Research Proposal on "Somatic Relationship"

Research Proposal 13 pages (4540 words) Sources: 15 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Somatic Psychology

The Somatic Relationship Between the Adult-Child and Their Parents: A Grounded Theory Study

The relationship between a child and parent is one of the most complex in psychological literature. This relationship has been considered one of the most important since the early pioneers, such as Freud in Jung. A literature review of available academic studies regarding requires an examination of several different disciplines. This literature review will examine six different topics related to this study to be conducted. These areas will help the researcher to gain a rounded a radical basic and will support the grounded theory study that will be conducted. This literature review will provide the background information and will support the methodology used for the study.

Somatic Psychology Efficacy Studies

The field of somatic psychology incorporates the effects of psychology on the body. It considers bodily states of consciousness, physical reactions, muscular patterns, chronic tension, weighs a breathing, skin color and tone, the use of bodily space, and natural pulse nations and rhythms as a potential part of the therapy process. Although the field of somatic psychology is considered to be relatively new, in practice, it has been around for many years. The mind-body connection is considered to be a familiar topic for both psychologists and physicians alike.

Somatic psychology addresses the mind and body as a single unit. It presents an integrated approach to healing conditions of the body by attempting to understand the psychology behind the condition. The adult/child relationship has a dramatic impact on the ability of the child to learn to cope with life's challenges. The purpose of this study is to examine how somatic psychology can be used in therapy to treat a variety of somatic conditions. This is sometimes referred to as body psychotherapy. This branch of psychology is supported by recent developments in neuroscience and other related fields.

Surprisingly, clinical studies regarding the advocacy of somatic psychotherapy were found to be minimal. One of the key reasons for this is that the field is relatively new. Currently, a study is under way that is examining biofeedback-based cognitive behavioral treatment for temporomandibular disorders (Winifried & Jeurgens, ongoing). Currently, no results have been posted for this phase three clinical trial. There are many trials under way that are examining the effects of psychotherapy treatment on physical conditions. One such study, also currently recruiting, intends to study the effects of psychotherapy intervention in depressed patients with coronary artery disease (Herrmann-Lingren, & Albus, ongoing).

A number of studies have examined the efficacy of a certain drug compound vs. psychotherapy for the treatment of a certain condition. One such study examined the efficacy of the drug Fluoxetine vs. short-term behavioural therapy for the treatment of major depression (Karlsson, 2008). However, the results of this study have not yet been published. This study of psychotherapy as an effective treatment for bodily conditions is currently a topic of interest among academic scholars.

Currently, the body of research supports the use of psychotherapy for the treatment of bodily conditions such as dizziness, allergic diseases, somatic syndromes in gynecology (Goto, 2009; Sudo, 2009; Urishoryama, 2009). In a study of pregnant women with prenatal depression, a combination of massage and interpersonal psychotherapy was found to be significantly more effective than either of these therapies used alone (Field, Deed, & Diego, 2009). This body of studies supports the use of psychotherapy in combination with other traditional therapies as an effective alternative for the treatment of many common ailments. Somatic syndromes produce real physical pain and real physical results. However, when no underlying cause can be found for the physical symptoms, the study's demonstrate that psychotherapy is an effective treatment.

Sensory Awareness Efficacy Studies

Sensory awareness is the practice of becoming more aware of oneself. Sensory awareness can help lead to improvements in a person's general state of being. Sensory awareness is currently being studied in connection with the alleviation of many conditions. Sensory awareness means sensing what is happening in the environment and how it affects what one happens to be doing. It was discovered during the literature review that much of what was mentioned about sensory awareness talked about factors that influence sensory awareness in a number of research settings. However, the research did not focus on how sensory awareness could be used to treat somatic conditions.

One of the key subgroups of research regarding sensory awareness were studies conducted on autistic children. A number of sensory awareness interventions have been used with varying degrees of effectiveness on autistic children. The effectiveness of sensory awareness on this group of children depends on severity of the condition, and the setting and quality of sensory awareness training (Baranek, 2002). The same factors could be expected to influence other studies on sensory awareness. Therefore, it difficult to conclude on the effectiveness of sensory awareness as a therapeutic treatment, as it is difficult to rule out these confounding variables. One must be cautious regarding the interpretation of studies that promote the efficacy of sensory awareness as they may have been influenced by these variables.

Nonetheless, sensory awareness is still used in number of clinical settings. This is particularly true in the treatment of neurological disorders. Sensory awareness has been used effectively for the treatment of patients with neuropathic pain (Walk, Sehgal, & Moeller-Bertram, 2009). The effectiveness of sensory awareness techniques tends to decline with age due to the general deterioration of the nervous system (Khalsa, Rudrauf, & Tranel, 2009). Mood was also found to be an important factor in the affectiveness of sensory awareness. A negative mood was found a decrease sensory awareness of painful stimuli (Coen, Yaquez, & Azis et al., 2009).

Sensory awareness, on its most basic level means the ability to determine the shape of one's body. For instance, one should be able to determine without looking if their arm is extended or polled close to their body. This is the most basic level of somatic awareness. However, in the clinical setting, this awareness can be extended to include an awareness of symptoms such as blood pressure, or pain. Thus far, sensory awareness has primarily been used to treat physical symptoms. Few studies were found that did not involve use of century awareness in connection with a physical ailment.

Adult-child / parental relationship studies

Of the subject matters studied thus far in the literature review, the topic of the importance of the parent/child relationship yielded the most clinical studies. In this relationship holds the key to many adult conditions, including psychological conditions and physical conditions. The following will summarize the most recent and important of the studies examined.

Studies found at difficulties that the parent and adult child relationship can affect the child anytime from childhood until their elder years (Pezzin, Pollak, & Schone, 2008; Birditt, Miiller, & Fingerman, et al., 2009). It was founded in latter years depressive symptoms or more likely to occur in elderly persons who had parents that suffered from depressive symptoms. It was found that when parents have children that are healthy and children that are schizophrenic or substance dependant, the parent will unintentionally favour the normal child (Burkhardt, Rudorf, & Brand, et al., 2007). These studies highlight the importance of the adult-child and their relationship with their parents.

Perhaps one of the most studied topics in this area is that of attachment in regards to the mother or other caregiver. It was found that the ability to form strong relationships and adult life was closely connected to the mother/child relationship. The quality of this relationship was reflected in the ability to form attachments in children as early as 5-7 years of age (Moss, 2005). It was found that the relationships between adult children and their parents was described differently by these two age groups. The parents tended to describe the relationship as higher quality. Whereas the child was more likely to report greater calls for assistance by the parent (Shapiro, 2004). This demonstrates had their friends is in perception can skew the results of studies regarding this issue.

One of the most important consistencies in studies about the adult child and parent relationship is that a high degree of variability exists and descriptions of that relationship. Coping mechanisms and relationships varied widely amongst different study groups. However, coping mechanisms were more highly variable when this study was conducted (Kim, Greenberg, & Seltzer, 2003). Hope that child and parent relationship was found to be an important factor in many elements of the psychological makeup of the child and parent. The parent and child relationship has an effect on the ability of the child to form positive attitudes or negative attitudes in adulthood, pending on their childhood relationships with their parents (Korkeila, Kivela, & Suominen et al., in 2004).

The adult child relationship is one of the most widely studied and important and the assessment of adult children with a number of disorders and conditions. It focused on the importance of the relationship in many psychological diseases. Few studies were found that examined this relationship… READ MORE

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