| Abstract [eng] |
Theme: Dance Movement Therapy for Women Experiencing Infertility: a Thematic Analysis Keywords: women infertility, biopsychosocial health, depression and infertility, dance/movement therapy. Research problem. The number of infertile couples around the world is increasing, therefore this problem is becoming more and more relevant. The research on the relationship between infertility and psychological distress has shown, that infertility can be caused not only by physical problems, but also psychological problems. Infertility diagnosis and treatment adversely affect women's physical, psychological and social health. Women infertility consist of different psychosocial aspects, therefore, it can be said that infertility is an object requiring the attention of scientists, therapists and doctors, to which physical, psychological and social assistance should be directed. Dance/movement therapy combines together physical, emotional, cognitive, and social healing methods and can make a significant contribution in restoration and strengthening of biopsychosocial health in women experiencing infertility. This topic has little research in Lithuanian scientific work, therefore the chosen qualitative research method provides an opportunity to reveal important subjective experiences of infertile women in the process of dance/movement therapy. Empirical research objective – reveal how women having infertility problems experience the dance/movement therapy process. Respondents – 35-45 old women experiencing infertility. Research methods: data collected by semi-structured interviews, data analysis was carried out using qualitative thematic analysis. Conclusions. According to the analysis of the interviews of the participants of the study and the reflections of the researcher, when faced with infertility, these women experience a lot of negative feelings, feel a lot of tension in the body. They constantly act on something and try to overshadow depressing thoughts and feelings, leading themselves to exhaustion. Study participants who are faced with the inability to have children experience environmental indifference to their problem, insensitive reactions of people force many of the study participants avoid social situations and isolate themselves from interpersonal relationships. After analyzing the data, it was revealed that dance/movement therapy, for women facing infertility, becomes like a rehabilitative space in which external and internal healing processes take place. According to the study, this connecting theme of infertility creates a closeness that allows study participants feel free and share their inner experiences in the group process. It has been revealed that talking, sharing in a group acts as a resource, the expressions of sensations in words helps participants of the study to free themselves from the depressing problem. In this study, it was observed that being together in a group gives the study participants safety, confidence, and communication changes their feelings and acceptance of themselves and their problem. Based on the observation and reflection of the researcher's process, it can be said that the possibilities of dance/movement therapy are revealed in the process with this vulnerable group, integrating different techniques and methods, i.e. thanks to additional measures, the main "figure" is embodied and the role is developed. In this way, the client has the opportunity to enable the object and act together and observe himself in another, fictional and safe reality, creatively opening up his emotions and feelings, satisfying his desire to be heard approved and nonverbally understood. |
