplinary projects among psychologists of spirituality and religion. In the body of this dissertation, chapter one sets out to locate this project within the disciplines of practical theology, spirituality studies, and the psychology of religion and spirituality. It also describes the methods used in this dissertation, with particular focus on the dynamics of mutually critical correlation, a method that gives room for both fields to inform, critique, and question the other around their positions regarding the theory and practice of humility. Chapter two presents an in-depth exploration of Benedictine humility, focusing in particular on themes in the Rule of St. Benedict as well as different contemporary interpretations of humility that have emerged over the last thirty years. Chapter three then offers an exploration of the contemporary state of the psychology of humility, documenting the growing body of research on this subject over the last two decades. Chapter four moves into the interdisciplinary analysis of this dissertation, inquiring how contemporary psychological research on humility could potentially inform Benedictine spirituality. Chapter five then switches to consider how insights and perspectives on humility from Benedictine traditions can also inform theoretical perspectives on humility within psychology, as well as applications in psychological interventions that integrate spirituality. Finally, a concluding chapter highlights some points of learning regarding interdisciplinary research on humility in spirituality and psychology, along with questions for future research and a final selection of key points for practice in both fields.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:38:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Filipe Freitas de Souza.pdf: 1241537 bytes, checksum: f2c6deb6b83fee929968d88006151b12 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-12-11 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / With this research, I sought to understand how seventh-day adventist students of a Psychology graduation class, relate Psychology and Spirituality in a thematical discussion group with the possibility of approximation between these areas in a psychologist s training. As a theoretical reference, I used the ideas on Psychology and Spirituality as presented by Kenneth Pargament. This qualitative research was directed towards understanding the life experiences of the aforementioned students as manifested orally or through written accounts. A discussion group composed of six voluntary female adventist students in their last semester of a Psychology graduation class was formed. The four proposed topics for discussion were: 1) The Concept of Spirituality; 2) Dealing with Spirituality in Psychotherapy; 3) A Psychotherapist s Training and Spirituality; and 4) Spirituality itself. The discussions were recorded and the analysis was conducted in accordance with Pargament s proposals, while keeping an open mind on the contributions of other authors associated to the objective of this research. The analysis located fifty units of meaning grouped into four topics: 1) Spirituality; 2) Psychology and Spirituality; 3) Psychology, Spirituality and Psychotherapy ; and 4) Psychologist s Training and Spirituality. This lead to the conclusion that the adventist students of the Psychology graduation class show interest in the topic of Spirituality and desire to better appreciate the two fields in order to offer the client integral care, but also admit a lack of preparation to act in this matter / Nesta pesquisa busquei compreender como alunas adventistas de um curso de graduação em Psicologia relacionam a Psicologia e a Espiritualidade em um grupo temático, a fim de refletir sobre as possibilidades de aproximação entre essas áreas na formação do psicólogo. Utilizei como referencial teórico as ideias sobre Psicologia e Espiritualidade apresentadas por Kenneth Pargament. Tratou-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa, voltada à compreensão de vivências das alunas, manifestadas verbalmente e por meio de relatos. Foi realizado um grupo temático composto por seis alunas adventistas do último semestre de um curso de graduação em Psicologia que se apresentaram como voluntárias. Os quatro temas propostos para os encontros foram o conceito de espiritualidade; o manejo da espiritualidade na psicoterapia; a formação do psicoterapeuta e a espiritualidade; e a própria espiritualidade. Os encontros foram gravados e a análise foi realizada em diálogo com as propostas de Pargament, mantendo-se um olhar aberto às colocações de outros autores relacionadas ao objetivo da pesquisa. A análise localizou 50 unidades de significado, agrupadas em 4 temas: Espiritualidade; Psicologia e Espiritualidade; Psicologia, Espiritualidade e atendimento clínico; e Formação do Psicólogo e a Espiritualidade. Permitiu concluir que as alunas adventistas do curso de graduação em Psicologia apresentam interesse no assunto espiritualidade e mostram vontade de apreciar os dois campos para atender o cliente de forma completa, mas reconhecem a falta de preparo para atuar com esse assunto

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:39:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Denise de Assis.pdf: 722962 bytes, checksum: 9a11e6a17f4fc023059bbb171b6afffd (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-05-07 / In the beginning of his career, in the late 19th century, Freud tried to establish a theory based on Physics in an attempt to explain hysteria. However, as he discovered the issues related to the unconscious, he abandoned the idea and founded Psychoanalysis in the beginning of the 20th century, with his work The Interpretation of Dreams. Throughout the 20th century, the object of study of Physics grew from the laws relating the matter to mental processes. Using the Lacanian reading and the reflection under the new concepts of Physics in relation to mental processes, this work tries to establish a dialogue between Psychoanalysis and Physics, with the purpose of developing a way to understand the mystical experiences as distinct from the psychotic phenomena / Freud, no início de sua carreira (fim do século XIX), tentou fundamentar uma teoria baseada na Física com o objetivo de explicar o fenômeno da histeria. No entanto, ao descobrir as questões relacionadas ao inconsciente, abandonou esta ideia e inaugurou a Psicanálise no início do século XX, com a obra A Interpretação dos Sonhos. No decorrer do século XX, o objeto de estudo da Física se ampliou das leis que regem a matéria aos processos mentais. A partir da leitura lacaniana e de uma reflexão sob os novos conceitos da Física a respeito dos processos mentais, este trabalho procura estabelecer um diálogo entre a Psicanálise e a Física com vistas a desenvolver um modo de compreender as experiências místicas como distintas dos fenômenos psicóticos