Public speaking has been found to be one of the greatest fears people face in their lifetime. Students, in particular, may feel extremely nervous about public speaking or the anticipated event of speaking to an audience. The purpose of this research study is twofold: (1) investigate the contemplative practice of mindfulness meditation, and (2) to understand the experiences of students who practice mindfulness meditation while enrolled (or previously enrolled) in a Public Speaking course at a community college. Data was collected using a Transcendental Phenomenology methodological approach. Moreover, methods used included open-ended, semi-structured interviews as well as descriptive field notes. Qualitative data was transcribed, coded and categorized into salient thematic findings. The findings of this study detail students’ perceptions about the use of mindfulness meditation. This study informs Public Speaking practitioners about how to proactively manage anxiety and uncertainty by employing contemplative practices to increase successful communication outcomes.

I work in the medium of song. A multidisciplinary artist and composer, I make work that is immersive, time-based and often participatory. I interact with landscape and the complexities of American history, bringing into focus local ecologies through the lens of song. This document accompanies my thesis performance The Sound of a Stone, an immersive exploration of song, language, ecology and locational listening performed in a 4-channel surround format. In the semi-improvised composition, I sample live vocals, mandolin and found natural objects in a combination of roots music traditions and experimental techniques. Utilizing the software Ableton Live to process and layer the samples in real time, I build a series of "songscapes" which connect to a specific site: the fall line of the James River. The Sound of a Stone premiered April 8, 2019 at Sonia Vlahcevic Concert Hall, W. E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia.

Many people in the United States suffer from substance dependence, which leads to depression, anxiety, work impairment, difficulties in interpersonal relationships, crime, and health care problems. Mindfulness meditation has been applied in many aspects of mental health treatment and all belief systems. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore substance dependents' experiences related to their mindfulness meditation practice of at least 6 months and up to 3 years. A constructivist conceptual framework, which states that human beings create systems for understanding reality based on their individual beliefs, emotions, and interpretations, was used for this study. Research questions focused on 4 themes: (a) substance dependents' experiences of cravings, (b) their experiences of emotional states or feelings, (c) their experiences of their behavioral actions, and (d) their explanations about the effectiveness of mindfulness techniques. Data were collected from in-depth interviews with 12 volunteer participants from a public meditation center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and they were analyzed using Moustakas' transcendental phenomenology framework. According to study results, positive social change may occur through increased understanding of varied emotional and behavioral states experienced by substance dependents as they strive for sobriety using mindfulness meditation techniques.

Long-term mindfulness meditation for anxiety, depression, pain and stress has not been adequately investigated in academic literature. The majority of literature in relation to mindfulness meditation and these ailments concerns Kabat-Zinn's Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. This is a short-term 6-8 week program that requires a licensed professional, is limited in availability, high cost, and combines other elements aside from mindfulness meditation, such as yoga, martial arts, group discussion, poetry and other teaching techniques meant to increase mindfulness concentration. Furthermore, efficacy studies, which have assessed the long-term impact of MBSR are inconclusive. Although these studies on long-term practice demonstrate a sustained positive impact from MBSR, they neglect the role that sustained individual practice and group practice played on participants. These participants continued long-term mindfulness meditation practice after the MBSR program had concluded. Moreover, there is a need to explore long-term mindfulness meditation and whether this is more efficacious regarding anxiety, depression, stress and pain than MBSR alone. This dissertation study explored, through 37 semi-structured qualitative interviews, the perceived effect of regular mindfulness meditation on practitioners in West Central Florida who have practiced longer than 6-8 weeks and maintain a consistent individual and group practice. No study of this kind is currently in existence. This exploratory study could provide further insight into dose-responses most beneficial for reducing anxiety, depression, stress and pain, and the potential role of mindfulness meditation alone in this relationship.

The thesis is the result of an inquiry into the experiences of a group of people engaged in a Buddhist inspired creative meditation program, the main practice of which is the recognition and honouring of the spiritual dimensions, the divinity of self and others. The study employed a heuristic process of examining 'inner world' experiences. The inquiry was collaborative in the sense that its findings were not those of one person alone, but were a compilation of the results of interactions within the group. The inquiry was based on the hypothesis that creative meditation can facilitate changes in a person's perception of self and the external world. The principal aim was to explore into that possibility and investigate the group members' thoughts and feelings as to the main function, significance and eventual outcome of their practice. The investigation seemed to show that for the core group participants there were changes in self-understanding involving more self-acceptance. Changes in attitudes to relationships of various kinds also took place and these also seemed to involve the development of a greater degree of acceptance. With some participants the association of the practice with favourable co-incidence was an interesting but inexplicable feature. For some there was an identification of mind sets which seemed to have a bearing on the quality of meditation experience and its outcomes. The title of the study refers to the manner in which the meditations were often generated. A mandala, a symbolic picture, was designed by each participant and the features of this were imagined to move, sometimes dancing, through the meditations which followed. The second sub-title refers to an integral feature of the practice which was an attempt to arouse a sense of the wonderful as a quality of the people who were imagined to appear in the meditations. / Master of Science (Hons) (Social Ecology)

This thesis describes an inquiry taken into the nature and genesis of landscapes experienced imaginally. The inquiry proceeds by introspection, by art making, and by exploring related writings. The terms pre-conceptual and pre-imaginal are used to refer to an unknowable dimension from which the conceptual and the imaginal rise, and attempts are made to confirm the conceptual and the imaginal as expressions and effects of this dimension. The possibilities of a continual interplay between the imaginal and the pre-imaginal in the inner life of writers and artists are explored. / Master of Arts (Hons)

Nietzsche is a name not often invoked in relation to the topic of responsibility. This study reveals, however, that his work engages vigorously with the problem of responsibility in modernity on both the conceptual and methodological levels. In the concept of &quote; bad conscience,&quote; Nietzsche presents a " dangerous and multi-coloured " alternative to the more monochrome varieties of self-consciousness which ground theories of individual responsibility in the work of other modern philosophers, such as Locke and Kant. The complexity of Nietzsche's approach to self-consciousness allows him to shed light on the range of interconnected practices of responsibility and irresponsibility that characterize modern life. It also raises pressing questions about the possibility and conditions of philosophy in modernity. In grappling with " bad conscience" within the performative structures of his own thought, Nietzsche makes experimental use of methodological resources drawn from both the ancient and modern traditions of Western philosophy. In particular, this study examines Nietzsche's appropriation and " reinterpretation" of meditational methods which form part of the ancient philosophical " art of living," and which re-emerge in altered form, in the work of Descartes. In Nietzsche's writings, such methods are used to provoke and reflect upon the passions of " bad conscience," a dangerous practice which involves the risk of exacerbating this " illness," but which also promises to give birth to new insight and skill in confronting the problem of responsibility in modernity.

This thesis explores the personal and social challenges of teaching yoga in addiction recovery from a social work perspective. It is informed by an action research perspective using interviews and focus groups with yoga teachers and allied health professionals and the personal experiences of the researcher teaching yoga in an addiction recovery centre as well as a literature search on existing yoga and meditation programs used in addiction recovery and corrections. The research explores whether yoga could be applied as a complementary therapy in social work and how yoga assists in addiction recovery. Further it explores what programmatic requirements are needed for a constructive yoga program that addresses the needs of yoga teachers in this field and the participants who are very marginalised. The emerging themes and issues from the data and literature were explored and triangulation was used to draw one conclusion that was found consistently across all research methodologies. This was the importance of Kriya yoga. or the yoga of action, to achieve results with yoga as a complementary therapy. Kriya yoga has three elements: a commitment to regular practice, allowing time to reflect on how this practice is affecting your life and having faith in the yoga process. Undelying this notion of kriya yoga is the importance of the yoga teacher-student relationship and the value of a yoga community that supports the student in their commitment to practice. Recovery from addiction is viewed as a journey involving many stages in which the yoga student deals with relapses. The exemplary yoga programs are forms of karma yoga or the yoga of selfless action. The development of a karma yoga network that forms an on-line bridge between the yoga communities and addiction recovery services is suggested by the research as one way forward in promoting yoga as a complementary therapy in addiction recovery.

This qualitative study sought to answer: How may I, as an artist, use art for my own transformation and healing? I am an artist and teacher living with chronic pain and fatigue and wanted to find healing through art and inspire others to do the same. During the three month study, I made artwork, reflected in my journal, and practiced guided imagery. The journal was used to reflect on my health, the creative process, and to record ideas generated through guided imagery. Findings showed that short term relief was provided during the act of creation, but no long-term relief was achieved. The primary conclusion was that I was able to use art for healing and transformation, but only after experimentation and reflection. By adapting the creative process to accommodate for my illness, I was able to include art making as part of a healthy life.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the usefulness of a 20-minute brief mindfulness meditation in positively affecting mood and attention. Its effects were compared with the effects from a period of distraction and a control condition. The sample consisted of 63 veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Pre-post test of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule were used to assess levels of state anxiety and mood. The Stroop Task was employed as a measure of selective attention. A one-way analysis of variance and split-plot analysis of variance were conducted. To control high comorbidity within this sample, sub-analyses were conducted excluding participants with other psychological or physical conditions. The results revealed that meditators without sleep problems indicated greater selective attention levels. A negative mood decrease was found in all participants regardless of the intervention group assignment. Implications for research and practice were discussed.