PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A Ikemi

Publications and source records attributed to A Ikemi.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

[Person-centered approach in occupational mental health: theory, research and practice].

The objective of this study was to articulate the person-centered approach (PCAp) in theory and in the research and practice of occupational mental health. First, Carl Rogers' person-centered theory was reviewed. Secondly, a study on 1,661 workers was presented in which psychological variables such as fatigue (FG), depression (DP) and anxiety (AX) were found to be negatively correlated with relationship scales concerning the workers' perception of the person-centered attitudes (PCA) of their superiors, the democratic leadership of their superiors (DEM) and the overall activation (ACT) of their worksites. Significant differences in FG, DP and AX were found among workers who perceived of their superiors as having either high or low PCA. Workers who reported that their superiors had high PCA had significantly less FG, DP and AX than those who perceived of their superiors as having low PCA. Similar results were also obtained when high DEM/low DEM and high ACT/low ACT were compared in terms of workers' FG, DP and AX. Thus, the PCA of job superiors was considered to be positively related to the mental health of workers. Thirdly, PCA training in industry was introduced and evaluated. A total of 137 trainees (managers) conducted active listening, a basic skill in the PCAp, and filled out a relationship inventory immediately afterwards, evaluating themselves as listeners and their partners as listeners. A comparison of scores between the first and last sessions of training showed significant increases in empathy, congruence and unconditional positive regard at the last session in both the speakers' version and the listeners' version of the relationship inventory. Cases showing changes in human relations at work as a consequence of PCA training, reported by the trainees and confirmed by an occupational health nurse, were presented. This study showed that PCA, which is positively related to workers' mental health, can increase as a result of training. The implications of these studies are discussed and various possibilities for further research using the concepts of PCAp are presented. The authors hope that such a viewpoint in occupational mental health may lead to fruitful research and practice in the field of occupational medicine.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Some psychophysiological aspects of an Oriental method of stress reduction.

To summarize, SRM induces a state of relaxation as observed by psychological tests and by effects such as increases in the surface temperature of the hands. Such effects tend to occur from an early stage of training. Furthermore, SRM induces a state of "relaxed-alertness" as opposed to a drowsy state. A method to induce such a state of relaxation may be particularly suitable as a method of stress reduction in industrial settings, where a certain degree is vigilance is required. Currently, the authors are applying SRM in an industrial setting, hoping that such methods may result in stress reduction in a high-tech society.

Anxiety↗
PubMed1988

Psychophysiological effects of self-regulation method: EEG frequency analysis and contingent negative variations.

Experiments were conducted to investigate the psychophysiological effects of self-regulation method (SRM), a newly developed method of self-control, using EEG frequency analysis and contingent negative variations (CNV). The results of the EEG frequency analysis showed that there is a significant increase in the percentage (power) of the theta-band and a significant decrease in the percentage (power) of the beta-band during SRM. Moreover, the results of an identical experiment conducted on subjects in a drowsy state showed that the changes in EEG frequencies during SRM can be differentiated from those of a drowsy state. Furthermore, experiments using CNV showed that there is a significant reduction of CNV amplitude during SRM. Despite the reduced amplitude during SRM, the number of errors in a task to evoke the CNV was reduced significantly without significant delay of reaction time. When an identical experiment was conducted in a drowsy state, CNV amplitude was reduced significantly, but reaction time and errors increased. From these experiments, the state of vigilance during SRM was discussed as a state of 'relaxed alertness'.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Thermographical analysis of the warmth of the hands during the practice of self-regulation method.

The changes in surface temperatures of the hands, and the permeation of warmth in the hands during self-regulation method (SRM), a new method of self-control, were studied in 5 trained subjects and in 5 beginners. Temperature changes were measured by thermography. Results indicated that both beginners and trained subjects showed similar significant increases in maximum hand temperatures during SRM, however, trained subjects showed significant increases during the control period as well. Further, both groups showed significant increases in the area of warmth permeation during SRM, however, trained subjects also showed a significant increase during the control period. There was a statistical difference between the two groups for the area of warmth permeation at both the end of the control period and the end of SRM. Thus, in SRM, although beginners seem to be able to raise their hand temperatures in a similar degree to trained subjects, the area of warmth permeation is significantly greater in trained subjects than in beginners. These results indicate that SRM is relatively easy to master for beginners. From these results, the technique of SRM, psychophysiological aspects of SRM and methods of self-control in general, and some issues regarding their clinical applications are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

[Counseling in industries: its current practices and its future].

Counseling in industries, along with mental health in industries is becoming a major concern among industrial nations in recent years. However, large scale studies on this subject has been few and limited in scope, due partly to the fact that no governmental regulation or accreditation for counseling in industries or for counselors exist. Nevertheless, some enterprises have initiated counseling services. To investigate the actualities of counseling in industries, the authors send questionnaires to 1385 enterprises with an employment of over 500. 52.8% of the questionnaires were collected. Among them 25.8% replied that they already had counseling services. The questionnaire asked counselors at these enterprises about the system of counseling, counselors' duties, counselors' techniques, counselors' training, counselors' educational background and about clients. Since the practice of counseling is determined, to an extent, by the background of the counselors, the authors separated counselors into four groups: medical counselors who graduated from medical schools; psychological counselors who graduated from colleges or graduate schools with a major in psychology; nurse counselors who graduated from schools of nursing; and lay counselors who did not meet the criteria for the above three groups. The results showed that the four groups tend to respond differently to the questionnaire. Based on these results, the authors discussed four different types of counseling in industries. It is hoped that this study, along with future studies, will pave the way for the establishment of coherent systems of counseling in industries, as well as for the accreditation of several types of counselors.

Counseling↗
PubMed1986

An oriental point of view in psychosomatic medicine.

In many cases of 'alexithymia' there also seems to be a difficulty in the awareness and expression of bodily feelings (tentatively called 'alexisomia'). Furthermore, this insensitivity to the body obstructs one's awareness towards the laws of nature with which the body is implicitly in touch. Holistic awareness, which includes not only the intellect but also emotional, bodily and ecological (existential) aspects of man, can be the basic principle for holistic self-control. Oriental body-oriented approaches which facilitate such a holistic awareness must be reevaluated as an essential part of psychosomatic treatment.

Affective Symptoms↗
PubMed1986

Self-regulation method: psychological, physiological and clinical considerations. An overview.

Body-oriented therapies as relaxation training and certain forms of meditation are gaining popularity in the treatment and prevention of psychosomatic disorders. In this paper, a new method of self-control called self-regulation method (SRM), derived from autogenic training and Zen meditation, is presented. The technique of SRM is introduced. Secondly, physiological studies on SRM using skin temperature, galvanic skin response, and cortical evoked potentials are presented. Thirdly, the results of psychological tests conducted on SRM are presented. These psycho-physiological studies suggest that SRM may elicit a state of 'relaxed alertness'. Fourthly, clinical applications of SRM are discussed, and 3 cases are presented. Finally, SRM is discussed in relation to the psychology and physiology of 'relaxed alertness'.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

[An experiential learning course on teaching humanistic skills to medical students--effect on empathy and regard for others].

The "humanization" of medical practice is regarded as one of the topics of present day medicine. A number of models and educational programs for teaching humanistically oriented medicine has appeared, but few studies have been done to illustrate the effects of such programs. In the present paper, the authors report a study that they conducted in which the effects of participating in a seminar on counseling skills were demonstrated. The subjects were 11 first and second year medical students who took part in an elective course in medical humanities, in which counseling skills, active listening and experimental focusing were taught. The class met for 10 sessions every other week, in which students were exposed to these techniques. On weeks when the class did not meet, students practiced these techniques in pairs among themselves. At each of these sessions, students filled out a relationship scale and recorded the session into a cassette tape. Furthermore, students filled out personality tests at the first and last class. A comparison of the results of the relationship scale between the first and last session showed a significant increase in the students' ability for empathy (P less than 0.02) and for unconditional positive regard (P less than 0.02). Not enough personality tests were handed in at the last class to provide a useful comparison. Tapes of the sessions are currently being investigated in another study using a different measurement. The authors discuss the need for such experimental courses for medical students to overcome the Cartesian view of seeing others as "objects" and for developing humanistic ways of relating to other persons.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1983

[Pre-verbality in focusing and the need for self check. An attempt at "focusing check"].

Though the Focusing process is not entirely non-verbal, in Focusing, careful attention is paid by the Focuser and the Listener to the pre-verbal experiential process. In other words, Focusing involves attending to the felt sense that is not easily expressed in words immediately. Hence, during the process of learning to Focus, the Focusing teacher attempts to communicate the experiences of Focusing to the student which are not easily done by words. Due to such difficulties, the Focusing student may (and quite frequently does) mistake the experiential process in Focusing with other processes. Often, the felt sense can be confused with other phenomena such as "autogenic discharge". Also the Focuser may not stay with the felt sense and drift into "free association" or frequently, certain processes in "meditation" can be confused with Focusing. Therefore, there is a need for a "check" by which the Focusing student can confirm the Focusing experience for himself. For the Focusing student, such a "check" serves not only to confirm the Focusing process, but also an aid to learning Focusing. We will report here a "Focusing Check" which we developed by translating Eugene Gendlin's "Focusing Check" and making several modifications in it so that it will be more understandable to the Japanese. Along with the "Focusing Check" we developed, the authors discuss the need for such a check.

Attention↗
PubMed1982

Some psychosomatic disorders in Japan in a cultural perspective.

Social scientists point to Japanese Society as having a high level of group cohesiveness that results from the psychodynamic need to mutual dependency in the Japanese personality structure, which is fostered by symbiotic mother-child relationship in childhood. Such a traditional interdependency seems to modify psychsomatic mechanisms in the Japanese inducing the preponderance of the types of reactions related to what is called 'vegetative retreat'. While over-indulgence to the maternal interdependence may threaten the development of an independent person, the severe deprivation of motherly love may, on the other hand, constitute the core of the modern crises. From this point of view, it is our belief that transcultural studies of psychosomatic mechanisms will contribute to the exploration of the social pathologies and their counter-measures in the present world, as well as to the development of effective therapeutic interventions to psychosomatic problems.

Adolescent↗