<p> This thesis investigates spirituality as a tool to reduce interference in actor training. Interference is defined as anything that inhibits the actor from reaching full potential in performance. Actor training promises to prepare the actor for performance; however, the looming threat of anxiety often debilitates the actor, blocking him/her from reaching full potential. This thesis investigates spirituality as a tool to reduce interference, while exploring the relationship between the actor and fear. This thesis defines spirituality as a metaphysical power used to release habitual tension in the actor, and not as a religious term. Through Eastern practices, sports psychology, and techniques espoused by master teachers Michael Chekhov and Jerzy Grotowski, this thesis argues that harnessing the power of spirituality can be an effective way to reduce interference in performance.</p>

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Parish nursing is an emerging, innovative practice in faith communities. Christian parish nursing, as defined by the author, is a health promotion ministry, based in churches, the focus of which is preventative and in which faith and health are clearly linked and spiritual care is central. Development of parish nursing's theoretical base has not kept pace with the rapid expansion of its practical and educational programs since the initial project in 1985. The literature provides no evidence that existing nursing conceptual models have been critically evaluated as to their relative utility in, or compatibility with Christian parish nursing, and no particular existing model has yet become identified with the practice. The purpose of this dissertation was to develop a nursing conceptual model clearly grounded in an explicitly biblical Christian world-view. This model is primarily a product of the author's own process, including the personal activities of rational inquiry, intuition, meditation on biblical passages, contemplation, and prayer. Fourteen Christian nurses served as prayer partners in this process. The methodology also included review of literature (The Bible, theology, health/wellness, nursing theory and spiritual care), informal focus groups and interviews (with the national leaders in parish nursing in the U.S.). Twenty reviewers provided critiques of a draft of the model. The four major components of the model are: Person/Parishioner, HeaIth/Shalom-Wholeness, Nurse/Parish Nurse, and Community/Parish. The integrating component is The Triune God. Key concepts include stewardship, ministry, and communion. Underlying premises of this dissertation are that: (a) nurses' theoretical world-views affect nurses' professional actions, and (b) nurses can mutually benefit from the continuing processes of informing and allowing for comparative critiques of one another's models. Although intended primarily for parish nurses, the model may be useful for Christian nurses in other settings. It may also enhance understanding of how faith and health are linked in nursing practice. The model's grounding in Christian faith extends prior nursing theory development work. Its integration of basic Christian tenets and health promotion concepts thus contributes to the theoretical base of, and has implications for, future nursing theory development, practice, education and research. / Graduate

Ph.D., Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 2011 / Introduction: An increasingly important role for spirituality has been observed in health, mental health and psychiatry. In South Africa it has become particularly apparent in how the Western scientific biomedical model has increasingly been regarded as only one approach in parallel to local African traditional faith and healing practices. It is currently important for local psychiatrists themselves to consider from within the discipline, as to what they would judge the role of spirituality to be in specialist psychiatric practice and teaching. Methods: This study is an explorative, descriptive, contextual, phenomenological and theorygenerating qualitative investigation. In-depth, semi-structured interviews with individual academic specialist psychiatrists affiliated to a local South African university were conducted as primary data source. Considering selected journal articles from a review of the international literature as secondary data items, the content of the conducted interviews was subsequently compared and integrated with the content of the literature on the subject. A layered grounded analysis was made of the interview and literature content. Final categories of concepts were identified from the integrated content, as well as one single core concept for model construction. The elements of the core concept were defined by determining their dictionary (denotative) and subject (connotative) meaning. Essential and related criteria were established for the definition of each element. A practice-orientated model was developed based on the defined single core concept. The steps adopted for the construction of the model referred in particular to the methodology for nursing theory development. Results: The local interviews and the international literature revealed a strong consensus that the role of spirituality should be incorporated into the current approach to local specialist psychiatry, mainly because of its important role in the lives of people in general. Incorporation of this role should, however, only be considered within the parameters of the professional and ethical scope of the discipline, and with all faith traditions and belief systems accommodated equally. The model accounted for the two-fold nature of this central core concept, by drawing an analogy with the comparable counterbalanced two-directional transportation systems of large trees, to describe the structure and relationships of the elements of the concept. The model was operationalised, providing guidelines for its implementation in different practice and training scenarios. Discussion: The model may contribute to the acknowledgement of, and participation in, the discourse on the place of spirituality in local psychiatry, clinical medicine, health and mental health. Defining terminology, specifically what exactly “spirituality” and “religion” would mean in a particular scenario and for the study, proved to be one of the most critical elements of this investigation. Appropriate guidelines for clinical care, for ethical practice and training, and for the referral of patients to relevant spiritual professionals are necessary. Academic institutions in South Africa may have to reconsider their approach to the training of specialist psychiatry and of clinical medicine in general, in order to account for the currently increasingly important role of defined spirituality in local practice and training.

Contents -- CONVERSION: Christmas 1826-1976 (pg 3) -- LIBERMANN'S BAPTISM (pg 6) -- THE VENERABLE LIBERMANN AT ROME (pg 8) -- LIBERMANN'S RESPECT FOR PERSONS (pg 25) -- SECOND MEETING OF THE SPIRITAN STUDIES GROUP (pg 44) -- BIBLIOGRAPHY (pg 47) -- F. TIMMERMANS, Superior General

SPIRITAN PROFILES -- CONTENTS -- Preface - Spiritan Profiles: Research and Animation Centre (Pg. 5) -- Bishop Shanahan (1871-1943) protector of the oppressed and Liberator of Slaves: by Myles Fay, cssp (Pg. 6) -- Bishop Francis Xavier Vogt, (1870-1943). A true disciple of Father Libermann: by Joseph Balthazar, cssp and Michel Kieffer, cssp (Pg. 31) -- Father Jose Maria Felgueiras, (1911-1956). An authentic Spiritan hero: by F. Nogueira de Rocha, cssp (Pg. 48) -- Unedited letter of Father Libermann to M. Antoine Daveluy (Pg. 68) -- Bibliography (Pg. 72)

Joseph BOUCHAUD: LAVAL AND LIBERMANN. -- The approaching Beautification of Father Laval draws our attention not only to him but to his relations with Fr. Libermann, whose first missionary he was -- (pg 3) -- Mgr Jean GAY: HAS LIBERMANN ANY RELEVANCE TODAY? -- What should be remembered to-day of Father Libermann, his life and teaching -- (pg 22) -- Joseph LECUYER: FATHER LIBERMANN AND THE CURSE OF HAM -- The "Curse of Ham" spoken of in Genesis has often been applied to the Africans. On what is this view based and what did Fr. Libermann think of it? -- (pg 33) -- Frank COMERFORD: LOOKING BACK -- A brief synopsis of C.S.Sp. history in East Africa -- (pg 47) -- BIBLIOGRAPHY -- (pg 56)

Sean FARRAGHER: DISCOVERING POULLART DES PLACES -- Two Irish Spiritans, travelling in France, walk in the footsteps of POULLART DES PLACES -- (pg 3) -- Amadeu MARTINS: LIBERMANN, "MAN OF SUFFERINGS" -- LIBERMANN'S whole life was one of suffering. He suffered because of his epilepsy from which he was never fully cured. And, after the foundation of his Congregation, he suffered from the overwhelming burden of work and preoccupation to which it gave rise. -- (pg 30) -- ANNUAL MEETING OF THE SPIRITAN STUDIES GROUP -- (pg 57) -- A LETTER OF M. LE VAVASSEUR -- (pg 68) -- BIBLIOGRAPHY -- (pg 70) -- Brian Grogan, C.S.Sp. -- Sean Farragher, C.S.Sp.

CONTENTS -- Fr. Jean SAVOIE: THE SPIRITUAL PERSONALITY OF CLAUDE POULLART DES PLACES (Pg.3) -- Fr. Joseph BALTHASAR: LIBERMANN AT RUE LHOMOND (Pg. 27) -- Fr. Bernard KELLY: TWO TALKS IN RESPONSE TO THE QUESTION: How do we live our Spiritan spirituality so as to give "our" special witness in today's world, with reflection on the relevance (or otherwise) of our vocation to the youth of our time. -- I - WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT THINGS WOULD TURN OUT LIKE THIS! (Pg. 37) -- II - ONCE UPON A TIME (Pg. 45) -- Fr. Francois NICOLAS: WHAT WE DO AND WHAT WE ARE (Pg. 53) -- BIBLIOGRAPHY (Pg. 61)

CONTENTS -- Bernard TENAILLEAU: APOSTOLIC LIFE AND EXPERIENCE OF GOD, ACCORDING TO LIBERMANN -- Father Libermann attaches great importance to experiential knowledge of God in the apostolic life. He is in a strong position to do so, as he himself was a living witness to that (Pg. 3) -- Henry J. KOREN: PERMANENT VOCATION AND EXISTENCE &lt;&lt;FOREVER&gt;&gt; OF THE CONGREGATION (Pg. 23) -- Amadeu MARTINS: FIRST CENTENARY OF THE CHURCH IN ZAIRE (Pg. 27) -- THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE SPIRITAIN STUDIES GROUP (Pg. 33) -- BIBLIOGRAPHY (Pg. 39)