Exploring the subjective experience of rave party participants in Israel who consume psychedelic drugs: a qualitative inquiry.

BACKGROUND: Rave music parties (RMP) are a world-wide socio-cultural phenomenon, where people listen to rave music while frequently consuming psychedelic drugs. Epidemiological studies have emphasized the hazardous consequences following the consumption of psychedelic drugs at RMP, and qualitative studies have shown social and psycho-spiritual experiences. Yet, phenomenological inquiry into subjective experiences of attendees is scant. This study aimed to examine physical, emotional, perceptual and social experiences of RMP participants in Israel, and their view on Israel's policy toward rave events. In addition, the study aimed to contribute useful information for policymakers and society on rave music and psychedelic drugs experiences at RMP. METHOD: Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyze transcriptions of semi-structured interviews with 27 individuals attending RMP regularly and consume psychedelic drugs. RESULTS: Analysis revealed four significant themes: the first theme, the impact of Israel's drug policy on participants' sense of safety, relates to participants' sense of insecurity and anxiety at Israeli RMP due to government drug ban policy. The second theme, the stigma on rave culture, relates to participants' perception regarding the stigma on rave culture in law enforcement agencies and in society in general. The third theme, negative experiences, describes short-term experiences after consuming psychedelics at RMP, including hallucinations and disorientation. The fourth theme, positive experiences, describes positive sensory, emotional and self/world attitudinal aspects after consuming psychedelics at RMP. Sensory experiences included intensified auditory, visual and tactile experiences; emotional experiences included positive feelings toward others, reduced stress and ability to vent difficult emotions; self/world attitudinal aspects included self-acceptance, higher appreciation of life and connectedness to nature. CONCLUSIONS: The study highlights RMP participants' sense of insecurity due to Israel's strict drug policy and absence of harm reduction strategies at rave scenes. The study also notes participants' experience of stigmatization as drug addicts by society and law enforcement agencies. Reducing police presence and adopting harm reduction policies at rave scenes in Israel may increase participants' sense of security, reduce stigmatization and decrease overdose risk. Hence, the findings may contribute to new knowledge useful for policymakers and society concerning RMP and the use of psychedelics.

A Qualitative Investigation of Self-Compassion in Music Therapy Group Voicework With Women Coping With Incest.

Incest occurs worldwide in all socioeconomic classes. To the best of our knowledge, literature on music processes with incest survivors is scarce, and studies focusing on voicework as a main technique for incest survivors in group settings have not been found. The current study aimed to explore incest survivors' expectations regarding the use of their voice before participating in a vocal group therapy, and their lived experience of using their voice following the therapeutic process. Seventeen women living in an inpatient alternative center, coping with complex posttraumatic stress disorder due to incest, participated in a voicework group led by two music therapists. The women were divided into two groups of eight and nine women each and participated in eight sessions. Data were collected through focus groups before and after the therapeutic experience. Interpretative phenomenological analysis yielded themes indicating that before the therapeutic process, participants' expectations regarding the use of their voice reflected low self-esteem, self-criticism, loneliness, shame, fear of exposure, and avoidance of singing. Following the therapeutic process, participants experienced their voice in a way that enabled them to feel self-acceptance and courage to sing, togetherness, bonding, belonging, a strengthening of existing relationships and ability to establish new ones, and awareness of body and emotions in the "here and now." An overall examination of the findings indicates that participants progressed from experiencing lack of self-compassion before the therapeutic experience to enhanced self-compassion at its completion. The findings are interpreted via the self-compassion concept and implications are presented.

Financial exploitation and mental health among Holocaust survivors: the moderating role of posttraumatic symptoms.

OBJECTIVES: We examined whether anxiety and depressive symptoms associated with self-reported history of financial exploitation (FE) are more pronounced among Holocaust survivors (HS), especially those with high-level posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. DESIGN: Self-report questionnaires completed online via Qualtrics. SETTING: An online-based survey conducted in Israel. PARTICIPANTS: A community-based cohort of 137 Israeli older adults born prior to 1945 were included in the study sample. HS (n = 61) were participants who reported living in a European country occupied or dominated by Nazi or pro-Nazi regimes between 1939 and 1945. Groups were further subdivided into survivors with low or high levels of PTSD symptoms (≥31 on the PTSD Checklist; PCL-5). MEASUREMENTS: Questionnaires assessed FE history, posttraumatic symptoms (PCL-5), depressive symptoms (PHQ-9), and anxiety (GAD-7). Age, education, self-rated health, and non-Holocaust lifetime adversity were also measured and included as covariates. RESULTS: Hierarchical linear regression models revealed that relationships between FE and depressive and anxiety symptoms were significant only among survivors (p = 0.005 and p = 0.008, respectively). The interaction between PTSD symptom level group and FE was also significant for both depressive (p = 0.007) and anxiety (p = 0.012) symptoms, such that survivors with PTSD who reported FE had significantly greater symptoms of depression and anxiety compared to all other groups. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that the experience of FE may be particularly impactful among survivors who continue to struggle with posttraumatic symptoms related to the Holocaust. Future studies may consider examining whether findings are relevant to other groups with PTSD.

"When I sing-I exist": A qualitative inquiry on posttraumatic growth in voicework groups with women coping with incest.

OBJECTIVE: Literature on music therapy with incest survivors is scant, and to the best of our knowledge, voicework as a main technique in group settings has not been explored. The current study aimed to examine a voicework intervention with women coping with the effects of incest, understand its meaning for the participants, and examine its potential to promote well-being. METHOD: Seventeen women coping with complex posttraumatic stress disorder due to incest participated in a voicework group intervention of eight weekly sessions. Therapy included techniques such as breathing, voice improvisation, songwriting, and performance of existing songs. Data were collected via focus groups before and after the intervention and documentation of songs sung during sessions. Data were analyzed according to the interpretative phenomenological analysis approach. RESULTS: Analysis yielded four themes. Personal empowerment relates to participants' enhanced connection with their body and utilization of creativity as an inner resource. Strengthened social ties relates to the group's ability to create a sense of belonging, togetherness, and an infrastructure for improving relationships outside the group. Enhanced belief in God describes renewed willingness to believe in God, and positive perception of the future reflects change from hopelessness toward belief in a better future. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the findings indicate that the intervention enabled the development of personal, social, and spiritual growth and a positive outlook for the future. Findings are interpreted using the domains of the posttraumatic growth theory. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Creating a Benevolent World: Exploration of a Music-Based Rehabilitation Program for Formerly Incarcerated Individuals.

Many studies discuss the impact of music programs on prison inmates. However, few studies have investigated the impact of music programs on formerly incarcerated individuals (FIIs), and none of them have focused on the programs' characteristics. This phenomenological study explores the characteristics of a music-based rehabilitation program for FIIs. Five FIIs and three staff members who participated in a group music program were interviewed. The following four themes emerged: Continuity-the importance of the FIIs' previous positive acquaintance with the program while still being in prison. Egalitarian approach-the importance of the staff treating the FIIs with understanding, tolerance, non-judgmentalism, and the use of an eye-level approach. Cultural sensitivity-the staff members' sensitivity to the FIIs' different backgrounds to form a connection. Playfulness-the program's ability to break free from a "fight-or-flight" mode and experience a counter mode of playfulness. The findings are discussed through the perspective of positive criminology.

Integration of trauma in music therapy: A qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE: The importance of integration in psychotherapy is a growing area of research, theory, and practice, especially regarding traumatic events. Although research relates to integration in the context of music therapy with trauma survivors, it has rarely been the main focus of research. The current study investigates which principles and techniques guide music therapists to facilitate integration of trauma survivors. METHOD: Using the phenomenological approach, analysis of semistructured interviews with 41 experienced music therapists working with traumatized populations was conducted to identify themes regarding their perception on integration. RESULTS: The findings yielded three different ways of integration. Body integration entails the ability of active music playing to serve as a sensorial stimulus that bypasses linguistic and logical mediation and enables clients to live in peace with their body and feel whole. Event integration relates to a process by which a repressed traumatic event reemerges into consciousness through music and leads to emotional and cognitive integration of that event. Lastly, life story integration relates to the ability to perceive a life story as a whole. The process includes embedding a trauma into the natural flow of a life story through music and achieving emotional and cognitive integration. CONCLUSIONS: These three ways of integration are conceptualized as a progression of three consecutive levels of integration which may assist music therapists in their work with trauma survivors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Internalization and Opposition to Stigmatized Social Discourse among Incest Survivors.

Despite the high prevalence of incest, survivors are reluctant to disclose its existence for reasons such as shame, guilt and the presence of an accusatory and stigmatizing social discourse. The current mixed methods study examined the internal discourses of 13 incest survivors in Israel, reflected in self-reported internal dialogs which emerged during interviews. The qualitative analysis revealed a dialectical tension between two themes - one reflecting an internalization of the social discourse (manifested as quotes taken from social discourse and uttered by the survivors) and the other an agentic discourse (manifested in utterances either resisting the social discourse or showing an empowering advertence to one's own fulcrum). The quantitative analysis showed that for seven participants the internalized social discourse expressions were most frequent, for five the agentic expressions were most frequent, and that for one the discourses were at equilibrium. The ubiquitous sub-themes manifested in the internalized social discourse were: victimhood (feelings of vulnerability and helplessness), survivorship (meaningless existence, despair and hopelessness), negative self-esteem and self-pathology (perception of the self as having pathological psychological problems), and denial/repression of the abuse. The ubiquitous sub-themes manifested in the agentic discourse were: positive self-image and sense of potency, hope, optimism and positive perception of life, and uprising against the parents and institutions that did not give support. The discussion is based on Butler's concept of vulnerability, which suggests how to address the harms inflicted by incest without erasing aspects of the survivors' agency and growth.

Using a Low-Power Spiking Continuous Time Neuron (SCTN) for Sound Signal Processing.

This work presents a new approach based on a spiking neural network for sound preprocessing and classification. The proposed approach is biologically inspired by the biological neuron's characteristic using spiking neurons, and Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity (STDP)-based learning rule. We propose a biologically plausible sound classification framework that uses a Spiking Neural Network (SNN) for detecting the embedded frequencies contained within an acoustic signal. This work also demonstrates an efficient hardware implementation of the SNN network based on the low-power Spike Continuous Time Neuron (SCTN). The proposed sound classification framework suggests direct Pulse Density Modulation (PDM) interfacing of the acoustic sensor with the SCTN-based network avoiding the usage of costly digital-to-analog conversions. This paper presents a new connectivity approach applied to Spiking Neuron (SN)-based neural networks. We suggest considering the SCTN neuron as a basic building block in the design of programmable analog electronics circuits. Usually, a neuron is used as a repeated modular element in any neural network structure, and the connectivity between the neurons located at different layers is well defined. Thus, generating a modular Neural Network structure composed of several layers with full or partial connectivity. The proposed approach suggests controlling the behavior of the spiking neurons, and applying smart connectivity to enable the design of simple analog circuits based on SNN. Unlike existing NN-based solutions for which the preprocessing phase is carried out using analog circuits and analog-to-digital conversion, we suggest integrating the preprocessing phase into the network. This approach allows referring to the basic SCTN as an analog module enabling the design of simple analog circuits based on SNN with unique inter-connections between the neurons. The efficiency of the proposed approach is demonstrated by implementing SCTN-based resonators for sound feature extraction and classification. The proposed SCTN-based sound classification approach demonstrates a classification accuracy of 98.73% using the Real-World Computing Partnership (RWCP) database.

Perceptions of Violent National-Political Protest among Arabs Living in Israel: A Pilot Study.

This pilot study examines the perceptions of Arabs living in Israel (ALI) regarding violent national-political protests (VNPP). ALI, exposed to VNPP by organizations of their own ethnic minority, are trapped in a political and cultural conflict between their state and their nation. Qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with 15 Muslim ALI identified four possible groups presenting four types of VNPP perceptions: (a) justifiers, who regard VNPP as a legitimate means of protecting the Palestinians and who profess Palestinian identity; (b) opponents, who strongly condemn VNPP and who profess Israeli identity; (c) those understanding but disagreeing with VNPP, professing a dual Palestinian-Israeli identity; and (d) the ambivalents, representing people with internal conflicts and mixed feelings regarding the Palestinian VNPP and their own identity. The study contributes to the understanding of how a group of ALI perceives the Palestinian VNPP, and implies that this population consists of different groups, each with its own unique identity.

Families of Animal Rights Activists as a Basis of Support for Ideological Delinquency-A Phenomenological Study.

The presented study examined dynamics and perceptions among family members of ideologues lawbreaking animal rights activists. In the course of the study, parents and spouses of activists were interviewed, and its findings highlighted a number of key themes: glorification of the activist, an envy directed toward elements of the activism; personal gain acquired by virtue of the relationship, as well as self-discovery which family members experienced by their exposure to activism. By using Maruna's "redemption script" (2001), the study presents the manner by which perception of an activist as an idealist, leads his family members to construct a new narrative that qualifies transgressions based on ideology. The redemption script turns out to be bidirectional. Thus, while Maruna presented it as an aid for desisting delinquency, the study indicates that as far as it concerns breaking the law in favor of animals, it can mobilize family members to support all shades of activism.

Filial anxiety and sense of obligation among offspring of Holocaust survivors.

OBJECTIVES: Much is known about adult children caring for their aging parents, yet the potentially unique experience of offspring caring for traumatized parents is underexplored. Therefore, the current studies assessed filial anxiety and sense of obligation among offspring of Holocaust survivors (OHS) in caring for their parents. METHOD: In Study 1, we interviewed 10 OHS (mean age = 61.0) in order to extract themes of filial anxiety. Based on Study 1's data, a newly constructed scale of filial anxiety was administered in Study 2 to 59 adult offspring (mean age = 56.4): 28 OHS and 31 comparisons. Study 3 included 143 dyads of parents and offspring (mean age = 55.4 and 81.7, respectively): 86 Holocaust dyads and 57 comparison dyads. Parents reported posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and offspring reported filial anxiety and sense of obligation. RESULTS: In Study 1, interviewees referred to concerns about parent experiencing decline alongside caregiving difficulties. In Study 2, OHS reported higher filial anxiety and sense of obligation relative to comparisons. This group difference was mediated by sense of obligation. In Study 3, OHS with parental PTSD reported higher filial anxiety and sense of obligation relative to comparisons. Once more, filial sense of obligation served as a mediator. In Studies 2-3, results remained significant after adjusting for offspring symptoms. CONCLUSION: Parental exposure to the Holocaust, and especially parental PTSD, related to higher filial obligation, which in turn was related to higher filial anxiety. These findings bear important implications for practitioners working with survivors' families.

Patient-centered Approach in Closed Psychiatric Wards: The Curative Power of Relaxing Music Chosen by Patients.

BACKGROUND: Psychiatry is changing as medicine adopts a patient-centered approach. This model of care places greater emphasis on the patients' involvement in determining the goals of their treatment and the nature of their care. This study offers a non-verbal patient-centered intervention by using relaxing music chosen by patients in a closed psychiatric ward to achieve reduction in levels of stress and psychomotor agitation. METHOD: Participants, patients in closed wards, entered a seclusion room whenever they showed psychomotor agitation, overwhelming stress or physical and verbal aggression. While in the seclusion room, participants in the research group (n=24) were exposed to relaxing music of their choice whereas the comparative group (n=28) did not receive any sensory stimulation. The participants filled out the Visual Analogue Scale to measure their emotional state before and after this experience while the staff filled out the Behavioral Activity Rating Scale. RESULTS: Results show significantly higher emotional calm and prominent reduction in psychomotor agitation among the research group in comparison with the comparative group. CONCLUSIONS: Relaxing music chosen by patients has a positive effect on their emotional state and behavioral activity and may therefore serve as an alternative sensory intervention before patients reach violent situations that require restraint.

Subjective Age as a Moderator in the Reciprocal Effects Between Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms and Self-Rated Physical Functioning.

It is now widely acknowledged that physical decline may increase among middle-aged and older adults who suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Much less is known about the temporal sequencing of PTSD and physical decline relationship over time. While PTSD can lead to physical decline, physical decline may preserve or augment existing PTSD symptoms. Both problems can also mutually affect each other forming a vicious cycle. Additionally, it is important to address variables that can mitigate these longitudinal effects. Following the recovery capital framework, we consider how the existence or lack of capital in the form of young age identity may affect the recovery process. Therefore, the current study aimed to examine the reciprocal effects of PTSD symptoms and self-rated physical functioning and further test whether one's subjective age moderates these effects. Using in-region random digit dialing, we collected a stratified sample of community dwelling older adult residing in south Israel. Of that sample (N at T1 = 339), 132 older adults (age range = 51-88, mean age = 66.90, SD = 9.14) were interviewed 4 months after the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict (T2) and 1 year later (T3). Participants responded to PTSD symptoms scale, and reported their physical functioning and subjective age. PTSD symptoms and self-rated physical functioning were tested as both predictors and outcomes in a cross-lagged model. The moderating effect of subjective age was assessed by examining whether T2 variables interacted with subjective age in predicting T3 outcomes. Results showed that higher PTSD symptoms at T2 were associated with subsequent lower self-rated physical functioning at T3, yet self-rated physical functioning at T2 did not predict PTSD symptoms at T3, thereby highlighting the PTSD self-rated physical function direction. Moreover, subjective age moderated this latter association, so that this relationship was significant only for those who felt relatively older. In addition to clarifying the temporal sequencing of the PTSD self-rated physical functioning association, the study further suggests that an older subjective age (i.e., lack of recovery capital) could render middle-aged and older adults more susceptible to physical decline following PTSD symptoms. We therefore propose to develop interventions aimed at coping with an older age identity and facilitating a younger age identity among traumatized older individuals.

Secondary Traumatization and Differentiation Among the Wives of Former POWs: A Reciprocal Association.

Repercussions of war captivity may transmit to spouses of former prisoners of war (POW) via posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Overidentification with their partners underlies the PTSS experienced by former wives of POWs, thus implying impaired self-differentiation. Although wives' indirect exposure to their husbands' captivity and subsequent PTSS has been associated with the wives' PTSS and differentiation, the combined effects remain unclear. Furthermore, previous cross-sectional studies could not illuminate directionality. This prospective study investigates (a) the moderating role of indirect exposure to captivity in the association between husbands' PTSS and wives' PTSS and differentiation; and (b) the directionality of the association between wives' differentiation and PTSS over time. The wives of both former POWs (n = 143) and combatants (n = 102) were assessed 30 (T1) and 38 (T2) years after the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The wives of former POWs endorsed higher PTSS and fusion differentiation, η2p = .06 to .14. Indirect exposure to captivity moderated the associations between husbands' PTSS and wives' PTSS, Cohen's f2 = .01 to .03. The association between the wives' differentiation and PTSS over time was bidirectional, ß = -0.18 to 0.68; R2 = .54 to .73. Results suggest a vicious cycle between PTSS and differentiation, and the need for clinical interventions that further differentiation for spouses of prolonged trauma victims.

Parental Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Are Related to Successful Aging in Offspring of Holocaust Survivors.

A fascinating, yet underexplored, question is whether traumatic events experienced by previous generations affect the aging process of subsequent generations. This question is especially relevant for offspring of Holocaust survivors (OHS), who begin to face the aging process. Some preliminary findings point to greater physical dysfunction among middle-aged OHS, yet the mechanisms behind this dysfunction need further clarification. Therefore, the current studies assess aging OHS using the broad-scoped conceptualization of successful aging, while examining whether offspring successful aging relates to parental post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and offspring's secondary traumatization symptoms. In Study 1, 101 adult offspring (mean age = 62.31) completed measures of parental PTSD, secondary traumatization, as well as successful aging indices - objective (medical conditions, disability and somatic symptoms) and subjective (perceptions of one's aging). Relative to comparisons and OHS who reported that none of their parents suffered from probable PTSD, OHS who reported that their parents suffered from probable PTSD had lower scores in objective and subjective measures of successful aging. Mediation analyses showed that higher level of secondary traumatization mediated the relationship between parental PTSD and less successful aging in the offspring. Study 2 included 154 dyads of parents (mean age = 81.86) and their adult offspring (mean age = 54.48). Parents reported PTSD symptoms and offspring reported secondary traumatization and completed measures of objective successful aging. Relative to comparisons, OHS whose parent had probable PTSD have aged less successfully. Once again, offspring secondary traumatization mediated the effect. The findings suggest that parental post-traumatic reactions assessed both by offspring (Study 1) and by parents themselves (Study 2) take part in shaping the aging of the subsequent generation via reactions of secondary traumatization in the offspring. The studies also provide initial evidence that these processes can transpire even when offspring do not have probable PTSD or when controlling offspring anxiety symptoms. Our findings allude to additional behavioral and epigenetic processes that are potentially involved in the effect of parental PTSD on offspring aging, and further imply the need to develop interdisciplinary interventions aiming at promoting successful aging among offspring of traumatized parents.

The emotional impact of national music on young and older adults differing in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms.

In spite of previous evidence regarding the function of national songs as a contextual stimulus, their effect on the emotional state of older adults living with different levels of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms has not be been examined. Following the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict, we examined the emotional effects of listening to happy national songs (songs of Independence Day) and sad national songs (Memorial Day songs) on young (N = 144, mean age = 29.4) and older adults (N = 132, mean age = 68.5). Respondents were exposed to happy or sad national songs, and completed measures of exposure to missile attacks, related PTSD symptoms, and positive and negative emotions. Sad national songs were related to higher negative affect among young adults who were lower on PTSD symptoms, but not among their older counterparts. In contrast, sad national songs were related to higher negative affect among older adults who were higher on PTSD symptoms, but not among their young counterparts. These findings support the strength and vulnerability model, as they demonstrate that relative to young adults, older adults are generally more capable to withstand negative stimuli, yet are more sensitive to negative stimuli when they suffer from chronic vulnerability, as in the case of higher level of PTSD symptoms.

A Systematic Review on the Functions of Rap Among Gangs.

Although the field of gangs is well studied, information regarding the way gangs may use or misuse music for different needs is sparse. The aim of this systematic review is to gather descriptive and empirical information to ascertain the important roles rap music possesses within gang life. This review suggests five main functions of rap used within gangs with an emphasis on the subgenre of gangsta rap. First, rap facilitates antisocial behavior by reinforcing such messages in its lyrics. Second, its deviant lyrics serve as a reflection of the violent reality experienced in many urban ghetto communities. Third, it operates as a means for constructing individual and collective identity, as well as resistance identity. Fourth, it functions as an educating force by teaching its members how to act and respond in the urban ghetto. Finally, rap glorifies gang norms among newcomers and successfully spreads its values to the general population.

Aggressive situational cues among Israeli security personnel.

The present study enriches our knowledge on the relationship between security personnel and situational cues that may provoke aggression, such as arms and uniforms. The study examined 259 security personnel who completed an aggression questionnaire (AGQ). The study aimed (a) to compare the tendency toward aggression of security personnel who carry or do not carry arms and/or wear a uniform and (b) to compare the tendency toward aggression of men and women security personnel who carry or do not carry arms and/or wear a uniform. The findings indicated no main effect for aggression cueing classification. However, uniformed men had higher scores of physical aggression than women, and women scored significantly higher on anger than men when not carrying any aggressive cues. The findings also revealed that in general, men security personnel reported much higher physical aggression than women, while women showed slightly higher means of verbal aggression than men. The findings are discussed in light of the gender theory and research.

The impact of relaxing music on prisoners' levels of anxiety and anger.

Listening to relaxing music was found to reduce state anxiety and state anger among various populations. Nonetheless, the impact of relaxing music in prisons has not yet been studied. The current study examines the impact of relaxing music on levels of state anxiety and state anger among a random sample of 48 criminal prisoners. Main findings are as follows: (a) level of state anxiety decreased among the treatment group compared with the comparison group and (b) level of state anger decreased among the treatment group compared with the comparison group. Findings are discussed in light of other studies that have shown positive effects of exposure to relaxing music on levels of anxiety and anger among other populations. The final part of the study provides practical recommendations for prison administrators regarding implementation of programs of relaxing music in various prison facilities.