Bonnie MeekumsSelf employed
Bonnie Meekums
PhD
Creative writing, DMT research, Arts based research
About
46
Publications
25,829
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Introduction
I embody the integration of arts and sciences, having been involved in the past in lab (cancer cells and drugs) research, and performing arts. My current research is similarly diverse, ranging from Cochrane Systematic Reviews to artistic inquiry, primarily through creative writing and dance.
Additional affiliations
August 2002 - December 2015
Education
October 1993 - June 1998
Field of study
- Recovery from child sexual abuse trauma within an arts therapies group for women
Publications
Publications (46)
Background:
Dementia is a syndrome of acquired cognitive impairment which is severe enough to interfere with independent living. Over the course of the illness, people with dementia also experience changes in emotions, behaviour and social relationships. According to Alzheimer's Disease International, dementia affects approximately 55 million peop...
Background: Depression is the largest cause of mental ill health worldwide. Although interventions such as Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) may offer interesting and acceptable treatment options, current clinical guidelines do not include these interventions in their recommendations mainly because of what is perceived as insufficient research evidence....
This systematic review assessed the published literature on dance movement therapy interventions with adults aged 60 years and older with a mental health disorder. Our objective was to identify published studies of the effects of DMT in older age psychiatry and to critically appraise methodological quality of the included studies. We searched the d...
In England, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines for supporting people with dementia recommend the therapeutic use of dancing and/or music as a treatment for non-cognitive symptoms, but make no direct reference to dance movement therapy or music therapy. Also, previous Cochrane Reviews in these areas have been cri...
The authors conducted a scoping review of the peer-reviewed literature associated with Interpersonal Process Recall (IPR) and Reflecting Team (RT) methods in order to find evidence for their use within skills development in therapist trainings. Inclusion criteria were: empirical research, reviews of empirical research, and responses to these; RT or...
The purpose of this research was to explore the experience and implementation of a cross-cultural (UK/USA) student videoconference. Participating students were video recorded while participating in a videoconference between a USA University's class Counselling Theories II and a UK University's class, Becoming a Reflective Practitioner 2A. Students...
Depression is a debilitating condition affecting more than 350 million people worldwide (WHO 2012) with a limited number of evidence-based treatments. Drug treatments may be inappropriate due to side effects and cost, and not everyone can use talking therapies.There is a need for evidence-based treatments that can be applied across cultures and wit...
Ghanaian migrants represent one of the largest Black African groups in the UK. While viewed positively in terms of economic and educational success, migration has impacts on emotional attachments. The aim of this study was therefore to explore narrative expressions of belonging and emotional connectedness for Ghanaian university students in the UK....
This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows:
• To assess the effects of DMT on behavioural, social, cognitive and emotional problems of people with dementia in comparison to no treatment (waiting list), standard care or any other treatment.
• To compare different forms of DMT (e.g. Laban-based DMT, Cha...
Dance movement therapy risks invisibility due to dominant academic discourses and defensive rejection of science by practitioners. An argument is made for the community of practice to engage with both positivist research, on the one hand, and emancipatory/transformational research (privileging the marginalised voice of the individual) which could b...
This chapter is structured to explore aspects of what it can mean for a student to study and train as an individual therapist. Core elements of academic study, personal development, professional practice, clinical supervision and personal therapy can be largely similar, but there will be differences of focus in theoretical approach, organisational...
An evolving relational dynamic approach to psychotherapy and counselling
education is described. Key themes integrated within the approach are the
learning community and transformational relationships. Learning is a reciprocal
change process involving students, teachers, supervisors and therapists in overlapping
learning communities. Drawing on evi...
Depression affects 121 million people worldwide (WHO, 2010). The socio-economic repercussions of depression are putting an enormous strain on UK and US governmental health budgets. Regarding treatment interventions, D/MT and other arts therapies are widely practiced around the world as a treatment of choice for depression. Research evidence suggest...
This study explored the effectiveness of dance movement therapy (DMT) in obese women with emotional
eating who were trying to lose weight. 158 women were recruited from a commercial weight loss
programme: 92 with BMI
≥
28 were identified as emotional eaters and divided into: an exercise control
(n = 32) and non-exercisers (n = 60). The non-exercise...
During the last decades a narrative outlook has become very popular in many disciplines, including psychotherapy whose central model is based on the exte-riorisation of inner worlds through verbalisation. The following chapter assesses the narrative tradition from an embodiment perspective and explores the extent to which the embodied experience ca...
Aim: To identify therapists’ views on sexual boundaries and the strategies they employ to manage them in therapeutic practice. Method: In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with a sample of 13 accredited, experienced practitioners of psychotherapy or counselling. A grounded theory approach, informed by principles from Free Association Narr...
This article applies systematic review and meta-synthesis techniques to research studies (qualitative
and quantitative) with the aim of addressing the research question: do the arts have any role to play in
therapeutic goals for offenders?
While arts and arts therapies are used in various offender contexts research has been variable in purpose,
sty...
This paper takes a new look at the methods of embodiment for psychotherapy supervision. It makes a rigorous distinction between knowledge derived by language and knowledge derived by the body without the intervention of conscious thought.In an account of a study (Panhofer, 2010) whereby the principal researcher and her co-researchers, all professio...
This paper takes a new look at the methods of embodiment for psychotherapy supervision. It makes a
rigorous distinction between knowledge derived by language and knowledge derived by the body without
the intervention of conscious thought.
In an account of a study (Panhofer, 2010) whereby the principal researcher and her co-researchers,
all professi...
This article considers attachment from a post-modern, narrative and psychosocial perspective. Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit is used as a case study from which to explore these perspectives. The received wisdom that attachment styles are almost exclusively derived from the caregiver-infant relationship is critiqued, making use of the personal histo...
The myth of Robin Hood is used to explore the possible dynamics between arts therapies researchers, and in particular dance movement therapy researchers, and the world of science. As professions positioned in relation to science, arts therapists are in danger of splitting and denigration on the one hand, or appeasement on the other. The case is mad...
This article reports research concerning life narratives of Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) pioneers in Britain. Nine pioneers were identified using a snowballing sampling technique. Participants were asked about the training and experiential influences on their career trajectory, first via a questionnaire. Each individual was then encouraged to narra...
This autoethnographic study addresses the newly appointed counselling trainer's question ‘How did I get here?’ The procedure is described, and findings are presented as partial narratives of the Wounded Dancer, poems and prose written from different voices. Themes are revealed of love, healing, risk taking, unconventionality, physicality and overco...
This paper reports a pragmatic mixed methods pilot study of teacher perceptions regarding a school‐based Dance Movement therapy (DMT) service for six children aged four to seven in a North of England primary school.No previous studies have systematically evaluated DMT in terms of the development of Emotional Literacy (EL), though theoretical suppor...
This article discusses spontaneous symbolism that occurs during clinical supervision and defies logical explanation. This arises from immersion in a right-brain state and may take the form of visual imagery, “heard” phrases or words, sensation, or affect. Key characteristics are: The process cannot be forced, symbols appearing as if “received”; the...
The reader is introduced to a particular use of creative writing for assessment purposes. The method of working is proposed as one alternative for those clients who may find it difficult to embody their experience. The reader is first introduced to some literature and ideas concerning narrative approaches to therapy and assessment. This is followed...
This article examines the evidence for a relationship between body image distress (BID) and obesity, and between emotional eating and obesity. The need is highlighted for treatment programmes that are responsive to these complex issues and combine this with diet and physical activity. Weight loss programmes so far have had a poor success rate. They...
This chapter describes a pilot dance movement therapy group for people over the age of 65 who were suffering from a range of mental health problems, and whose status ranged from in-patient to day-patient to living independently in the community.
This article is an account of the multi-professional treatment of Mrs Gwendolyn James*, a 57 year old widow. It is written with Gwen's permission and is a tribute to her and to the staff caring for her. What follows is an exploration of the creative techniques used in her treatment.
* Not her real name
Questions
Questions (5)
I am writing on this topic, and I know there is some literature on PD groups but not aware of any specifically investigating DMT workshops and how they might enhance counsellor training - that is, verbal counsellors, or related professions. I don't want to miss anything. Most grateful for any leads!
I am the lead author of a cochrane systematic review of dance movement therapy for depression - anyone got any evidence we can review (published or not)? If so, please contact me (email redacted).
The reason I ask this question is that there is some evidence the arts have a role to play in developing Emotional Intelligence / Emotional Literacy. This, I think, links also to Peter Fonagy's concept of Reflective Function, which in turn links to secure attachment - which in turn links to resilience.
My own experience of engaging with the arts is that they offer a different view on this world.
What do others think, and crucially do you know of any research in this area?
I will be presenting soon about a literature synthesis undertaken with a young RA. Attempts to independently extract data were meaningless, I felt, as consensus always meant her agreeing with me. How often do we think about issues of power in SR teams?
I am trying to find out what examples there are out there of research-based learning (in which the student learns through engagement with research) and research-oriented learning (in which the student learns how to apply research methods). I am particularly interested in practitioner education at post-graduate level. Anyone got examples they could share with me?
