by Maya K. Marom

Received: 16 October 2023;  Published: 21 December 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2304062

It was March-April 2020. The first few weeks of the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdown had just begun. Anxiety levels were high, and being locked up at home was an unfamiliar and eerie situation. A music therapist sent her clients (elementary school children on the autism spectrum) daily videos of her dog, Robben, during his daily routines. She dubbed the dog as if he told the children a story about a tail-less cat. This endeavor resulted in a series of 27 storytelling episodes titled “Robben’s Pandemic Adventures”, [...]

by Olivia L. Pastore  , Michelle S. Fortier  , Leah J. Ferguson  and Shane N. Sweet

Received: 23 August 2023;  Published: 20 December 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2304061

Self-compassion involves being touched by and open to one’s own suffering, coupled with the desire to alleviate it and heal oneself with kindness. While self-compassion has gained significant attention in research, certain conceptual and methodological complexities have evolved over time and led to ambiguity surrounding the concept. As such, the overall purpose of this commentary was to highlight and discuss the different perspectives of self-compassion in the literature. We opted to centralize our focus primarily [...]

by Heather J. Leach  , Emma L. Gomes  , Mary C. Hidde  , Kate Lyden  , Angela D. Bryan  , Myles G. Cockburn  and Wells A. Messersmith

Received: 17 July 2023;  Published: 20 December 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2304060

Physical activity (PA) after a colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosis can improve physical function and quality of life and is associated with decreased mortality rates and longer disease-free survival. The accelerated use of videoconference technology during and following the COVID-19 pandemic offers an opportunity to explore the potential of a virtually supervised intervention to help survivors of CRC increase PA. A two-arm single blind pilot randomized controlled trial of individuals who had completed treatment for C [...]

by Ting-fen Lin  , Deanna Linville  , Rhonda N T Nese  , John Seeley  and Samantha Shune

Received: 21 June 2023;  Published: 19 December 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2304059

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) impacts the physiological and psycho-emotional aspects of life. COPD-related secondary sequelae also synergistically interact with each other. For example, dyspnea affects the severity of breath, body functions, and the mind (e.g., anxiety, panic, fear). Such negative psycho-emotional states can further negatively impact the breath and the body (e.g., increased dyspnea). Given the breadth of the impact of COPD on multiple facets of health and well-being, it is essential [...]

by Matthew Whalley  and Deborah Lee

Received: 15 August 2023;  Published: 30 November 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2304058

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often involves feeling-states of shame and self-loathing. Traditional exposure-based treatments, which are effective for fear-based PTSD, are sometimes limited in effectiveness when working with these emotional experiences: clients with high levels of shame, guilt, or disgust may experience ‘blocks’ in processing when attempting eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). Developed to help people who suffer from pervasive shame and self-attack, compassion focused ther [...]

by Daphna Markman Zinemanas

Received: 09 November 2023;  Published: 29 November 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2304057

The experience of painting during the COVID-19 period initiated this art-based autoethnographic account. The pandemic affected various fields of life; the discussion is thus pursued from a few interrelated points of view: of an individual coping with the COVID-19 crisis on a personal level, of a painter, of an art therapist, of an art therapy lecturer and supervisor, and an artist involved in community interventions. Artmaking and viewing artworks can enhance communication with the beholder and encourage others to [...]

by Eli Cwinn  , Tobyn Bell  and James Kirby

Received: 20 August 2023;  Published: 29 November 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2304056

This paper reviews key theories underlying the interpersonal process in Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) and links these to purported mechanisms of action in CFT. The paper goes on to provide a concrete practice example of an exampled dialogue between a clinician and client and narrates the interpersonal processes and mechanisms of action in an attempt to elucidate how interpersonal processes can be leveraged to facilitate therapeutic change. In so doing, this paper seeks to advance scholarship on precise mechanism [...]

by Daicia Price  , Yatesha Robinson  , Hurley Riley  , Julie Ribaudo  , Christopher Giang  , Todd I. Herrenkohl  and Alison L. Miller

Received: 21 March 2023;  Published: 21 November 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2304055

Adverse and traumatic childhood experiences can have profound negative health and mental health consequences across the lifespan. Prevention and early intervention strategies to mitigate such impacts and foster resilience are essential, yet extant approaches often do not consider the systemic nature of trauma exposure, particularly among communities most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and historic disinvestment. Addressing the impacts of trauma early in life is critical in order to mitigate their long-term effec [...]

by Gerhard Litscher

Received: 19 November 2023;  Published: 20 November 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2304054

In today's high-tech-driven times, traditional ways are getting a digital upgrade, and Chinese medicine is part of this change. Mixing ancient healing know-how with modern high technology has created digital Chinese medicine (DCM). It could change healthcare worldwide. This editorial aims to explore this new area and look at its possibilities, challenges, and how it might affect healthcare in the future. It lists some essential topics that need to be considered in the future within the digital transformation of Chi [...]

by Kazandra Lopez Hernandez  and John V. Rider

Received: 26 July 2023;  Published: 20 November 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2304053

Concept PaperEmpowering Patients, Enriching Outcomes: An Integrative and Occupational Approach to Addressing Chronic Pain in Primary CareKazandra Lopez Hernandez *, John V. Rider School of Occupational Therapy, Touro University Nevada, 874 American Pacific Dr., Henderson, NV, USA; E-Mails: kazandralopezhernandez@gmail.com; jrider@touro.edu* Correspondence: Kazandra Lopez Hernandez; E-Mail: kazandralopezhernandez@gmail.com Academic Editor: Enrica SantarcangeloSpecial Issue: Occupational Therapy Interventions for t [...]