Anna Linda Szirmai

ELTE- PPK, Doctoral programme of Behavioral sciences

Elads a Nemzetkzi Kifejezspszichopatolgiai s Mvszetterpis Trsasg (Socit Internationale de Psychopathologie de lExpression et dArt-Thrapie) konferencijn, 2010. szeptember 2-4, Budapest

If you had to express in one image how it feels like to dance, what would that image/picture be like?
Twenty contemporary dancers answered this question during our research that aimed to explore the descriptive and differentiating factors of dance evoked altered state of consciousness (d-ASC). Content-analysis of the answers was based on a code-system developed through analyzing 118 short dance-experience descriptions of not professional dancers. Dancing involves all our modalities and personality layers, hence it is a very difficult experience to operationalize. We are analyzing the internal picture dancing evokes in the performer in order to have a clearer view of what exactly goes on in them on a cognitive and an affective level that might be responsible for its beneficial effects.

What is an altered state of consciousness (ASC) and how can it be evoked by dancing (d-ASC)? Research: descriptive features discovered in dance-experience descriptions Analysis of dancer interviews and conclusions

Typical (Farthing, 1992): Changes are... ... not in the content but in the subjective experience of consciousness and in the way of functioning; ... not only in parts but in the whole experience; ... short and reversable; ... noticable when compared to normal functioning.

- ASC is a natural category (Kihlstrom, 1984) - ASCs can be described by (Kihlstrom, 1984) : Induction Psychological changes Subjective experiences Perceptible behavior - Plus: Short-term and long-term effects

Induction: multimodal (sensory-motoric) overstimulation change in attention (direction & span) Cognitive changes: regressive functioning Subjective experiences: natural result of changed cognition Perceptible behavior: unique and highly personal for every individual Effects: healing and well-being; social connection; new experiences and knowledge.

Self-defining and -enforcing experience.

Test-battery filled out by 100-125 people

(Supporting the idea of and describing d-ASC)

Content-analysis of 118 experience-descriptions resulting in codes of experience-content

Grounded Theory - Atlas.ti

Analysis of interviews with 20 professional contemporary dancers

10 male : 10 female, (age average: 26,8) Years spent dancing: avg = 10,2; std.dev = 2,4.

Induction Experience - After

1. 2.

3.
4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

Music Positive adjectives Positive feelings Lack of negative feelings Here and now Dissolving Body Let go Free Attention First Express

14. 15. 16. 17. 18.

19.
20. 21. 22.

23.
24. 25. 26.

Fly Restaurating Defining Automatic Harmony Erotica Role Alone Drug Rare Strength Live Transcendent

Difficult to separate pictures: very visible language High numbers of codes:

Inside-outside, I / me, express, communicate, contact, Fly-river-float-dissolve/merge-loose consc., free, Focus, paying attention or not Euphoria or catharsis, Archaic, Mand an woman, roles,

Speaking about dancing is an exploration: fields never visited before leads to discoveries Going deeper: as the interview continues, answer become more confuse and less specific. Touch upon more questionable topics.

Dance-experiences though healing are difficult to include hence benefit from in everyday life Describing and expressing these experiences is frustrating not sharing and processing them is a loss Images evoked during dancing can help to bridge the gap between everyday and d-ASC experiences

Images

Description of images

Dance experience

Description of dance experience

Altered ...

Consciousness ...

Everyday

Kp, szimblum

Kp, szimblum lersa

Tnclmny

Tnclmny lersa

Mdosult...

Tudatossg...

Htkznap