Dissociation may be broadly described as a subjective experience in which information from the individual's internal or external environment is not appropriately integrated into conscious awareness, memory or identity. A number of studies have found an association between dissociative experience and anxious arousal, and in particular, between dissociation and trauma. Recent reviews suggest the existence of an unspecified mediating variable that accounts for these associations. The present study compared dissociative experiences reported by a community sample (N = 74) and a sample of individuals with a range of anxiety disorders (N = 20). The potential influence of anxiety sensitivity was a particular focus. Participants completed a battery of measures assessing dissociative experience, anxious arousal, social anxiety, generalised anxiety, panic and agoraphobia, traumatic experience and posttraumatic stress in addition to measures of anxiety sensitivity and substance use. Participants in the anxiety group reported a greater variety and frequency of dissociative experiences, particularly of experiences considered to be pathological in nature. Elevated dissociation scores were associated with somatic symptoms of anxiety, social anxiety, generalised anxiety, agoraphobia and posttraumatic stress. No association between trauma exposure and dissociation was evident; however, trauma intensity was associated with dissociation in the anxiety group. Symptoms of depersonalisation / derealisation and absorption were most strongly associated with increased anxiety. Anxiety Sensitivity accounted for more of the variance in dissociation scores than did measures of expressed anxiety. These results suggest that anxiety sensitivity may account for the relationship between trauma anxiety and dissociation. Therapeutic intervention directed at anxiety sensitivity, particularly fear of cognitive discontrol, may prove helpful in treating dissociative detachment.

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This thesis examines the coexistence of traumatic themes and Masonic content in the work of contemporary visual artists. The project originated with a discovery of the depiction in my own artwork, produced in the context of a professional art career, of traces of terrifying early initiatory experiences in the context of a Masonic Lodge and using Masonic ritual and regalia. A number of key Masonic authors suggest that the Order draws on a mixed ancestry that contains not only the orderly and sombre rituals based on the practices of the early cathedral builders, but also initiatory rites from various cult groups of the Classical world that involve a course of severe and arduous trials. Recent research by scholars examining cult practices has indicated the existence of Masonic ritual abuse of children, based on the reports of a substantial number of survivors in western countries. Premised on this discovery, the thesis constitutes a feminist and interdisciplinary investigation into the impact of hidden fraternal initiation practices on the production of contemporary art. Examining Masonic themes, symbols and allegories in the context of the contemporary debates about trauma, the thesis initially argues that the concepts used to describe the impact of trauma on the individual psyche may be observed in symbolic form in the rites and practices of the Masonic tradition. This leads into an exploration of the work of five high profile international contemporary artists - the American artists Matthew Barney, Bruce Nauman and Paul McCarthy, an early career painter Mark Ryden, and the Australian artist Ken Unsworth - as case studies, arguing that similar traces of initiatory trauma, along with Masonic references, may be identified in their work. Incorporating insights from trauma theory, scholarly discussions of initiation rites and ritual abuse, combined with knowledge of Masonic practices, this groundbreaking study sheds new light on these artists' work, in particular, on those aspects of the work that have hitherto remained obscure and perplexing for critics. The thesis also includes an examination of my own artwork in this light.

Zugl.: Bern, Fachhochsch. für Soziale Arbeit, Diplomarbeit, 2007

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Regis University, Denver, Colo., 2007. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Jan 17, 2008). Includes bibliographical references.

Landau (Pfalz), Universiẗat, Diss., 2005--Koblenz. / Literaturverz.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Texas, May, 2008. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wyoming, 2007. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Nov. 3, 2008). Includes bibliographical references (p. 31-39).

Zugl.: Berlin, Humboldt-Univ., Diplomarbeit, 2007

Thesis ( MEdPsych)--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (M.Sc. (Physiology))--Mahidol University, 1982.