Mindfulness and indigenous dance as therapeutic modality for chronic conditions

This project is about studying the effects of mindfulness and indigenous dance movement in adults with anxiety. Anxiety is a highly treatable disorder, however, less than half of people with anxiety receive treatment and the few that receive treatment, default. Social support and cultural understanding of mental illness has been identified as potential areas of intervention. Mindfulness and indigenous dance movement such as Indlamu (of South African origins) and Aboriginal (of Canadian origins) are worth investigating because mindfulness and dance have been found to improve the spirit of social cohesion and sharing. Through the proposed study, we hope to i) develop a culturally conscious, interdisciplinary, and patient-centered approach to the management of anxiety and ii) validate our indigenous knowledge systems. Furthermore, we hope to inspire the realization that we all play an important role in society, and in the words of Eckhart Tolle, “we are here to enable the divine purpose of the universe to unfold. That is how important we all are”.

Faculty Supervisor:

Adrianna Mendrek

Student:

Partner:

University of Zululand

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology; Indigenous Affairs; Other

University:

Bishop's University

Program: