Date of Award
Spring 5-18-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
MA - Master of Arts
Department
Expressive Therapies
Advisor
Mitchell Kossak
Abstract
Phenomenologists identify the subjective body and its felt-senses as the basis for human development and consciousness, including mental health. Several mental health disorders, when viewed from a phenomenological perspective, share common symptomology related to varying extents of fractured selves, which in turn hinders dynamic interaction between individuals, their actions, and their relationships with their social and material worlds. Autism is one such condition. Hence, I created an intervention to investigate how listening, which foster subjective and intersubjective experiences, lies at the heart of somatic and arts-based interventions. This thesis, first, begins with a summary of the presenting symptoms observed in autism and highlights gaps in current treatment approaches. Second, listening and music improvisation are introduced and related to subjective and intersubjective outcomes. Third, this thesis project introduces the Feldenkrais Method, which is a somatic learning-based pedagogy for the development of the self-image. A 12-year-old boy diagnosed as operating on the autism spectrum and his family in the context of In-Home Therapy are involved in a case study. Two treatments sessions were given over a period of 4 weeks: one session utilized Feldenkrais Method and the second session used music improvisation. A first-person subjective approach was used to capture the results. Favorable outcomes such as play and pleasure, a developing self-image and spontaneous emergences were observed within the sessions. As such, this approach can be considered a useful one for a more in-depth evaluation of listening practices.
Recommended Citation
Primalani, Arona, "Feldenkrais and Music Informed Listening: A Neurophenomenological Perspective on Autism" (2024). Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses. 844.
https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/expressive_theses/844
Included in
Acting Commons, Alternative and Complementary Medicine Commons, Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms Commons, Clinical Psychology Commons, Counseling Commons, Counseling Psychology Commons, Dance Commons, Dance Movement Therapy Commons, Experimental Analysis of Behavior Commons, Interpersonal and Small Group Communication Commons, Movement and Mind-Body Therapies Commons, Music Therapy Commons, Other Arts and Humanities Commons, Performance Studies Commons, Social Psychology Commons, Somatic Bodywork and Related Therapeutic Practices Commons
Rights
The author owns the copyright to this work.
