I can feel my heartbeat: Dancers have increased interoceptive accuracy

Interoception is the process of perceiving afferent signals arising from within the body including heart rate (HR), gastric signals, etc. and has been described as a mechanism crucially involved in the creation of self-awareness and selfhood. The heart beat perception task is a tool to measure individuals’ interoceptive accuracy (IAcc). IAcc correlates positively with measures of self-awareness and with attributes including emotional sensitivity, empathy, prosocial behavior, and efficient decision-making. IAcc is only moderate in the general population. Attempts to identify groups of people who might have higher IAcc due to their specific training (e.g., yoga, meditation) have not been successful. However, a recent study with musicians suggests that those trained in the arts might exhibit high IAcc. Therefore, we here tested IAcc in professional dancers. Twenty professional dancers and 20 female control participants performed 4 intervals of a heartbeat perception task while their actual HR was recorded. Dancers had a higher IAcc, and this effect was independent of their lower heart rates (a proxy measure of physical fitness), counting ability and knowledge about HR. An additional between-group analysis after a median split in the dancer group (based on ‘years of dance experience’) showed that junior dancers’ IAcc differed from controls, and senior dancers’ IAcc was higher than both junior dancers and controls. General art experience correlated positively with IAcc. No correlations were found between IAcc and questionnaire measures of empathy, emotional experience, and alexithymia. These findings are discussed in the context of current theories of interoception and emotion –highlighting the features of arts training that might be related to IAcc

Empati, kultur och spegelneuron

Olika kulturaktiviteter såsom dans, musik och teater kan påverka vår förmåga till att känna ökad empati. Upptäckten av spegelneuronen har hjälpt oss att förklara varför spegling av andras rörelser, mimik och uttryck kan stimulera oss så som om vi själva gjorde dem. När vi betraktar empati utifrån en kroppslig förståelse betyder det att vår närvaro i våra kroppar spelar in för att skapa empatiska förutsättningar. Den motoriska spegelneuronaktiviteten är länkad till våra emotioner vilket gör att vi på olika sätt kan träna upp empati genom dans och annan rörelseaktivitet. I artikeln förklaras spegelneuronens betydelse för denna typ av inlärning, och olika metoder för att forska kring kulturens betydelse i utveckling av empati beskrivs

Lessons Used for Millennia Must Not Be Lost—Adding Values to Higher Educational Programs through Arts and Aesthetics: A Literature Study

Through a historical perspective, the overall aim with this study is to deepen the understanding of arts and aesthetics, in relation to health, for the benefi- cial use in higher education programs. Since prehistoric time, mankind has been using different art forms for health reasons. Artwork created by a society is a product of the culture that prevails within that society. Aesthetics is con- nected to art, and it spans over a wider field than just art. This literature re- view study brings different historical views on arts, aesthetics, and creativity. The human need for art, music and health is essentially the same through the ages. By bringing in a historical perspective on the healing powers of art and aesthetics we can be better equipped to reintroduce arts in higher education also as a healthy factor. We need to understand our history to be able to create an understanding of the healthy meaning of art for future higher edu- cation students. Lessons that have been used for millennia must not be lost

The role of music in sustaining resilient and healthy communities – A Nordic perspective. : Promote inter-generational meetings between young people and senior citizens - using internet based music videos

Promote inter-generational meetings between young people and senior citizens - using internet based music videos   Online music videos from I-pad, as a mediating element for communication between the youths and the elders, has been studied in a project in Sweden. It is a multi-purpose, arts-based intervention project for young adults interacting with 68 members of the elderly population who have dementia. The project aims to harness the technological sophistication of young adults to offer elderly sufferers of dementia access to music videos which the elderly participant remembers from their youth. The process also includes nurses and family relatives to the elderly. The interactive outcome of the project was analysed with qualitative data. The dementia sufferers were emotionally stimulated, and for the families of the residents, it provides a model and a transitional space within which to connect to their family member with dementia. For the caretakers, it enriches their programme and humanize the heavy work load of caring. For the youth, it helps counter a culture that is too involved in computers by redeveloping experience with non-verbal human interaction based on empathy and emotional and embodied knowledge. On the other hand, the I-pad activity was also experienced from the nurses as a threat to their own role, pushing them away from more meaningful emotional interactions with the resident. The nurses also felt they had no time to do these “meaningful” things because of heavily work load. Non-verbal embodied communication, emotional mind and arts in health theories will be used to discuss the findings.   Keywords:  Dementia, Embodied communication, Inter-generational meetings, Internet-based music, I-pa

Lessons Used for Millennia Must Not Be Lost—Adding Values to Higher Educational Programs through Arts and Aesthetics: A Literature Study

Through a historical perspective, the overall aim with this study is to deepen the understanding of arts and aesthetics, in relation to health, for the benefi- cial use in higher education programs. Since prehistoric time, mankind has been using different art forms for health reasons. Artwork created by a society is a product of the culture that prevails within that society. Aesthetics is con- nected to art, and it spans over a wider field than just art. This literature re- view study brings different historical views on arts, aesthetics, and creativity. The human need for art, music and health is essentially the same through the ages. By bringing in a historical perspective on the healing powers of art and aesthetics we can be better equipped to reintroduce arts in higher education also as a healthy factor. We need to understand our history to be able to create an understanding of the healthy meaning of art for future higher edu- cation students. Lessons that have been used for millennia must not be lost

When a 17-Year-Old Girl is diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis; A case-study from the Swedish health care system - a parent perspective.

This case-study presents different strategies that were explored by the patient ́s mother (who is a researcher in music and medicine) when her 17-year-old daughter was diagnosed with ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) – also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). ME is not widely recognized in the Global as well as the Swedish population at large, and within healthcare there are no standardized recommended treatments, partly due to the lack of  published evidence-based studies. This case-study aims to provide insights into how the  Swedish healthcare system works, how different clinics and hospitals within it operate and interconnect; and how these contribute to health outcomes after 15 months of treatment

Dance/Movement Therapy in Fibromyalgia Patients : Aspects and Consequences of Verbal, Visual and Hormonal Analyses

This thesis presents hormonal, emotional, physical and visual status changes in female fibromyalgia (FMS) patients after treatment with the Creative Art therapy; dance/movement therapy, compared to controls. FMS is a syndrome of chronic pain involving musculoskeletal aches, stiffness and pain where perturbations in the stress-axis and high scores on somatic anxiety and muscular tension also have been found. The study comprises thirty-six female FMS patients divided in treatment- and control group. Serum concentrations of the hormones prolactin, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-S), cortisol and neuropeptide Y (NPY) in plasma and cortisol in saliva were analysed. Different verbal self-rating scales concerning well-being, pain, personality and life events among other things have been used. Assessments of the condition of the FMS patients affected by video-viewing were evaluated together with interviews about the self-perception phenomenon of video viewing (a phenomenological hermeneutic method). The results of the study show that six months of dance/movement therapy appears sufficient to improve both psychological and physical function, as indicated by the visual analyses. The video interpretation technique (VIT) and self-figure drawings captured treatment effects that were not evident from verbal scales or reflected in hormone levels. The biological markers probably need a longer treatment period to activate the HPA axis and its inter-related hormones and peptides. The use of different assessment techniques most likely has affected the treatment outcome. Difficulties perceiving information through verbal/cognitive modalities as well as alexithymia are factors discussed. The VIT may be useful for early identification of maladaptive movement patterns and as a mirror of facial and bodily expressions of emotions. In conclusion, this study indicates that both the dance/movement therapy and the VIT have had great influence on the FMS patient’s well-being, self-perception and perception of pain

The role of music in sustaining resilient and healthy communities – A Nordic perspective. : Promote inter-generational meetings between young people and senior citizens - using internet based music videos

Promote inter-generational meetings between young people and senior citizens - using internet based music videos   Online music videos from I-pad, as a mediating element for communication between the youths and the elders, has been studied in a project in Sweden. It is a multi-purpose, arts-based intervention project for young adults interacting with 68 members of the elderly population who have dementia. The project aims to harness the technological sophistication of young adults to offer elderly sufferers of dementia access to music videos which the elderly participant remembers from their youth. The process also includes nurses and family relatives to the elderly. The interactive outcome of the project was analysed with qualitative data. The dementia sufferers were emotionally stimulated, and for the families of the residents, it provides a model and a transitional space within which to connect to their family member with dementia. For the caretakers, it enriches their programme and humanize the heavy work load of caring. For the youth, it helps counter a culture that is too involved in computers by redeveloping experience with non-verbal human interaction based on empathy and emotional and embodied knowledge. On the other hand, the I-pad activity was also experienced from the nurses as a threat to their own role, pushing them away from more meaningful emotional interactions with the resident. The nurses also felt they had no time to do these “meaningful” things because of heavily work load. Non-verbal embodied communication, emotional mind and arts in health theories will be used to discuss the findings.   Keywords:  Dementia, Embodied communication, Inter-generational meetings, Internet-based music, I-pa

Utbildning av hållbara vårdgivare förutsättning för hållbara sjukvårdssystem och samhällen

Stress påverkar prestation, patientsäkerhet och arbetsmiljö inom hälso- ochsjukvården. Under kriser såsom tex Covid-19 pandemin, kan hög arbetsbelastning och arbete under tidspress, med begränsade resurser, då svåra beslut och prioriteringar behöver göras, leda till moralisk stress, vilket om det återkommande sker leda till moralisk ”skada” och stressrelaterad ohälsa. Därför är det viktigt att sjukvårdspersonal redan under sin utbildning får lära sig om hur de påverkas av stress och att identifiera olika moraliskt utmanande situationer, att de får träna olika stresshanteringsmetoder, samt tillämpa dem i olika simulerade akutmedicinska situationer. Utöver kunskap om stress utifrån ett individperspektiv behövs insikter kring hur stress kan genereras utifrån strukturella/organisatoriska förhållande som kan behöva åtgärdas i stället för eller parallellt med insatser på individ eller gruppnivå

Can dance and music make the transition to a sustainable society more feasible?

Transition to sustainability is a process that requires change on all levels of society from the physical to the psychological. This article takes an interdisciplinary view of the landscapes of research that contribute to the development of pro-social behaviors that align with sustainability goals, or what we call ‘inner sustainability’. Engaging in musical and dance-activities can make people feel trust and connectedness, promote prosocial behavior within a group, and also lower prejudices in between groups. Sustained engagement in these art forms brings change in a matter of seconds (such as hormonal changes and associated stress relief), months (such as raised emotional well-being and learning outcomes), and decades (such as structural changes to the brain of musicians and dancers, superior skills in expressing and understanding emotion). In this review, we bridge the often-separate domains of the arts and sciences by presenting evidence that suggests music and dance promote self-awareness, learning, care for others and wellbeing at individual and group levels. In doing so, we argue that artistic practices have a key role to play in leading the transformations necessary for a sustainable society. We require a movement of action that provides dance and music within a constructive framework for stimulating social sustainability