[Sophrology, an experience of corporality for student nurses]

The body approach is a real challenge in nursing training. It is part of the relationship between the caregiver and the cared-for. Through their bodies, students experience all their sensations and perceptions. Questioning nursing students through the phenomenological approach of sophrology means enabling them to achieve body-mind harmonization, a fundamental pillar of this mind-body technique. The regular practice of sophrology teaches them to act autonomously on themselves, developing their personal resources for a better body-mind and/or mind-body well-being.

[The body that takes care of us]

The body takes care of us in the sense that it ensures our biological existence while incorporating the information necessary for motor activity and emotional life. Through contact with the world and others, it awakens our self-awareness. These interactions produce an incorporation of information that enables us to adapt our bodies to our environment, and our attitudes to interactions with others. This incorporation enriches the plasticity of our abilities and body awareness.

Medicine, connoisseurship, and the animal body

This essay reconsiders the links between medicine, connoisseurship, and aesthetic theory in early eighteenth-century Britain. Taking a satire on the body of the physician and collector John Woodward as its starting point, I show that medicine and connoisseurship shared a deep preoccupation with the possibility that the animal body could excessively influence the workings of the mind. Pursuing this line of argument, moreover, I will reconsider the place of mind-body dualism in eighteenth-century British medicine and aesthetics. With the exception of materialists such as the philosopher-physician Bernard Mandeville, medics and aesthetic theorists tended to identify the exercise of judgment with the operations of a disembodied mind, unsullied by the embodied mechanisms of the lower body. In practice, however, the insistence that the most refined forms of judgment depended on the presence and activity of a disembodied, immaterial soul was less meaningful than it seems. When confronted by failures of judgment, medics and connoisseurs alike sought explanations in the mechanisms of the animal body. Whether or not they believed in the immateriality of the soul, they pictured the mind as a malfunctioning animal machine, to be cured through the material agency of medical therapeutics.

Effects of MBSR therapy on negative emotions, fatigue, and sleep quality in "post-ICU patients": A randomized controlled clinical trial protocol

BACKGROUND

Survivors of intensive care unit (ICU) transfer to the common ward are often accompanied by psychological distress, negative emotions, fatigue, and sleep disturbances that affect recovery. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has achieved reliable results in improving physical and mental health. However, no clinical study has been conducted to evaluate the effects of MBSR on negative emotions, fatigue and sleep quality of patients who survived ICU and were transferred to general wards.

METHODS

This is a prospective randomized controlled trial (RCT) examining the effects of MBSR on negative emotions, fatigue, and sleep quality in inpatients transferred from ICU to general ward. Participants were randomly divided into the treatment group and the control group in a ratio of 1:1. On the basis of the same nursing plan and health education, the treatment group received MBSR therapy, while the control group received no other interventions, and all the patients were followed up for 3 months after 2 weeks of continuous treatment. The indicators included negative mood indicators [Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS)], fatigue index [Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI)], and sleep quality index [Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)]. Finally, SPSS 20.0 software was used for statistical analysis of the data.

DISCUSSION

This study will evaluate the effects of MBSR on negative emotions, fatigue, and sleep quality in hospitalized patients transferred from ICU to general ward. The results of this study will provide a reference for MBSR to improve psychological distress in ICU survivors transferred to general ward.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

This study protocol was registered in the Open Science Framework (OSF) (registration number: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/PD7SU).

Can Crafted Communication Strategies Allow Musculoskeletal Specialists to Address Health Within the Biopsychosocial Paradigm?

BACKGROUND

Musculoskeletal specialists who attempt to discuss the connection between mental health (thoughts and emotions) and physical health (symptom intensity and activity tolerance) with patients, may fear that they risk offending those patients. In a search for language that creates comfort with difficult conversations, some specialists favor a biomedical framework, such as central sensitization, which posits abnormal central neuron activity. Without addressing the relative accuracy of mind- or brain-based conceptualizations, we addressed crafted and practiced communication strategies as conversation starters that allow specialists to operate within a biopsychosocial framework without harming the relationship with the patient.

QUESTIONS/PURPOSES

We measured (1) patient resonance with various explanations of the mind-body connection, including examples of both mind- and brain-based communication strategies, and (2) factors associated with resonance and emotional reactions to the explanations.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, all adult new and returning patients who were literate in English and who attended several musculoskeletal specialty offices were invited to complete questionnaires addressing reactions to one of seven explanations of the mind-body connection assigned using a random number generator. Acknowledging that the relative accuracy of mind-based and nerve- or brain-based strategies are speculative, we developed the following conversation starters: two explanations that were cognitively framed ("the mind is a great story teller"; one positively framed and one negatively framed), two emotionally framed explanations ("stressed or down"; one positively framed and one negatively framed), one mentioning thoughts and emotions in more neutral terms ("mind and body work together … thoughts and emotions affect the way your body experiences pain"), and two biomedical neurophysiology-based explanations ("nerves get stuck in an over-excited state" and "overstimulated nerves"), all crafted with the assistance of a communication scholar. It was unusual for people to decline (although the exact number of those who did was not tracked) and 304 of 308 patients who started the questionnaires completed them and were analyzed. In this sample, 51% (155 of 304) were men, and the mean ± SD age was 49 ± 17 years. Reactions were measured as resonance (a 1 to 5 Likert scale regarding the degree to which the stated concept aligns with their understanding of health and by inference is a comfortable topic of discussion) and self-assessment manikins using circled figurines to measure feelings of happiness (frowning to smiling figures), stimulation/excitement (a relaxed sleepy figure to an energized wide-eyed figure), and security/control (small to large figures). These are commonly used to quantify the appeal and emotive content of a given message. Patients also completed surveys of demographics and mental health. Multilevel multivariable linear regression models were constructed to assess factors associated with resonance, happiness, excitement, and control.

RESULTS

Controlling for potential confounding variables such as demographics and mental health measures, a relatively neutral biopsychosocial explanation ("mind and body work together") had the greatest mean resonance (4.2 ± 0.8 versus 3.8 ± 0.9 for the other explanations; p < 0.01) and the largest regression coefficient for resonance (0.78 [95% confidence interval 0.41 to 1.15]). The next-most-resonant explanations were biomedical ("excitable nerves", "over-excited state"). Biopsychosocial explanations that mention stress, distress, or cognitive bias ("mind is a great storyteller") had lower resonance. People with greater unhealthy cognitive bias regarding pain (more catastrophic thinking) were less comfortable with all the explanations (lower resonance, regression coefficient -0.03 [95% CI -0.06 to -0.01]). Emotional reactions were relatively comparable with the exception that people felt less control and security with specific explanations such as "excitable nerves" and "mind is a great storyteller."

CONCLUSION

Crafted communication strategies allow musculoskeletal specialists to address health within the biopsychosocial paradigm without harming their relationship with the patient.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Musculoskeletal specialists may be the first clinicians to notice mental health opportunities. It may be helpful for them to develop and practice effective communication strategies that make mental health a comfortable topic of discussion.

"Making Peace with Our Bodies": A Qualitative Analysis of Breast Cancer Survivors' Experiences with Qigong Mind-Body Exercise

Objectives: Breast cancer treatment leaves breast cancer survivors (BCS) with an array of lasting side effects, including persistent postsurgical pain (PPSP). In this study, we explored the perceptions of BCS with PPSP as they learned Qigong mind-body exercise (QMBE), a multimodal practice rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Methods: Participants included 18 female BCS treated for stage 0-III breast cancer and experiencing PPSP. Participants were taught QMBE over 12 weeks. Semi-structured interviews were conducted before and after the intervention. Results: BCS disclosed a disconnect between mind and body that emerged during treatment. They perceived QMBE as moving meditation, which enabled them to reconnect mind and body, lessen their pain, and make peace with their bodies. Conclusion: These women's experiences both inform the promise of integrating QMBE and related mind-body exercise into PPSP clinical practice guidelines and suggest new areas of research regarding the role of multimodal interventions for holistic healing in BCS.

[Not Available]

Within this work are approached some historical elements on the history of the evolution of the perception of the links between the soul and the body and the modification of the place of the soul within canon and Roman rights.

Body-Mind Dissociation, Altered States, and Alter Worlds

A psychosomatic model of dissociation is proposed that addresses the ever adjusting mind-body relation-the constant titration of the quality and degree of the psyche's embeddedness in the sensorial and temporal life of the body. The model highlights the function of hypnoid mechanisms (autohypnosis, distraction, somatic autostimulation) and of altered states of consciousness in facilitating and masking the work of mind-body dissociation. Transient altered states, which enable new and creative forms of mind-body experience in everyday life and in the therapy situation, are contrasted with pathological forms of retreat into alter worlds-rigidly organized, timeless, often inescapable trancelike states of mind-body dislocation. These pathological dissociative structures reshape the life of the mind and of the body, requiring new clinical approaches to these phenomena.

[Exploration on the relationship between acupuncture for mind-regulation and flow theory]

Based on the story of Chinese idiom, paodingjieniu (a magical and skilled form of craftsmanship) as the breakthrough point, this paper discusses the both paoding (cook) and the experienced acupuncture practitioner have the same high skills and explores the potential relationship between mind-regulation in treatment with acupuncture and flow theory. It is believed that the skills of ancient acupuncture practitioner in mind-regulation with acupuncture is not only a kind of "Tao" mode, but also a state of "flow". By the discussion on mind-regulation and flow theory, modern people may have more clear recognition on the mind regulation in treatment with acupuncture so as to better determine the therapeutic methods of acupuncture for mind-regulation.

The Effect of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on Depression, Cognition, and Immunity in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Pilot Feasibility Study

BACKGROUND

Mindfulness-based programs have shown a promising effect on several health factors associated with increased risk of dementia and the conversion from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to dementia such as depression, stress, cognitive decline, immune system and brain structural and functional changes. Studies on mindfulness in MCI subjects are sparse and frequently lack control intervention groups.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the feasibility and the effect of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) practice on depression, cognition and immunity in MCI compared to cognitive training.

METHODS

Twenty-eight MCI subjects were randomly assigned to two groups. MBSR group underwent 8-week MBSR program. Control group underwent 8-week cognitive training. Their cognitive and immunological profiles and level of depressive symptoms were examined at baseline, after each 8-week intervention (visit 2, V2) and six months after each intervention (visit 3, V3). MBSR participants completed feasibility questionnaire at V2.

RESULTS

Twenty MCI patients completed the study (MBSR group n=12, control group n=8). MBSR group showed significant reduction in depressive symptoms at both V2 (p=0.03) and V3 (p=0.0461) compared to the baseline. There was a minimal effect on cognition - a group comparison analysis showed better psychomotor speed in the MBSR group compared to the control group at V2 (p=0.0493) but not at V3. There was a detectable change in immunological profiles in both groups, more pronounced in the MBSR group. Participants checked only positive/neutral answers concerning the attractivity/length of MBSR intervention. More severe cognitive decline (PVLT≤36) was associated with the lower adherence to home practice.

CONCLUSION

MBSR is well-accepted potentially promising intervention with positive effect on cognition, depressive symptoms and immunological profile.

Rethinking Descartes

Rethinking Descartes is a brief contribution that seeks to encourage medical operators and clinicians to rethink René Descartes' Soul-Body Dualism.

Reflections on Therapeutic Action and the Origins of Psychic Life

Psychoanalysis has seen a shift in emphasis regarding therapeutic action and technique. A predominant focus on the uncovering or reintegrating of repressed, disguised, or split-off contents has moved to include the intersubjective creation, development, and strengthening of psychic processes and capabilities. The analyst's role in this process has been analogized to that of the primary maternal object in the origins of psychic life. This metaphor illuminates the movement from unrepresented to represented psychic states in treatment, as seen in a clinical example from the analysis of a particularly withdrawn young adult.

Accumulators, Neurons, and Response Time

The marriage of cognitive neurophysiology and mathematical psychology to understand decision-making has been exceptionally productive. This interdisciplinary area is based on the proposition that particular neurons or circuits instantiate the accumulation of evidence specified by mathematical models of sequential sampling and stochastic accumulation. This linking proposition has earned widespread endorsement. Here, a brief survey of the history of the proposition precedes a review of multiple conundrums and paradoxes concerning the accuracy, precision, and transparency of that linking proposition. Correctly establishing how abstract models of decision-making are instantiated by particular neural circuits would represent a remarkable accomplishment in mapping mind to brain. Failing would reveal challenging limits for cognitive neuroscience. This is such a vigorous area of research because so much is at stake.

rLung, Mind, and Mental Health: The Notion of "Wind" in Tibetan Conceptions of Mind and Mental Illness

This article presents an analysis of the way in which rlung ("wind, breath") functions as a mode of explanation for what Western medicine regards as "psychiatric" illness, based on field research on the topic of mental health, illness, and healing conducted within a Tibetan population in Darjeeling, northeast India. The article explores this notion of rlung and its relationship to body and mind, in order to examine its role in the causation and treatment of various forms of "mental illness", before analysing some similarities and differences between rlung-related categories and biomedical classifications of mental illness.

Clinical cases and metaphysical theories of personal identity

In this article, we consider three metaphysical theories of personal identity: the soul theory, the body theory, and the psychological theory. Clinical cases are discussed as they present conceptual problems for each of these theories. For the soul theory, the case of Phineas Gage, and cases of pedophilic behavior due to a brain tumor are discussed. For the body theory, hypothetical cases of cephalosomatic anastomosis and actual cases of dicephalic parapagus and craniopagus parasiticus are discussed. For the psychological theory, cases of delusions and memory impairments are discussed. After a discussion of all these cases, we conclude that it is very difficult to unequivocally favor one of these theories, yet we argue that this discussion must be based not on abstract armchair speculation, but rather, consideration of real clinical cases.

Corrective biology: psychosomatics in and as neuropsychoanalysis

This article analyses how and with what consequences body-mind relations (the sphere of the psychosomatic) are being modelled in the 21st century through considering the interdiscipline of neuropsychoanalysis. The promise of the term psychosomatic lies in its efforts to rework standard, bifurcated models of mind and body: somatic acts are simultaneously psychic acts. But neuropsychoanalysis, as it brings the neurosciences and psychoanalysis together to model an embodied 'MindBrain', ends up evacuating another potent characteristic found in much of the psychosomatic tradition-its refusal to adjudicate, a priori, what counts as the adaptive or well-regulated subject. The psychosomatic problem in psychoanalysis profoundly disturbs everyday models of functionality, adaptation and agency, by positing the psyche as an 'other' of the physiological within the physiological. By contrast, neuropsychoanalysis ends up parsing too easily the healthy from the pathological body, such that it is only the latter that is subject to forces that work against self-preservation and self-regulation. In so doing, neuropsychoanalysis recasts the radical problematic that the psychosomatic installed for psychoanalysis in the direction of a corrective biology. This corrective biology is given form in two ways: (1) through translating the Freudian drive-that unruly and foundational concept which addresses the difficult articulation of soma and psyche-into a series of Basic Emotion Systems modelled by the affective neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp and (2) through resituating and quarantining the troubling, non-adaptive aspects of the Freudian psyche within the domain of addiction. That easy separation between the healthy and the pathological is all too often found in current descriptions of healthcare and patient encounters. The article refuses it and calls for the revivification of other ways of thinking about how human subjects-psychosomatic organisms-find ways to live, and to die.

On illness and value: biopolitics, psychosomatics, participating bodies

In its heyday, around the mid-twentieth century, psychosomatic medicine was promoted as heralding a new science of body/mind relations that held the promise of transforming medicine as a whole. Sixty years on, the field appears to have achieved no more than a respectable position as a research specialism within the medical status quo. This paper articulates the problematic of psychosomatics through a number of propositions that reconnect its promise of novelty to the present and to contemporary concerns. In contrast to classic approaches to 'psychosomatic problems', which typically set out by denouncing the conceptual inadequacy of mind/body dualism, the focus proposed is on the resilience of dualism as an empirical datum deserving closer analysis. The paper thus asks: what is the character of dualism considered under the aspect of what it achieves, and thus as an expression of value? Drawing on the thought of A N Whitehead, Michel Foucault and Viktor von Weizsäcker, the argument formulates a set of 'psychosomatic problems' informed by the concept of biopolitics and introduces their relevance in relation to the politics of participatory medicine.

[A short review of four key physiopathological mechanisms for psychosomatic medicine]

The notion that "psychological factors " and the psychosocial environment influence the body function and the health maintenance or disease onset has been maintained over the years, and from different approaches to science, medicine, and psychology. Psychosomatic Medicine traditionally deals with this issue, but the "psychosomatic" name is now being criticized because of some implicit ambiguity, probably derived from the identification with the different theoretical frameworks and/or specific research methods that have been used in its evolution. This has given rise to misunderstandings about its definition, objectives, and a delay in the search for pathways of mediatizing these effects. Since then, there has been an increasing interest in the research of mechanisms, or mediatizing pathways through which the mind, the brain, and the environment could produce an impact on the somatic functioning. This brief review focuses on early stress, epigenetics and polymorphisms, such as the mechanism of penetration of the psychosocial environment; alostasis and alostatic load such as the accumulated wear and tear produced by the continuous adaptation to a variable psicosocial context; activation of the neuroimmune pathways as the physiological basis of somatizations; and interoception as a the pathway that the body introduces into the brain, mind and consciousness.

Do Not Neglect the Body and Action: The Emergence of Embodiment Approaches to Understanding Human Development

It is becoming clear that to truly understand what it is to be human, focusing scientific efforts on the mind alone is insufficient. We are embodied minds, living and acting in a world full of meaningful things. In this article, we discuss how science has been informed by important research insights into the close relationship between the body, the mind, and the world. These interactions can be translated into embodied perspectives of human development. We provide evidence that perception, cognition, emotion, human relations, and behavior are grounded in our bodies from the beginning of our lives. From this perspective, the body cannot be assumed to be simply an effector for cognition or an instrument for collecting information for the brain. This comprehensive review and debate of embodied-related literature is accompanied by the identification of theoretical challenges and practical applications that will shape research for years to come.

Illness as the saturated phenomenon: the contribution of Jean-Luc Marion

During the last few decades, many thinkers have advocated for the importance of the phenomenological approach in developing the understanding of the lived experience of illness. In their attempts, they have referred to ideas found in the history of phenomenology, most notably, in the works of Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger, Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Jean-Paul Sartre. The aim of this paper is to sketch out an interpretation of illness based on a yet unexplored conceptual framework of the phenomenology of French thinker Jean-Luc Marion. Focusing on concepts of the saturated phenomenon and flesh, the paper develops an interpretation of illness as the saturated phenomenon, which highlights a variety of dimensions of illness already elaborated within the phenomenology of medicine, such as the affective dimension of illness, the disruptive dimension of illness, the transformed perception of the self in illness, mineness of flesh in illness and the inexpressible and hermeneutical dimension of illness. In addition to that, the paper explores some of the consequences the proposed interpretation of illness offers regarding the nature of illness and health. It is argued that illness in its essence is very similar to the experience of other saturated phenomena, suggesting that the difference between them does not lie within the character of the affective givenness, but rather within the dynamic relationship between the affective givenness and its conceptualization. It is also shown that the experience of health is compatible with the experience of saturation and thus is not limited to the tacit and harmonious background state.

A randomized experimental evaluation of a yoga-based body image intervention

Recent literature argues that body image interventions need to become more embodied. This paper evaluates a brief yoga-based body image intervention which incorporates themes specifically tailored to focus on positive body image. Young women (M_age = 20.21, SD_age = 2.15) were randomly allocated to a four-session yoga intervention (n = 22) or a control condition (n = 22). Compared to controls, participants in the yoga condition reported significant increases in body appreciation, body connectedness, body satisfaction, and positive mood at posttest and at 4-week follow-up. There were no significant changes in negative mood or body surveillance. These findings add to existing evidence that yoga can improve women's body image and positive mood. In addition, they suggest that a strong thematic focus on positive body image can achieve benefits at relatively low yoga doses. These findings are important as intervention length impacts the potential for dissemination.

Dualism and its place in a philosophical structure for psychiatry

It is often claimed in parts of the psychiatric literature that neuroscientific research into the biological basis of mental disorder undermines dualism in the philosophy of mind. This paper shows that such a claim does not apply to all forms of dualism. Focusing on Kenneth Kendler's discussion of the mind-body problem in biological psychiatry, I argue that such criticism of dualism often conflates the psychological and phenomenal concepts of the mental. Moreover, it fails to acknowledge that there are different varieties of dualism, and so overlooks the important metaphysical insights of contemporary dualist philosophers. I argue that while the neuroscientific research underpinning biological psychiatry challenges the traditional dualism of René Descartes, it does not pose any problem for the more modern dualism of David Chalmers. It is possible to take seriously the scientific claims of biological psychiatry while holding that this latter form of dualism is true. This has implications for the positioning of the mind-body problem in psychiatry. While the "easy" problem of explaining psychological processes is relevant to the aims of biological psychiatry, psychiatrists need not worry about the "hard" problem of consciousness.

On Replacement Body Parts

Technological advances are making devices that functionally replace body parts-artificial organs and limbs-more widely used, and more capable of providing patients with lives that are close to "normal." Some of the ethical issues this is likely to raise relate to how such prostheses are conceptualized. Prostheses are ambiguous between being inanimate objects and sharing in the status of human bodies-which already have an ambiguous status, as both objects and subjects. At the same time, the possibility of replacing body parts with artificial objects puts pressure on the normative status typically accorded to human bodies, seemingly confirming that body parts are replaceable objects. The paper argues that bodies' normative status relies on the relation of a body to a person and shows that persons could have similar relations to prostheses. This suggests that in approaching ethical issues surrounding prostheses, it is appropriate to regard them as more like body parts than like objects.

The African Indigenous Lens of Understanding Spirituality: Reflection on Key Emerging Concepts from a Reviewed Literature

In this paper, we will present a reflection on reviewed literature on African indigenous understanding of spirituality, highlighting the influence of this concept on notions of the self, motivation and well-being. The indigenous understanding of spirituality is central to the understanding of the self as distinct, but positioned within the relational-collective self. This African indigenous perception of the self is grounded within the autonomous experience of the tenets of spirituality, which is explored in this paper through the lens of self-determination theory. The experience of autonomy, which is represented in this paper as choice and consent, competence and relatedness within spirituality, is considered as an intrinsic motivation factor for African indigenous communities to achieve well-being. Hence, we argue for the relevance of identifying and exploring ways that an understanding of the African indigenous spiritual belief systems, and the various ways that this understanding impacts on well-being for African indigenous communities, can be unearthed and scrutinized.

Entering One's Own Life as an Aim of Clinical Psychoanalysis

The historical development of psychoanalysis has demonstrated that the aim of clinical work can change as the patient population changes. One of the main tasks of psychoanalytic working through today is to help difficult patients trapped in imitative dynamics and "never-to-be-born selves" enter a life of their own. Particular emphasis is given to activating a body-mind relationship, catalyzing emergence from the unrepressed unconscious, and constructing space-time parameters in relation to the most primitive and undifferentiated emotional experiences. Two clinical cases are presented, in the first of which the analyst found himself invested with an intense devitalization that tested his capacity to be present. In the second case the analyst was confronted by the necessity of stimulating the birth of basic functions of mental notation in relation to blind and dangerous acting out. The confrontation in the analytic relationship mobilized the patient's internal resources of self-observation and self-containment, from which the capacity to exist and be present to the self could emerge.

[Brain and mind: Dissidence or subordination? Notes for an epistemological reading]

Two opposing readings of significant authors - Eric Kandel and Hans Jonas - are examined in relation to the mind-brain problem. From there, the thesis is argued that the inadequacy of the critique of materialistic scientism reduces the theoretical and practical possibilities of both psychiatry and psychoanalysis.

The History of Mind (Psyche)-Body (Soma) Medicine: Practical Examples

This article discusses the relationship between health and disease, considering the mind/body dichotomy that has occurred in the history of medicine, both in Western and Eastern cultures. The author begins by referring to the magical concept of disease, passing through the classical Greek period, and the medieval and Renaissance vision, to the evolution of modern concepts proposed by psychoanalysis. The author references some practical examples about the importance of the mind-body relationship, such as the psychological steps experienced by the oncological patient, as well as the psychiatric disorder.

Teaching Health versus Treating Illness: The Efficacy of Three Principles Correctional Counseling with People in an English Prison

Three principles correctional counseling (3PCC) posits that people in prison have inner mental health they have obscured to varying degrees with their own thinking. 3PCC further posits that people in prison can rekindle and sustain this inner health via understanding how three psychospiritual principles-Universal Mind, consciousness, and thought-coalesce to form people's psychological experience. We review the three principles and explain how exposure to these principles can lead to improved mental health and improved behavior. Then, we describe 3PCC and distinguish it from prevailing correctional counseling methods. Finally, we present a preliminary study that examines the efficacy of 3PCC for improving the mental health and behavior of people in an English prison. Our findings show that participants exposed to 3PCC showed a significant improvement in mental well-being and purpose in life, significant reductions in anxiety and anger, and improved behavior in the prison community.

At the intersection of self and not-self: finding the locus of 'self' in autoimmunity

Individuals with chronic autoimmune disease experience a sense of vulnerability. In part, this relates to the struggle for finding the meaning of the illness. The consequent existential distress may manifest in an unseated sense of personhood. Insight into the mechanism of this state of powerlessness and of perceived loss of agency is central to establishing a supportive clinician-patient relationship. This present exposition underscores the concept of autoimmunity as one that represents a demarcation in the psyche: one that is not just a threat to our sense of self-hood but also to our humanity. Autoimmunity exposes the challenge imposed on the relating of the self to one's own self and hence is an ontological challenge. The breach of the boundary between self and not-self that is caused by the autoimmune process culminates in feelings of alienation.

"A kind of agonie in my thoughts": writing puritan and non-conformist women's pain in 17th-century England

The relationship between pain as a physical and emotional experience and the concept of suffering as an essential aspect of sanctification for faithful believers was a paradoxical and pressing theological and phenomenological issue for puritan and non-conformist communities in 17th-century England. Pain allows the paradox of non-conformists' valorisation and suppression of corporeality to be explored due to its simultaneous impact on the mind and body and its tendency to leak across boundaries separating an individual believer from other members of their family or faith community. The material world and the human body were celebrated as theatres for the display of God's glory through the doctrines of creation and providence despite the fall. Pain as a concept and experience captures this tension as it was represented and communicated in a range of literary genres written by and about puritan and non-conformist women including manuscript letters, spiritual journals, biographies and commonplace books. For such women, targeted by state authorities for transgressing gender norms and the religion established by law, making sense of the pain they experienced was both a personal devotional duty and a political act. Three case studies comprise a microhistory of 17th-century English puritan and non-conformist women's lived experience, interpretation and representation of pain, inscribed in a series of manuscripts designed to nurture the spiritual and political activism of their communities. This microhistory contributes to a better understanding of pain in early modern England through its excavation of the connections that such writers drew between the imperative to be visibly godly, their marginalised subject position as a proscribed religious minority and their interpretation of the pain they experienced as a result.

Characteristics of adult smokers presenting to a mind-body medicine clinic

Mind-body interventions can improve vulnerabilities that underlie smoking behavior. The characteristics of smokers who use mind-body medicine have not been explored, preventing the development of targeted interventions. Patients ( N = 593) presenting to a mind-body medicine clinic completed self-report measures. Patients were 67 percent never smokers, 27 percent former smokers, and 6 percent current smokers. Current smokers were younger; more likely to be single, unemployed, or on disability; and report greater depression symptoms, greater pain, and lower social support ( ps < .05).Current smokers who use mind-body medicine have unique psychosocial needs that should be targeted in mind-body smoking cessation interventions.

[Body marking in psychosis]

Patients with psychosis speak of an uneasy relationship with their body. Between feelings of too little and too much, for them it is a matter of trying to suture an image which is not always unified, a body which they are not always sure they have. The attentive clinician will attempt to support the solutions of each psychotic patient to maintain their body, beyond the death drive which pushes them to tear it apart.

The indissociable unity of psyche and soma: A view from the Paris Psychosomatic School

Depending on whether or not psyche/soma is seen as singular or dual, one may construct different systems explaining man and the world, life and death. In the author's view, the discoveries of psychoanalysis offer a perfectly cogent and unique solution to the famous mind/body problem. In transferring the duality psyche/soma on to the duality of drives, psychoanalysis places the origin of the thought process in the body. In Beyond the pleasure principle, Freud discusses the drastic effect of a painful somatic illness on the distribution and modalities of the libido. He provides a starting point for the Paris Psychosomatic School's psychoanalytical approach to patients afflicted with somatic illnesses. To illustrate the technical implications of this theory the author relates two clinical cases.

The Role of Body, Mind, and Environment in Preterm Birth: Mind the Gap

Preterm birth continues to be a problem affecting low-, middle-, and high-income countries, with rates increasing in some areas despite ongoing efforts to reduce the incidence. This emphasizes the need for more effective interventions, particularly if we aim to achieve the broad health targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. The current focus on medically-oriented interventions such as reducing nonmedically-indicated induction of labor, cesarean birth, and multiple embryo transfers associated with assisted reproductive technologies, as well as the application of cervical cerclage and use of progesterone therapy, though important, are likely only partial solutions to the complex phenomenon of preterm birth. Preterm birth has multiple etiologies. The biologic mechanisms involved in preterm labor and how it may be triggered are not well understood. There is growing evidence to suggest some of these triggers may also be related to stress and environmental conditions. In this review, we focus on evidence concerning psychosocial (mind) and environmental factors (environment) as well as briefly review the evidence related to maternal and fetal factors (body) associated with the risk of preterm birth, with reference to some of the SDGs. We also assess emerging evidence regarding the interaction of the body, mind, and environment in relation to preterm birth, currently a gap in our knowledge, and how these interactions could impact clinical practice. Findings suggest that multidisciplinary expertise and approaches will be needed to develop effective interventions to address the complex etiologies of preterm birth, as opposed to single-risk-factor mitigation. Clinicians and researchers will play key roles in identifying many of these risk factors and shaping interventions that address this complex issue. Addressing the interlinkages between body, mind, and environment through the integration of research and clinical practice is critical to reducing the risk of preterm birth and contributing to the achievement of the SDGs.

Mind in Deep Time: Original Participation and Re-enchantment of the World

This paper describes my experiences exploring consciousness as an artist-engraver, in particular the sense of reawakening the participatory primal mind, which came about through the act of engraving. This 'original participation' is viewed as a fundamental characteristic of our early Acheuelan ancestors and evidence is presented to show that they possessed both a 'modern' esthetic sense and also a prayerful, sacramental consciousness. It is suggested that this primal consciousness is a fundamental human quality that became eclipsed in the modern mind by the denial of participation and the Cartesian split between subject and object during the Scientific Revolution. It is upon this denial of participation and the illusion of objectivity that the whole methodology of natural science and the alienated outlook of contemporary culture is based. A re-enchantment of the world can take place through the re-mythologizing of consciousness and the re-apprehension of original participation.

Effects of clay art therapy on adults outpatients with major depressive disorder: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Depression has become a critical global health problem, affecting millions of people. Cost-effective nonpharmacological treatment in community settings has been proposed to complement medical treatment. Short-term clay art therapy (CAT) is an alternative treatment that promotes the enhancement of various aspects of mental health for depressed individuals.

METHODS

One-hundred and six adults with depression were randomized into a CAT group or visual art (VA) control group for six 2.5-h weekly sessions. Intervention effects were measured using the Beck Depression Inventory, 12-Item General Health Questionnaire (Chinese version), Body-Mind-Spirit Well-Being Inventory, and 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (Chinese version) at baseline, immediately postintervention (T1), and 3-weeks postintervention (T2).

RESULT

Multivariate analysis of covariance results indicated a more significant time × group effect for CAT than for VA on depressive signs, general health, and body-mind-spirit well-being (all p<0.05). Significant within-groups changes were observed in these three aspects after treatment and at T2 (all p<0.001) and in alexithymia at T2 (p<0.01) in the CAT group, but the change was nonsignificant in the VA group at T1 and T2.

LIMITATIONS

The homogeneity of the participants affected the generalizability of the study findings. The short-term postintervention follow-up (3 weeks) presented difficulties in demonstrating the long-term effects of CAT.

CONCLUSIONS

CAT can aid emotion regulation and benefit various aspects of mental health in adults. The short duration of the intervention suggests additional application value in treating depression. Further investigation is warranted regarding the potential effect of CAT on alleviating physical symptoms and improving social function.

A Narrative Synthesis of Women's Out-of-Body Experiences During Childbirth

INTRODUCTION

Some women have a dissociated, out-of-body experience (OBE) during childbirth, which may be described as seeing the body from above or floating above the body. This review examines this phenomenon using narratives from women who have experienced intrapartum OBEs.

METHODS

A narrative synthesis of qualitative research was employed to systematically synthesize OBE narratives from existing studies. Strict inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied. The included papers were critiqued by 2 of the authors to determine the appropriateness of the narrative synthesis method, procedural transparency, and soundness of the interpretive approach.

RESULTS

Women experiencing OBEs during labor and birth report a disembodied state in the presence of stress or trauma. Three forms of OBEs are described: floating above the scene, remaining close to the scene, or full separation of a body part from the main body. Women had clear recall of OBEs, describing the experience and point of occurrence. Women who reported OBEs had experienced current or previous traumatic childbirth, or trauma in a non-birth situation. OBEs as prosaic experiences were not identified.

DISCUSSION

OBEs are part of the lived experience of some women giving birth. The OBEs in this review were trauma related with some women disclosing previous posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is not evident whether there is a connection between PTSD and OBEs at present, and OBEs may serve as a potential coping mechanism in the presence of trauma. Clinicians should legitimize women's disclosure of OBEs and explore and ascertain their impact, either as a normal coping mechanism or a precursor to perinatal mental illness. Research into the function of OBEs and any relationship to PTSD may assist in early interventions for childbearing women.

Value orientations and social attitudes in the holistic milieu

Based on a representative population survey for Germany this article investigates whether engagement in holistic activities is associated with privatized lifestyles and lack of social responsibility or with countercultural orientations and base-democratic political commitment. To analyse this question, respondents who are engaged in holistic activities are divided into three groups that are compared with each other as well as with Christians and non-religious people. The findings show that the three holistic groups are characterized by clearly different attitudinal patterns: Respondents engaged in body-mind-spirit activities have an affinity to self-directed ways of life, post-materialism and environmentalism. Holistic Christians try to combine the Christian ideal of altruism and post-materialist orientations. Those who are attracted only to magical-occult practices are primarily concerned with individualistic self-improvement and correspond more to the image of the hedonist consumer at the esoteric marketplace.

[Adaptation strategies faced with chronic pain]

Chronic pain constitutes a challenge for patients. It makes them uneasy with regard to their personality, their corporality and their life balance, and leaves long-lasting effects on their experience as a patient. The development of adaptation strategies and resources to deal with chronic pain is therefore essential.

On the Science of Consciousness: Epistemological Reflections and Clinical Implications

Consciousness has been one of the most important and tantalizing issues ever since the origin of philosophy and medicine. The concept of consciousness and the so-called "hard problem" (i.e., the mind-brain relationship) are highly complex topics that have yet to be elucidated, involving the realms of both science and philosophy with profound epistemological implications. In the lively debate on the foundations of the science of consciousness there are several potential biases of an essentially philosophical nature, such as those related to the paradigm and axioms adopted, and the ostensible logical contradiction between monism and dualism. Their origin dates back largely to Descartes' thinking and the birth of the new sciences as a compromise with the Inquisition, but they have been handed down through the Enlightenment and Positivism. A proper investigation of consciousness and the world of subjectivity demands a careful reflection on the paradigm of scientific medicine to identify possible flaws and overcome the limits of the mechanistic-reductionist approach.

Idiopathic Scoliosis from Psychopathological and Mind-Body Medicine Perspectives

Idiopathic scoliosis, defined as a three-dimensional spine and trunk deformity, which appears in otherwise healthy subjects, exhibits complex relations with various forms of personal well-being and psychopathology. Most research studies have documented a higher proportion of psychological disturbances (e.g., self-criticism, negative body image, low self-esteem) and mental disorders (e.g., anxiety and depressive disorders, personality disorders) among idiopathc scoliosis patients compared to healthy controls. In addition, there are some reports, although more systematic research is warranted, on the role of mental health and personality traits in relation to the adherence to conservative treatment. Given the increasing role of surgical treatment in the management of scoliosis, as well as several reports on negative psychological outcomes of such interventions, there is a growing need for ongoing screening and mental health care in this population. It seems this also holds true for non-operative treatments, particularly bracing therapy. One should keep in mind that these scoliosis-psychopathology relations are deduced from a limited number of empirical studies, usually conducted on small sample sizes, suggesting the need for further large-scale investigations, preferrably those with longitudinal research designs. Understanding the complex interplay between personality/psychopathology and spinal deformities within the framework of personalized mind-body medicine, should help clinicians tailor more individualized and specific treatments and predict therapeutic outcomes in this clinical population.

Rewinding Frankenstein and the body-machine: organ transplantation in the dystopian young adult fiction series Unwind

While the separation of body and mind (and the entailing metaphor of the body as a machine) has been a cornerstone of Western medicine for a long time, reactions to organ transplantation among others challenge this clear-cut dichotomy. The limits of the machine-body have been negotiated in science fiction, most canonically in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818). Since then, Frankenstein's monster itself has become a motif that permeates both medical and fictional discourses. Neal Shusterman's contemporary dystology for young adults, Unwind, draws on traditional concepts of the machine-body and the Frankenstein myth. This article follows one of the young protagonists in the series, who is entirely constructed from donated tissue, and analyses how Shusterman explores the complicated relationship between body and mind and between self and other as the teenager matures into an adult. It will be shown that, by framing the story of a transplanted individual along the lines of a coming-of-age narrative, Shusterman inter-relates the acceptance of a donor organ with the transitional space of adolescence and positions the quest for embodied selfhood at the centre of both developments. By highlighting the interconnections between medical discourse and a literary tradition, the potential contribution of the series to the treatment and understanding of post-transplant patients will be addressed.

Masochism and its Rhythm

Over five years, from 1919 to 1924, Freud dealt with masochism in three texts written in close proximity: "A Child Is Being Beaten," Beyond the Pleasure Principle, and "The Economic Problem of Masochism." Initially Freud explains masochism as incestuous fixation on the father and regression to pregenital, sadistic ways of loving. Subsequently he considers it primarily as subservient to the death drive. This paper starts from an idea present in two of the three texts, but not developed by Freud, in which he refers to the role that the "qualitative" element of rhythm could play in the occurrence of pleasure in masochism. By means of this element traumatic aspects of the primary relationship with the object could be stored as fantasies in the body. In any staged masochistic fantasies of being beaten or in masochistic perversion, the pleasure of pain would lie in the attempt to "dream" the trauma not only in the imagination but also, "aesthetically," in the body.