Advice on dissertation choosing topic and resource

[11jono11]

Hello, here I have copied and pasted a template letter that I am sending to various relevant individuals and organizations regarding advice on my dissertation. I am hoping to bring a more enlightened approach to mental health nursing. What I really need is advice on where to specify for the essay, I really don't know wether to do meditation, mindfulness, Raja/ Jnana /Kriya Yoga or just Yoga/Practice on a whole (this would be good allowing me to cover all aspects but I don't know wether it would be too general). Any advice would be much appreciated and any resources/journals, books etc (preferably within the last 10 years, but not necessary if they are really good) would be great. Thank you in advance for your responses. If you feel this would fit better in a different category or more than one please let me know.

"Hello, I am a student psychiatric nurse coming up to my third and final year. For my dissertation I have decided to write about the effects of Meditation/ Mindfulness / Yoga on mental health, that is if there is enough research out there for me to do so.

I have chosen this topic area because I have seen how these systems of practice have benefitted countless other people around me. Additionally I practice meditation / mindfulness/ yoga (Jnana- Yoga of wisdom, non duality/zen, self enquiry and mindfulness.  Raja yoga, Karma yoga and Kriya yoga), and have felt the positive effects myself. Not that it should be treated as a panacea (though part of me thinks that it should, some people are not ready or have no desire to do such practices), but I believe that these systems have great potential in helping people.    

I am writing to you to ask whether you can recommend any journals, books, contacts or any information that would be suitable for my dissertation. Also any advice would be much appreciated, for instance I cannot decide whether to specify my paper to focus on meditation, mindfulness, or to go with the title of yoga which encompasses both of these things as well as physical postures and ways of life.

I feel that meditation, mindfulness and yoga practice has an important role to play in helping all people improve their quality of life, including individuals being treated by mental health professionals.

Any thoughts, advice, guidance would be much appreciated.

Kind regards

Jono"

God bless

[alwayson2]

Psychology is based on working with the mind.

There are some teachings that do not work with the mind such as Dzogchen.

That would be interesting topic to me.

[standingstone]

quote:Originally posted by alwayson2

Psychology is based on working with the mind.

There are some teachings that do not work with the mind such as Dzogchen.

That would be interesting topic to me.

I'm pretty sure B.F. Skinner, founder of behavioralism regarded the concept of "mind" as an unnecessary hypothetical fiction. Things like insight or creativity would be accounted for as a covert behavior conditioned or initiated by environmental contingencies without recourse to a personal creative mind.

[standingstone]

It sounds like you're going to be writing in defense of the hypothesis that various meditation practices have a beneficial effect on mental health. It might be easier to show significantly that they have *some* effect on mental heath.

I would think you will have to find people, or studies on people that are suffering from mental health issues where dissociative states are not contraindicated. It sounds like you're talking about a population (people diagnosed with mental disorders) for whom certain energy cultivation techniques might have a beneficial effect or could just as easily become a form of internal stress and could exacerbate the condition.

It might make sense ethically (and for simplicities sake) to narrow in on a simple, perhaps more innocuous practice or type of meditation (who's to say what is though for people with a predisposition to mental disorders ) But perhaps more on the mindfulness side of things than on the chakra/mantra/kundalini side, where a strong constitution is a bit of a safeguard, an some of the more powerful techniques can put healthy people (who might have a genetic predisposition to mental illness) over the edge, just IMHO anyway. There is already a good amount of research on mindfulness oriented interventions.

heres some abstracts, the bibliographies should lead you to a ton of research articles, you can probably get the full articles for free through your school library.

http://www.jpsychores.com/article/S0022-3999%2803%2900573-7/abstract

http://www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/cgi/content/full/65/4/564?ijkey=ad6454f747329753c6e432b298e4953c38cc6857

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118869095/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118891546/abstract

it would probably be your best bet to read up on these sorts of studies and get a sense of how all the different variables are controlled for and what safeguards are put in place.

journal of psychosomatic medicine
j of biobehavioral medicine
clinical psychology science and practice
j of abnormal psychology
american j of clinical hypnosis

good luck!

[11jono11]

Thank you all for your responses, standingstone I think you are right and considering all the factors I think mindfulness would be the more suitable topic. Mindfulness can be used/practiced as meditation and can be used out side of active meditation as life meditation, if you see what I mean. It is a practice that anyone can use in daily life and one that can be taken into meditation practice/start meditating if desired. Thinking more and more about this it is definitely the best option, not excluding people who would not feel comfortable with the yogic lifestyle etc and are not comfortable with the word God etc or even people from other religions who would feel awkward meditating.

Do you agree?


I have not yet delved into the studies you have shown, I have had a brief look but need to do some other stuff before I fully start my research.

Thank you very much for your response

God bless

Peace, love and light

Om Shanti

[standingstone]

quote:Originally posted by 11jono11

Thank you all for your responses, standingstone I think you are right and considering all the factors I think mindfulness would be the more suitable topic. Mindfulness can be used/practiced as meditation and can be used out side of active meditation as life meditation, if you see what I mean. It is a practice that anyone can use in daily life and one that can be taken into meditation practice/start meditating if desired. Thinking more and more about this it is definitely the best option, not excluding people who would not feel comfortable with the yogic lifestyle etc and are not comfortable with the word God etc or even people from other religions who would feel awkward meditating.

Do you agree?


I have not yet delved into the studies you have shown, I have had a brief look but need to do some other stuff before I fully start my research.

Thank you very much for your response

God bless

Peace, love and light

Om Shanti

Sounds good. I wasn't sure if you were planning on designing actual experiments or doing more of an overview or research so I sort of pushed the safety angle. It's not to exclude the benefits of other more yogic forms of meditation, there may be some really good studies out there you can reference, but yeah sounds like your on the right track.

[hopeless meditator]

Please see abstract below:-

Biol Psychol. 2009 Sep;82(1):1-11. Epub 2009 Apr 23.
The neurobiology of Meditation and its clinical effectiveness in psychiatric disorders.
Rubia K.

Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, King's College University London, UK.
Abstract
This paper reviews the evidence for changes of Meditation on body and brain physiology and for clinical effectiveness in disorders of psychiatry. The aim of Meditation is to reduce or eliminate irrelevant thought processes through training of internalised attention, thought to lead to physical and mental relaxation, stress reduction, psycho-emotional stability and enhanced concentration. Physiological evidence shows a reduction with Meditation of stress-related autonomic and endocrine measures, while neuroimaging studies demonstrate the functional up-regulation of brain regions of affect regulation and attention control. Clinical studies show some evidence for the effectiveness of Meditation in disorders of affect, anxiety and attention. The combined evidence from neurobiological and clinical studies seems promising. However, a more thorough understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms of action and clinical effectiveness of the different Meditative practices is needed before Meditative practices can be leveraged in the prevention and intervention of mental illness.

[11jono11]

Very interesting, all very interesting. I am attaching a more recent letter I have composed:


Hello, I am a student psychiatric nurse, just coming into my final
year. I am aiming to do my dissertation on the benefits of mindfulness
for people with mental health problems.

I recently had a meeting with my dissertation supervisor who has
advised that I focus on similar patient groups i.e Mood disorders or
Neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders, and try and ensure
that I use the same approach i.e MBSR or MBCBT.

I need at least 8 studies of primary research in these areas.

I was wondering if you could give me any advice on a specific patient
group or approach, for example which one/ones have the most research
behind them. I would like to just use studies from all patient groups,
to show how mindfulness benefits such a wide range of people, but I
have been told that this would probably be to general for my
dissertation.

So which would you suggest MBSR or MBCBT? Or do you think it's
possible in my dissertation to justify using both approaches? Which
patient group would you advise me to focus on?

Finally, do you think that it will be possible for me to do my
dissertation on some form of mindfulness? (Failing that, meditation
etc?). As in do you think there is enough research / enough studies
out there in these areas for me to find at least 8 papers?

I would love to be able to write an essay on a topic that I believe in
and practice myself but I have been warned that some people jeopardise
their marks by desperately looking for research that isn't there.

Any help around this would be much appreciated.

Kind regards

Jono

[Neesha]

Hi,

First of all you need to establish a scope and boundary on your choosen topic, whether it is the effect of yoga on the mindfulness of the mental health of patients.

Then establish a methodology or approach you are going to use. For my second BSC London Metrolpoilitan UNiversity do have an excellent outline(i'll have to dig up imy library)however this is more for computing projects.

You need to explain your methodology......since mental health patients(your selected group) may come from varying backgrounds.You need to conduct your experiments on actual subjects from an institution.  You can start off with the simple techniques of meditation.....and gradually move up to your specific approach since your subjects need to have establish themselves before moving on to a more advanced state.

Your next step would be your requirements....then analysis....following a particuklar methodology....

questionnaires,observations etc.

When my mental health was in question followed by my spritual awakening.....

after visits to many doctors the temple was the last resort....
maybe if you include a change of environment and carry your subjects to temple under observation.....on a weekly basis....you will indeed observe an immediate change in your subjects.....whether they practised anything at all!....The effects of Satsung,music or anyone meditating by itself emits a positive electrical frequency that can convert a negative tendencies into positive.

If you need to help your subjects you will need to participate with them or someone stable to document the legitimate full effects.

It is indeed worth a try.

The first book I attempted to read....while I was in my state was the

Bhagavad Geeta-Sri Sri Paramanhansa Yogananda-literature based

To observe any real effects carry your subjects to a temple...when they have a sunday session....

If you can get them to past the doorway.....I'm happy for you...

it is indeed best if you seek a guru's advice.....

However I strongly suggest MSBR....there's already alot of research done into it and it will be easier to get recorded evidence and advice.....

You have alot of recorded evidence, research material right here.
They are very valid ...well at least all of mine!

Don'e be afraid to try new things....AYP is very valid you have real subjects here!!!!

you would have to focus on a group with similiar mental tendencies....however I am sure it will work for all.

I can say this because I myself was once there, plus the thousands of other persons that passed through the Ashram...If you wish I can also email you the phone number of my guru for hopefully live accounts of such cases.

[hopeless meditator]

I would love to send you references from the paper cited above, but would breach author's copyright which is not ethical.

Here is an open access paper instead. References here are nowhere near as comprehensive, nor are different meditation methods compared and contrasted. Furthermore, this paper is not set in a psychiatric context. Nevertheless, it is interesting:-

Title:
Regulation of the neural circuitry of emotion by compassion meditation: effects of meditative expertise.
Lutz A, Brefczynski-Lewis J, Johnstone T, Davidson RJ.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18365029

Would suggest you look for and read the widest possible range of peer-reviewed papers on this subject (especially their references) and, only then, narrow your focus.

I admire what you are doing and wish you great success.

[wakeupneo]

quote:Originally posted by 11jono11

Hello, here I have copied and pasted a template letter that I am sending to various relevant individuals and organizations regarding advice on my dissertation. I am hoping to bring a more enlightened approach to mental health nursing. What I really need is advice on where to specify for the essay, I really don't know wether to do meditation, mindfulness, Raja/ Jnana /Kriya Yoga or just Yoga/Practice on a whole (this would be good allowing me to cover all aspects but I don't know wether it would be too general). Any advice would be much appreciated and any resources/journals, books etc (preferably within the last 10 years, but not necessary if they are really good) would be great. Thank you in advance for your responses. If you feel this would fit better in a different category or more than one please let me know.

"Hello, I am a student psychiatric nurse coming up to my third and final year. For my dissertation I have decided to write about the effects of Meditation/ Mindfulness / Yoga on mental health, that is if there is enough research out there for me to do so.

I have chosen this topic area because I have seen how these systems of practice have benefitted countless other people around me. Additionally I practice meditation / mindfulness/ yoga (Jnana- Yoga of wisdom, non duality/zen, self enquiry and mindfulness.  Raja yoga, Karma yoga and Kriya yoga), and have felt the positive effects myself. Not that it should be treated as a panacea (though part of me thinks that it should, some people are not ready or have no desire to do such practices), but I believe that these systems have great potential in helping people.    

I am writing to you to ask whether you can recommend any journals, books, contacts or any information that would be suitable for my dissertation. Also any advice would be much appreciated, for instance I cannot decide whether to specify my paper to focus on meditation, mindfulness, or to go with the title of yoga which encompasses both of these things as well as physical postures and ways of life.

I feel that meditation, mindfulness and yoga practice has an important role to play in helping all people improve their quality of life, including individuals being treated by mental health professionals.

Any thoughts, advice, guidance would be much appreciated.

Kind regards

Jono"

God bless

Jono,

I too am in the mental health field. I would love to read your dissertation once it's completed.

They allow me to do a meditation/relaxation group. The clients love it. Personally I feel they get more out of it then, DBT, CBT, etc..

In fact many of the patients are schizophrenic and such. The energy and transmission in the room becomes very palpable as a result of everyone sitting together.

love,
j

[otter]

Dear Jono,

An excellent article to begin delving into research on mindfulness and mental health was published in the journal Psychological Inquiry in 2007.  Its list of references pretty much covers the field as of 3 years ago.  

Here's the citation:
Brown, Kirk Warren, Ryan, Richard M. and Creswell, J. David (2007) Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects. Psychological Inquiry, vol.18 n. 4, pp. 211-237.

To link to this Article: DOI: 10.1080/10478400701598298
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10478400701598298

Best wishes,
otter

[Etherfish]

I can't get that server to find it.

Try this:

http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a787970647~db=all~jumptype=rss


OMG you can download the paper, and every other line has a reference, plus 251 references at the end, all related to your subject.

[11jono11]

Thank you so much everybody who has given advice on this. Due to the requirements of this essay I have decided to go with MBCT and its effect on mood disorders / depression. I would of loved to of done it on all types of mindfulness + meditation etc but I apparently I need to be more specific. 10 months from now I will qualify as a mental health nurse and then I can start doing primary research perhaps with AYP methods .

Again thank you very much everyone.

Love and light

x