Understanding social media networks and group interactions is crucial to the advancement of linguistic and cultural behavior. This includes how people accessed advice on health during COVID-19 lockdown. Some people turned to social media to access information on health when other routes were curtailed by isolation rules, particularly among older generations. Facebook public pages, groups and verified profiles using keywords “senior citizen health”, “older generations”, and “healthy living” were analyzed over a 12-month period to examine engagement with social media promoting good mental health. CrowdTangle was used to source status updates, photo and video sharing information in the English language, which resulted in an initial 116,321 posts and 6,462,065 interactions. Data analysis and visualization were used to explore large datasets, including natural language processing for “message” content discovery, word frequency and correlational analysis as well as co-word clustering. Preliminary results indicate strong links to healthy aging information shared on social media, which showed correlations to global daily confirmed cases and daily deaths. The results can identify public concerns early on and address mental health issues among senior citizens on Facebook.
This study explored subjective and objective perspectives on uMoya, Spirit consciousness and/or spirituality, from a heuristic phenomenological and neurophysiologic perspective. Contemplative reflective data on uMoya and its neurophysiologic correlates were gathered from a culturally diverse group of eight researcher-participants aged 32 to 63 years. The data were analyzed using exploratory, integrative, thematic and small sample statistical approaches. Thematic analysis revealed evidence for uMoya contemplation descriptions encompassing spiritual traditions, human spirituality and ancestral consciousness. The neurophysiologic correlates indicated significant decreases in respiration, delta activity and beta activity as well as associated patterns of a coherent, relaxed and alert state of waking consciousness, suggesting direct experiencing after contemplation. Findings supported an integral contemplative approach to uMoya with the potential for psychotherapeutic applications.
Bonsai can be used as an art therapy tool during psychodynamic therapeutic interventions maintenance of good mental health.Bonsai is generally considered to be relaxing and is practiced by many to relieve stress and as an expression of art. The aim was to establish bonsai as an art therapy tool to overcome trauma. Fifteen isiZulu-speaking traumatized youths in a remote area in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa participated in a qualitative study that investigated their narratives around experienced trauma and sense of hopelessness. Materials in the form of bonsai, tools, wire, and pots were supplied, and six sessions were held. Results indicated that the participants experienced an improvement in their mental state, which was attributed by them to the practice of the art of bonsai. Bonsai can be beneficial as a healing medium mental health tool when employed as art therapy and can be promoted in a group setting in potential rehabilitation situations.
Bonsai art refers to the cultivation of a miniature tree. This study was motivated by the hypothesis that bonsai art may also be an ecopsychological, therapeutic practice that can have meaningful healing qualities. An international online survey elicited the meaning of bonsai art for 255 skilled bonsai practitioners. Questionnaires and interviews were used to elicit the experiences of participants. The findings supported the hypothesis that, for skilled practitioners, bonsai art was associated with meaningful healing experiences. In particular, the evidence suggests that bonsai art facilitates improved ecological, spiritual and emotional awareness, as well as various healing dimensions, including aesthetic creativity, resilience, adaptability, and social, physical, and personal health. It is viewed as an intervention technique that requires few resources, is easy to apply, and has a minimal impact on any environmental setting. The conclusions drawn point to the ethically sound health promotion value of bonsai art in various settings, such as psychiatric hospitals, retirement homes, rehabilitation centres and prisons.
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