| Titel: | Teaching Professional Standards: Training Yoga Therapists in Loving Presence |
|---|---|
| Autor: | Kokinakis, CL |
| Mediengruppe: | --- |
| Herausgeber: | --- |
| Zeitschrift: | Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Jahr: | 1996 |
| Band: | 57 |
| Heft: | 2 |
| Seiten: | 588 |
| Sprache: | English; englisch |
| Abstract: | A naturalistic study of yoga therapist training was undertaken to learn about core professional standards and how they are taught in Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy. Primary data collection methods were participant observation and interviewing. Qualitative data analysis methods followed the rationale and guidelines of Erickson (1985)1 for the conduct of qualitative research in education. Findings suggest that a guiding principle named loving presence is an essential professional standard, and that teaching therapists to be a loving presence is an important training goal. Initial attempts to define loving presence suggest that multi-cultural and/or multi-disciplinary conceptual frameworks are needed. A working definition of loving presence is proposed as: (a) knowledge of the self (knowing the self as dual and non-dual), (b) the skill of conscious awareness, and (c) an attitude of non-attachment. Findings also suggest that the principle and practice of loving presence is taught to therapists-in-training by creating many opportunities to directly experience loving presence: (a) through practicing the work with each other, (b) through receiving sessions from certified therapists, and (c) through relationships with their mentor and other training staff. A second important way therapists are taught to be a loving presence is to increase their capacity to be present to their own life experiences--to self-presence. Study findings imply that: (a) the construct of loving presence is closely associated with yoga philosophy and psychology and may have utility in other professional training programs when similar goals are present; (b) attempts to define and teach loving presence may contribute to theory evolution; (c) the process of teaching loving presence may be generalizable to other professional training programs, particularly the importance placed on therapists applying this principle in their own lives, and the congruent theory and practice of loving presence across all (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved) |