The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the perceived resilience of creativity derived from childhood trauma for professional creatives employed in the Nashville music industry. The theories guiding this study were Masten’s resiliency theory and Vygotsky’s theory of creativity as they informed the literature on my topic by understanding the link early childhood, especially trauma, had on creativity and the link trauma had on resilience and the life courses of individuals. The qualitative design of this study was hermeneutical phenomenology. The purposive sample consisted of 10 participants who qualified from a purposive sample pool of 117 occupational creatives who were performers, musicians, and writers, and the setting was Nashville, Tennessee. The research questions were: What were the lived experiences of people who suffered childhood trauma but found relief and resilience through creative endeavors? What was the turning point (trigger) for creatives who experienced multiple adverse childhood experiences to begin creating or performing? How did trauma derived creativity foster childhood resilience and adulthood artistic inspiration? I collected data through interviews, artifact analysis, and focus groups. The five themes that emerged from this study were: creating provided escape and a coping mechanism; trauma enhanced creativity through awareness, empathy, and perspective; resiliency was a byproduct of adversity; artistic inspiration came from everyday life; and creating was accompanied by a spiritual component. The most important takeaways from the results of my research were: childhood adversity reinforced creativity, creatives found resilience through escape and artistic inspiration; and trauma derived creativity increased awareness and compassion toward others.

Creativity, Trauma, and Resilience is an examination of creativity and its ability to foster meaning, purpose, and a deeper sense of connection. This is particularly important for individuals who experience higher doses of childhood and adult trauma and who may be contending with the residual effects of terror and uncertainty. Paula Thomson and S. Victoria Jaque outline psychological, physiologic, and neurobiological effects of early attachment ruptures, childhood adversity, adult trauma, and trauma-related factors, and explore how the potential negative trajectory of adversity can be countered by resilience, self-regulation, posttraumatic growth, and factors that promote creativity.

Distinguished clinicians demonstrate how play and creativity have everything to do with the deepest healing, growth, and personal transformation. Through play, as children, we learn the rules and relationships of culture and expand our tolerance of emotions—areas of life "training" that overlap with psychotherapy. Here leading writers illuminate what play and creativity mean for the healing process at any stage of life. Contributors include: Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, Daniel J. Siegel, Marion Solomon, Aldrich Chan, Allan Schore, Terry Marks-Tarlow, Pat Ogden, Louis Cozolino, Theresa Kestly, Jaak Panksepp, Stuart Brown, Madelyn Eberly, Zoe Galvez, Betsy Crouch, Bonnie Goldstein, and Steve Gross.

Creativity and the Performing Artist: Behind the Mask synthesizes and integrates research in the field of creativity and the performing arts. Within the performing arts there are multiple specific domains of expertise, with domain-specific demands. This book examines the psychological nature of creativity in the performing arts. The book is organized into five sections. Section I discusses different forms of performing arts, the domains and talents of performers, and the experience of creativity within performing artists. Section II explores the neurobiology of physiology of creativity and flow. Section III covers the developmental trajectory of performing artists, including early attachment, parenting, play theories, personality, motivation, and training. Section IV examines emotional regulation and psychopathology in performing artists. Section V closes with issues of burnout, injury, and rehabilitation in performing artists. Discusses domain specificity within the performing arts Encompasses dance, theatre, music, and comedy performance art Reviews the biology behind performance, from thinking to movement Identifies how an artist develops over time, from childhood through adult training Summarizes the effect of personality, mood, and psychopathology on performance Explores career concerns of performing artists, from injury to burn out

The definitive work on the profound and surprising links between manic-depression and creativity, from the bestselling psychologist of bipolar disorders who wrote An Unquiet Mind. One of the foremost psychologists in America, “Kay Jamison is plainly among the few who have a profound understanding of the relationship that exists between art and madness” (William Styron). The anguished and volatile intensity associated with the artistic temperament was once thought to be a symptom of genius or eccentricity peculiar to artists, writers, and musicians. Her work, based on her study as a clinical psychologist and researcher in mood disorders, reveals that many artists subject to exalted highs and despairing lows were in fact engaged in a struggle with clinically identifiable manic-depressive illness. Jamison presents proof of the biological foundations of this disease and applies what is known about the illness to the lives and works of some of the world's greatest artists including Lord Byron, Vincent Van Gogh, and Virginia Woolf.

This volume provides unique and valuable firsthand accounts of the most important longitudinal studies of attachment. Presented are a range of research programs that have broadened our understanding of early close relationships and their role in individual adaptation throughout life. In addition to discussing the findings that emerged from each study, leading investigators offer rare reflections on the process of scientific discovery. Themes addressed include the complexities of designing studies that span years or even decades; challenges in translating theoretical constructs into age-appropriate assessments; how Bowlby's original models have been refined and expanded; and how attachment interacts with other key influences on development.

"[This] magnificent critical survey, with its inherent respect for both the 'Westt's mainstream high culture' and the 'radically changing world' of the 1990s, offers a new breakthrough for lay and scholarly readers alike....Allows readers to grasp the big picture of Western culture for the first time." SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE Here are the great minds of Western civilization and their pivotal ideas, from Plato to Hegel, from Augustine to Nietzsche, from Copernicus to Freud. Richard Tarnas performs the near-miracle of describing profound philosophical concepts simply but without simplifying them. Ten years in the making and already hailed as a classic, THE PASSION OF THE WESERN MIND is truly a complete liberal education in a single volume.