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This thesis presents a critical exploration of the impact of neoliberal discourses and policies upon the organisation and experience of theatre practice within prisons in England and Wales. It was undertaken in order to bridge the gap between sociological knowledge around the impacts of neoliberalism and performance literature on the value and purpose of prison theatre and to situate prison theatre within the current socio-political context. This study aimed to develop an understanding of the influence of neoliberalism upon experiences of developing, delivering, and participating in theatre practice in prisons and to identify the ways in which neoliberal discourses and policy have informed prisoners' and practitioners' understandings, practices, and performances of care. A narrative approach was used to develop an understanding of the shifting landscape of theatre practice in prisons and the ways in which participants' sense-making practices around this. Narrative interviews were undertaken with six prison theatre company directors, five freelance prison theatre facilitators and seven former prisoners, and a narrative analysis was used alongside artistic inquiry to understand their stories. The study uncovered a sense of precarity and unpredictability within prison which can be understood as a 'carceral volatility' that both produces and is produced by relational precarity. The mechanisms by which neoliberal governmentality permeates and shapes every aspect of prison theatre, most notably the cultivation of a relational precarity and the co-option of prison theatre into a tool to perform a spectacle which reproduces dominant social narratives are presented in this thesis, alongside key methods found of resisting these impacts such as cultivating connection and considering aesthetics. This thesis also offers a methodological contribution through the presentation of poetry to offer affective senses of both prison, and prison theatre.

With human nature being standardly defined as ways of thinking, feeling and acting, the contemporary discourse on the topic reveals a primary emphasis on thinking, i.e. mental processes, as the essence of being human. This observed prioritisation of cognitive activity over the lived experience, and which Merleau-Ponty calls 'disembodied scientification' (Merleau-Ponty and Edie, 1964) creates and re-enforces the commonly visible boundaries between the human and the natural world and forges many conceptual contradictions as well as prevailing objectification of the natural world as mere resource to humankind. In this thesis I argue that the operational attitude toward Nature presupposes its existential passivity and renders it barely contextual to our own wellbeing. Next to that, I also propose that personal engagement and storied narrative offers more valid, subjective depth to how one can understand human nature and that the importance of deepening one's comprehension of the relational interconnectedness with the living world around and caring for that relationship in everyday life has never been more urgent. And while the currently opportunistic relation to Nature resides primarily within mental attitudes toward human nature that prioritize what we think over what we feel, somatic sensitivity, where somatic means to study the self from the perspective of one's lived experience encompassing the dimensions of body, psyche and spirit (Hanna, 1986) emphasizes our inborn ability for internal perception and offers help in opening and widening our embodied capacities to engage with the world in 'movements made special through care' (Fraleigh, 2015). The mindful practices of somatic felt thinking, that sprang from this intuitive, practice-based inquiry as its methodological grounding, develop here into a holistic practice offered as a way of re-connecting with the ecological depths of the self and which value internal sensations, emotions and imaginings as integral part of being human in a 'more-than-human' world (Abram, 1996). The thesis presents then the scope of experiential load shaped by felt thinking about human nature while moving in/with Nature, and elaborates on such processes in relation to the movers' overall wellbeing. It covers creative journeys of opening up to the living agency of Nature itself through the emergent three phases of experiential relatedness and its dimensionality in embodied experience of the self as analogous to the dynamics of embryological layers formation, namely its ectodermic attentiveness, its mesodermic connectivity, and its endodermic intensity. The experiential depths provide also different time/space contexts for the embodied comprehension of the self that expand on the phenomenological and the Bergsonian heritage of thought in practice. The first phase of experiential flux connects the movers to the natural environment as self through sensual presence in physical time of inward and outward s-pacing, the second phase offers cocreating engagement with the natural world through experiential responsiveness in psychological time of animating, and the final stage of becoming the Nature/self through insightful intuiting in primordial sense of relatedness takes the movers to the most meaningful extent of experience by deepening one's sense of being and belonging. Laid out as a thorough interpretation of practice, the thesis presents its original contribution to eco-phenomenology with its ontological principle of embodied relationality in towards and away from movement as a primal gateway to wellbeing and its creative inter-constitution. It also constructs a cyclical paradigm for ecological felt thinking grounded in unifying depths of experience of 'other' within the self and provides a proper look at contextualising it theory. Supported by wide considerations of ontological co-creation in Nature the thesis concludes that felt thinking with Nature, as experiential reflexivity practice guided by being with Nature in contemplative movement, and a practice-based method of self-inquiry, can path a more ecologically mindful way for an inclusive understanding of human nature/Nature relationship as Nature/self, and promotes a more intuitive, movement-guided alertness to modes of 'being well' with self/other in broader life contexts that weave both, the creative and the caring together.

Children with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their caregivers can find sustaining their wellbeing to be highly demanding. Dance Movement Psychotherapy (DMP), with a holistic and non-verbal character, may present as a relevant intervention option for this group of children and their caregivers. This doctoral research study aimed to explore the contributions of DMP towards the wellbeing of children with ASD and their caregivers. The study was conducted in two phases using a mixed-methods approach. Phase I involved a systematic review of the available literature to identify, evaluate, and synthesise the outcomes of DMP towards the wellbeing of children with ASD. The findings of the review identified the potential of DMP to promote the wellbeing of children with ASD and highlighted the lack of evidence for its effectiveness and clarity on the therapeutic process. Phase I also involved the development of two DMP intervention protocols for children and caregivers based on the key findings of the systematic review along with theoretical foundations and clinical experiences of the therapist, supervisor and researcher. These protocols were piloted in Phase II of the study which investigated the effects of DMP on the emotional and social wellbeing of children with ASD and their caregivers using a randomised and controlled crossover convergent mixed-methods design. Fidelity assessments were also conducted that showed 75% and above adherence to each criterion, good agreement among the three raters (researcher, therapist and an external expert) and reflected that the protocols were implemented across groups consistently. Twenty-six children with ASD and thirty-seven caregivers participated in the study. Quantitative data were collected before and after DMP while the qualitative and arts-based data were collected during the intervention using a battery of methods. Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) for children with ASD have shown statistical and clinical significant improvements in the wellbeing measures irrespective of their mode of communication. The qualitative strand for children described multi-layered and complex processes. Three main themes with 18 sub-themes were identified through the thematic analysis of qualitative data including a) individual transformation process; b) group transformation process; c) overall process and outcomes of DMP. A dance piece was created through the artistic inquiry process that identified six key moments of change during DMP sessions with children. Similarly, for caregivers both outcome measures used i.e. Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF) and Adult Wellbeing Scale (AWS) indicated clinically significant improvement after DMP and a statistically significant impact on post-intervention scores for AWS but not for PSI-SF. In addition, a significant association was found between pre-intervention scores, number of sessions attended with the post-intervention scores of both AWS and PSI-SF. Their engagement in the therapeutic intervention was significantly related to the post-intervention measures. The qualitative findings from caregivers involved six main themes and twenty sub-themes which revealed that participants experienced some helpful and unhelpful factors such as (beholding within and around; reflecting and reinforcing strengths; exchanging views; looking back and carrying forward; core benefits; challenges to engage in DMP) that influenced the process and outcomes of DMP. Four key moments of change were noticed through the artistic inquiry process which were woven into a dance piece. Due to many dropouts from the intervention groups of caregivers, a bidirectional association between wellbeing of children and caregivers was not explored through statistical analysis. Instead, two exploratory case vignettes were presented which highlighted the potential bidirectional influence of experiences of wellbeing. The limitations and appropriateness of the research methods implemented in this study for their use in a large RCT are discussed. Overall, the findings highlight the value of DMP for improving the lives of young vulnerable groups and their caregivers.

Embedding arts therapies (i.e. music, drama, dance movement and art therapy) within the educational system may contribute to address children’s emerging needs and result in a positive impact on their wellbeing, bridging the gap between health and education. However, research in this area remains limited in scope and size, with evidence of effectiveness not yet firmly established. Furthermore, children’s perspectives are not taken to heart, relying heavily on either the views of therapists, teachers, or parents. This study attempted to fill this gap through a two-staged design. The first stage consisted of a systematic review that aimed to identify, appraise and synthesise the evidence relating to child-reported outcomes of arts therapies. This review included seven studies and 358 participants. The findings informed the development of the second stage; a pilot cross-over randomised controlled study investigating the process and outcomes of an arts therapies intervention delivered to 62 children with mild emotional and behavioural difficulties. The most important outcomes identified were: emotional regulation; self-confidence; positive appraisal of health and perceived quality of life; positive relationships; and reduced stress. Links were made with positive psychology as well as self-determination and self-actualisation theories. Furthermore, the pilot study shed light into the practicalities of conducting a randomized controlled study in educational settings, as well as the power size needed to reach statistical significance. Although results did not reach the accepted level of statistical significance for all outcome measures, there were improvements in children’s quality of life and wellbeing which sustained at 3, 6 and 12 months follow-up. There were also significant changes in duration of sleep as determined through acti-watchers, and in emotional and behavioural difficulties as reported by teachers. This project highlights areas for improvement in future research and practice based on evidence that is grounded on children’s perspectives. It is expected that the implementation of these suggestions will benefit children’s health and wellbeing, and the wider inclusion of arts therapies in national and international health-related guidelines.

The adverse and lasting effects traumatic experiences can have on individuals pose significant challenges to psychotherapeutic treatments. This is due to the profound impact trauma has on the body and mind of survivors which can result in a wide range of posttraumatic symptoms, The unique nature of traumatic memories, and the extent to which they can become engrained, can further complicate treatment considerations. Relevant literature suggests that Dance Movement Psychotherapy (DMP) can be useful for treating survivors of trauma, due to its emphasis on embodiment and creativity that this modality offers. However, research to support this notion is currently limited. Furthermore, not enough is known about how the therapeutic process with survivors of trauma unfolds in the context of DMP. This thesis, therefore, aimed to identify the components of the therapeutic processes used in trauma-informed DMP as a step towards improving understanding of therapeutic practice with this client group. This thesis used hermeneutic phenomenology as the underlying methodology and epistemological position from which all findings and understandings were derived. It encompassed the following two strands: the first involved semi-structured interviews with practitioners who were experienced in treating survivors of trauma. To ensure a sufficient amount of data were collected, and due to commonalities between the DMP and Body Psychotherapy (BP) modalities with regards to the role of the body in the therapeutic process, participants from both of these professions were interviewed for the first research component. The second strand comprised a heuristic inquiry that utilised embodied and creative practice to synthesise the findings from the first strand, and elucidate further the components of the therapeutic process. Findings suggest that the therapeutic process for treating trauma comprises of several identifiable therapeutic elements, some of which were grounded in embodiment and creativity and appeared to be specific to DMP. A relationship was found between the concepts of "narrative‟, "trauma-processing‟ and "ritual‟ while the notion of "joy‟ was identified as ii supporting and signifying positive change. Concepts of "witnessing‟ and "resourcing‟ were also identified. These were perceived by respondents to facilitate and support the therapeutic process with this client group. Applied embodiment and creativity were found to be empowering and seen to facilitate a manageable and paced access to traumatic material. The synthesised results of this thesis are presented as a map of the therapeutic process, and it is suggested that findings may potentially be transferable and useful for other treatment modalities. Overall, the results of this thesis enabled a fuller understanding of the role DMP can play in facilitating therapeutic processes with this client group. Furthermore, the current findings emphasise the contribution that DMP can make to the wider body of knowledge relating with psychotherapeutic treatment approaches to trauma.

The increasing number of people being diagnosed with dementia presents a need to find more evidence-based therapies that help maintain health and wellbeing post diagnosis. Music therapy (MT) and dance movement therapy (DMT) are two forms of arts therapies that share a non-verbal, holistic approach and offer a non-pharmaceutical treatment option. However, evidence for their effectiveness remains inconclusive with uncertainty regarding therapeutic components. The first stage of this PhD involved collating quantitative and qualitative evidence for MT and DMT in a systematic review of primary sourced literature. Findings of this review indicate that both MT and DMT work to meet psychosocial needs and celebrate personhood. There was no consensus on health outcomes though there was some high quality quantitative evidence for reducing symptoms of depression and agitation. Qualitative findings focused on the importance of embodied communication and identified therapeutic components across studies including regulating arousal, increasing bodily awareness and improvisation. The evidence available focused on participants in nursing homes, revealing a lack of community-based studies, and an absence of arts-based methodologies. Building on these findings, an evidence-based treatment manual was developed for a collaborative MT and DMT group to take place in the community. This phase adopted a case study design. Qualitative findings focused on significant moments of connection between thoughts, feelings and physical sensations and generated three main themes in the therapeutic process: making connections, acknowledging grief and loss, and growth and empowerment, while quantitative findings suggested a reduction in depressive symptoms. The study contributed original knowledge to arts therapies research in gathering relevant evidence associated with the process and outcomes of two of the arts therapies, namely MT and DMT. It also enabled the development of a research-based treatment manual and proposed an interdisciplinary collaborative model of practice, an exploration of new arts-based data collection tools, and testing the intervention in a community setting.