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Dance/Movement Therapy in Fibromyalgia Patients : Aspects and Consequences of Verbal, Visual and Hormonal Analyses

This thesis presents hormonal, emotional, physical and visual status changes in female fibromyalgia (FMS) patients after treatment with the Creative Art therapy; dance/movement therapy, compared to controls. FMS is a syndrome of chronic pain involving musculoskeletal aches, stiffness and pain where perturbations in the stress-axis and high scores on somatic anxiety and muscular tension also have been found. The study comprises thirty-six female FMS patients divided in treatment- and control group. Serum concentrations of the hormones prolactin, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-S), cortisol and neuropeptide Y (NPY) in plasma and cortisol in saliva were analysed. Different verbal self-rating scales concerning well-being, pain, personality and life events among other things have been used. Assessments of the condition of the FMS patients affected by video-viewing were evaluated together with interviews about the self-perception phenomenon of video viewing (a phenomenological hermeneutic method). The results of the study show that six months of dance/movement therapy appears sufficient to improve both psychological and physical function, as indicated by the visual analyses. The video interpretation technique (VIT) and self-figure drawings captured treatment effects that were not evident from verbal scales or reflected in hormone levels. The biological markers probably need a longer treatment period to activate the HPA axis and its inter-related hormones and peptides. The use of different assessment techniques most likely has affected the treatment outcome. Difficulties perceiving information through verbal/cognitive modalities as well as alexithymia are factors discussed. The VIT may be useful for early identification of maladaptive movement patterns and as a mirror of facial and bodily expressions of emotions. In conclusion, this study indicates that both the dance/movement therapy and the VIT have had great influence on the FMS patient’s well-being, self-perception and perception of pain.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-4639
Date January 2004
CreatorsBojner Horwitz, Eva
PublisherUppsala universitet, Institutionen för folkhälso- och vårdvetenskap, Uppsala : Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis
Source SetsDiVA Archive at Upsalla University
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeDoctoral thesis, comprehensive summary, info:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesis, text
Formatapplication/pdf
Rightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
RelationComprehensive Summaries of Uppsala Dissertations from the Faculty of Medicine, 0282-7476 ; 1386

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