Date of Award

5-2012

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

PHD - Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Expressive Therapies

First Advisor

Robyn Cruz

Second Advisor

Michele Forinash

Third Advisor

Stephen Rojcewicz

Abstract

This study explored aging individuals’ perceptions of existential poetry therapy. Six existential themes served as guides. They were: hope, gratitude, mindfulness, loss of mobility, forgiveness, and meaning in life. The data were analyzed via three sub-inquiries: (a) What thoughts and feelings do these six themes elicit; (b) What additional themes (existential or non) would the participants like to explore; and (c) What roadblocks hinder this population for accessing poetry therapy to its optimal extent. The research method involved two focus groups with a total of five participants, and data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The three most common themes elicited were orientation towards others, issues of life and death, and loss of mobility. Additional themes for future exploration, derived from inter-group data, were: faith, gratitude (irrespective of Gratitude theme), loss, nature, hope, and beauty.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Language

English

Number of Pages

123

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