Transforming the Self and Healing the Body Through the Use of Testimonies in a Divine Retreat Center, Kerala

In this article, we analyze the collective healing process that takes place on a weekly basis in the Divine Retreat Center (DRC) in Muringoor, Kerala. We argue that disease in the DRC is understood either as a psycho-somatic or as a spirito-somatic phenomenon. In contrast to other Charismatic communities, however, the body is the locus on which the medical effects of the healing become visible. The whole process is divided into several phases: First, there is a cleansing and disengagement procedure that aims to purify and liberate the participants through confession and counseling. Thereafter comes a climatic phase of personal emptying, transition and re-orientation during which the healing itself takes place. The procedure is finally completed with the person being spiritually "refilled" by the Holy Spirit. The dominant recurring element in the whole process is the continuous statement of healing "testimonies." As an integral part of the healing procedure, these statements are used to share personal experiences among the participants in the center. They are produced in a strict format in order to be spread far beyond through various media (TV, newspaper, Internet, etc.). They thereby constitute a speech genre that follows specific rules and patterns. Through shaping one's own biography in the frame of the testimonies, so we argue, the actual transformation of the self and therefore the miracle healing takes place.     

The Illness/Injury Sensitivity Index: Validation of a German Version of the ISI-R

Three fundamental fears-anxiety sensitivity, fear of negative evaluation, and illness/injury sensitivity-are considered integral components of anxiety-related psychopathology and also bear connections with chronic pain. Scales measuring the first two fears, the Anxiety Sensitivity Index and the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale, have been translated into German; however, the nine-item Illness/Injury Sensitivity Index-Revised (ISI-R) that measures fears of injury and illness has not been available in German language yet. The aim of this study therefore was a translation of the ISI-R into German language and an initial validation of the translated scale in two different samples. The German ISI-R was translated by both professionals and laypersons, and a final version was decided on by consensus. In Study 1, participants included 96 undergraduate students (85% women) who completed the German version of the ISI as part of a larger study. An exploratory factor analysis with oblique rotation was conducted and suggested a two-factor-solution with one factor representing fears of illness and the other fears of injury. This factor structure was confirmed via a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in Study 2. Participants included 117 community members (79% women). Convergent validity was supported using a visual analogue scale for fear of illness in both samples and the German translation of the Whiteley Index in Study. Overall, the results supported the German translation of the ISI-R. Comprehensive results, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.     

Perceptual behavior: recurrence analysis of a haptic exploratory procedure

Various object properties are perceptible by wielding. We asked whether the dynamics of wielding differed as a function of the to-be-perceived property. Wielding motions were analyzed to determine if they differed under the intention to perceive or not perceive rod length (experiment 1), to perceive object height versus object width (experiment 2), and to perceive the length forward of where the rod was grasped versus the position of the grasp (experiment 3). Perceiving these different properties is known to depend on different components of the object's inertia tensor. Analyses of the subtle recurrent patterns in the phase space of the hand motions revealed differences in wielding across the different perceptual intentions. Haptic exploratory procedures may exhibit distinct exploratory dynamics.     

The cognitive failures questionnaire revisited: dimensions and correlates

The authors reexamined the factor structure of the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (D. E. Broadbent, P. F. Cooper, P. Fitzgerald, & K. R. Parkes, 1982) and its correlates. The Cognitive Failures Questionnaire was designed to assess a person's likelihood of committing an error in the completion of an everyday task. A principal components factor analysis with varimax rotation yielded 4 internally consistent, interpretable factors. These factors were labeled Memory, Distractibility, Blunders, and (memory for) Names. This study lends partial support for the factor analytic solution proposed by L. K. Pollina, A. L. Greene, R. H. Tunick, and J. M. Puckett (1992). In addition, it extends previous findings by providing initial evidence for the construct validity of the factors established by correlating factor scores with measures of other related constructs (i.e., boredom proneness, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, Type A behavior pattern).     

Movement sequencing and phonological fluency in (putatively) nonimpaired readers

Reading-disabled children often have accompanying deficits in motor coordination. Rather than assuming impairment of a shared neural mechanism, we conjecture that coordination difficulties that undermine normal speech would also undermine development of phonological awareness, which is necessary for reading fluency. Nonimpaired readers who vary in fluency, therefore, should also covary in coordination. Reliable interrelationships between phonological decoding skills and the speed and variability of sequentially tapping the fingers of one hand (either dominant or nondominant) were, indeed, found for college undergraduates. Reading measures that do not emphasize phonological decoding did not show the same connection. Characterizing phonological decoding as a skill and the long-term consequences of failure to master that skill suggest that it could benefit from practice even in high-literacy populations.     

Exploratory factor analysis and psychometric properties of the Valencia Scale on attitudes and beliefs toward hypnosis

Exploratory factor analysis and psychometric properties of the valencia scale on attitudes and beliefs toward hypnosis. Therapist version. This investigation examines the psychometric properties and factor structure of the Valencia Scale on Attitudes and Beliefs toward Hypnosis-Therapist version. Data from 775 professional psychologists belonging to the Spanish Association of Psychologists were used for the exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Retest included data from 426 participants who answered to the test. The EFA revealed eight factors (Fear, Memory, Help, Control, Collaboration, Interest, Magic and Marginal). Each factor showed good internal consistency and reliability, similar to the client version of this scale. ANOVA indicate that some variables (having scientific knowledge, having received practical information on hypnosis, to use hypnosis, and to show interest in receiving more theoretical and practical information on hypnosis), tend to reduce inadequate beliefs and negative attitudes toward hypnosis. Our results provide the basis for carrying out confirmatory factor analysis and studies of convergent validity on the scale, and of the sensitivity of the scale to change.     

Psychological resilience and dysfunction among hospitalized survivors of the SARS epidemic in Hong Kong: a latent class approach

OBJECTIVE: To examine trajectories of psychological functioning using latent class analysis on a sample of hospitalized survivors of the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic in Hong Kong. DESIGN: A longitudinal study of 997 survivors, recruited from among 1,331 individuals hospitalized for SARS, were interviewed at 6, 12, and 18 months after hospitalization. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Psychological and physical functioning at each time point was measured using the 12-item Medical Outcome Study Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12). RESULTS: Four latent classes were identified--chronic dysfunction, delayed dysfunction, recovery, and resilience. All groups had better physical health than the chronic group. Resilient and recovered individuals had greater social support and less SARS-related worry, and resilient individuals were more likely to be male. The resilient group also had greater social support than the delayed group and better physical functioning than the recovered group. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that longitudinal outcome trajectories following a major health-threat event in an Asian sample bear close resemblance to prototypical trajectories observed in trauma studies using Western samples. Unique predictors of the trajectories included factors observed in previous studies, such as social support, as well as factors of particular relevance to a major disease outbreak, such as SARS-related worry.     

Long-term effects of lifestyle changes on well-being and cardiac variables among coronary heart disease patients

OBJECTIVE: To focus on psychological well-being in the Lifestyle Heart Trial (LHT), an intensive lifestyle intervention including diet, exercise, stress management, and group support that previously demonstrated maintenance of comprehensive lifestyle changes and reversal of coronary artery stenosis at 1 and 5 years. DESIGN AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The LHT was a randomized controlled trial using an invitational design. The authors compared psychological distress, anger, hostility, and perceived social support by group (intervention group, n = 28; control group, n = 20) and time (baseline, 1 year, 5 years) and examined the relationships of lifestyle changes to cardiac variables. RESULTS: Reductions in psychological distress and hostility in the experimental group (compared with controls) were observed after 1 year (p < .05). By 5 years, improvements in hostility tended to be maintained relative to the control group, but reductions in psychological distress were reported only by experimental patients with very high 5-year program adherence. Improvements in diet were related to weight reduction and decreases in percent diameter stenosis, and improvements in stress management were related to decreases in percent diameter stenosis at both follow-ups (all p < .05). CONCLUSION: These findings illustrate the importance of targeting multiple health behaviors in secondary prevention of coronary heart disease.     

Altering withdrawn and intrusive interaction behaviors of depressed mothers

Interaction coaching was given to 44 depressed mothers who had either a withdrawn or intrusive interaction style with their infants. The intrusive and withdrawn mothers were given instructions either to imitate their infants' behavior or to keep their infants' attention. The results suggested that the specific type of interaction coaching for the specific type of depressed mother (imitation for the intrusive mothers and attention-getting for the withdrawn mothers) significantly improved their interaction behaviors with their infants.