Nicola Jane Holt
Broadly speaking, I am interested in individual differences in conscious experience.
My doctoral research explored the relationship between creativity and anomalous experiences. Subsequent post-doctoral work was varied, and included experimental work on schizotypy, paranormal belief, creativity and attentional disinhibition, as well as research using conversation analysis to assess the dynamics of the stream of consciousness.
I have research interests in creativity, personality, anomalous experiences, altered states of consciousness, well-being and parapsychology. My current research projects are exploring: 1) anomalous experiences and mental health; and 2) artistic involvement and well-being.
I teach on a variety of modules, focusing on individual differences, research methods, consciousness, the psychology of religion and psychology and the arts. I am module leader for Individual Differences, level one; Psychology and the Arts, level three, and I am the Programme leader for Drama and Psychology.
Phone: 0117 32 81420
Address: Department of Psychology,
School of Life Sciences,
University of the West of England,
Frenchay Campus, Coldharbour Lane,
Bristol, BS16 1QY
www.drawuwe.com
My doctoral research explored the relationship between creativity and anomalous experiences. Subsequent post-doctoral work was varied, and included experimental work on schizotypy, paranormal belief, creativity and attentional disinhibition, as well as research using conversation analysis to assess the dynamics of the stream of consciousness.
I have research interests in creativity, personality, anomalous experiences, altered states of consciousness, well-being and parapsychology. My current research projects are exploring: 1) anomalous experiences and mental health; and 2) artistic involvement and well-being.
I teach on a variety of modules, focusing on individual differences, research methods, consciousness, the psychology of religion and psychology and the arts. I am module leader for Individual Differences, level one; Psychology and the Arts, level three, and I am the Programme leader for Drama and Psychology.
Phone: 0117 32 81420
Address: Department of Psychology,
School of Life Sciences,
University of the West of England,
Frenchay Campus, Coldharbour Lane,
Bristol, BS16 1QY
www.drawuwe.com
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Books by Nicola Jane Holt
http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?pid=504210
The book has three objectives. It offers an account of the way in which contemporary researchers are employing introspection methodologies; it argues for the importance of viewing introspective data as discourse, and illustrates this via discussion of research findings in four substantive chapters; and it outlines new directions for research and theorising on introspection and consciousness which will have implications for a range of psychological and social science disciplines.
Book Chapters by Nicola Jane Holt
books, downloadable coloring pages, and coloring apps (Vanry, 2019), as well as the use of coloring to reduce anxiety in applied settings, such as cancer wards, patient waiting rooms, care homes, university libraries, and primary schools (e.g., Blackburn & Chamley, 2016; Rigby & Taubert, 2016). While evidence for the role of the visual arts in general has burgeoned, suggesting multiple health and well-being benefits (Fancourt & Finn, 2019), coloring research is relatively nascent, with studies increasing exponentially over the last few years. Unlike other forms of visual art (e.g., free-form painting or drawing), coloring is highly structured and, as
such, could serve specific purposes, for example, being an entry activity to art-making for people who feel overwhelmed by a blank sheet of paper,
or enabling absorption in a creative task when there is no desire for complex and creative decision-making processes. This entry will review
the evidence base for coloring as a well-being intervention, focusing primarily on experimental studies, which have examined its impact on anxiety reduction and mindful attention. It will highlight the strengths and limitations of the evidence base, as well as potential mechanisms to explain any well-being effects, and the application of coloring in practice (e.g., in hospital settings) before considering future directions
Holt, N. (2012). The muse in the machine: Creativity, anomalous experiences and mental health. In C. Simmonds-Moore (Ed.) Exceptional experiences and health (pp. 131-170). Jefferson, NC: McFarland.
Papers: Art and health by Nicola Jane Holt
Objective: To identify resources that reduced distress in the everyday lives of adolescents and whether resource use differed according to symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Methods: The experience sampling method was used, a longitudinal method requiring participants to report on context and mood at randomly selected moments across a week. A total of 5 558 reports were contributed by 151 adolescents, including 90 with symptoms of anxiety and/or depression. The study was conducted in the poorest neighbourhoods of Bogotá, Buenos Aires, and Lima.
Results: Multi-level modelling indicated that using resources was significantly associated with less nervousness and sadness. Adolescents with symptoms of anxiety and/or depression were less likely to use some resources (e.g., sport). Cross-level interactions showed the efficacy of resources differed according to the severity of symptomatology. For adolescents with symptoms of anxiety and depression, some resources (e.g., peer support) improved mood, while others (e.g., music listening) did not.
Discussion: Personal and social resources are important for reducing distress in the everyday life of adolescents, giving insight into potential interventions to help mitigate symptoms of anxiety and depression before escalation. Further research could assess the quality of experiences (e.g., appraisal) to deepen understanding of how engagement promotes resilience.
Conclusions: Care must be taken when recommending resource use, since some forms (e.g., music listening) may be unhelpful to adolescents with symptoms of anxiety and depression.
http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?pid=504210
The book has three objectives. It offers an account of the way in which contemporary researchers are employing introspection methodologies; it argues for the importance of viewing introspective data as discourse, and illustrates this via discussion of research findings in four substantive chapters; and it outlines new directions for research and theorising on introspection and consciousness which will have implications for a range of psychological and social science disciplines.
books, downloadable coloring pages, and coloring apps (Vanry, 2019), as well as the use of coloring to reduce anxiety in applied settings, such as cancer wards, patient waiting rooms, care homes, university libraries, and primary schools (e.g., Blackburn & Chamley, 2016; Rigby & Taubert, 2016). While evidence for the role of the visual arts in general has burgeoned, suggesting multiple health and well-being benefits (Fancourt & Finn, 2019), coloring research is relatively nascent, with studies increasing exponentially over the last few years. Unlike other forms of visual art (e.g., free-form painting or drawing), coloring is highly structured and, as
such, could serve specific purposes, for example, being an entry activity to art-making for people who feel overwhelmed by a blank sheet of paper,
or enabling absorption in a creative task when there is no desire for complex and creative decision-making processes. This entry will review
the evidence base for coloring as a well-being intervention, focusing primarily on experimental studies, which have examined its impact on anxiety reduction and mindful attention. It will highlight the strengths and limitations of the evidence base, as well as potential mechanisms to explain any well-being effects, and the application of coloring in practice (e.g., in hospital settings) before considering future directions
Holt, N. (2012). The muse in the machine: Creativity, anomalous experiences and mental health. In C. Simmonds-Moore (Ed.) Exceptional experiences and health (pp. 131-170). Jefferson, NC: McFarland.
Objective: To identify resources that reduced distress in the everyday lives of adolescents and whether resource use differed according to symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Methods: The experience sampling method was used, a longitudinal method requiring participants to report on context and mood at randomly selected moments across a week. A total of 5 558 reports were contributed by 151 adolescents, including 90 with symptoms of anxiety and/or depression. The study was conducted in the poorest neighbourhoods of Bogotá, Buenos Aires, and Lima.
Results: Multi-level modelling indicated that using resources was significantly associated with less nervousness and sadness. Adolescents with symptoms of anxiety and/or depression were less likely to use some resources (e.g., sport). Cross-level interactions showed the efficacy of resources differed according to the severity of symptomatology. For adolescents with symptoms of anxiety and depression, some resources (e.g., peer support) improved mood, while others (e.g., music listening) did not.
Discussion: Personal and social resources are important for reducing distress in the everyday life of adolescents, giving insight into potential interventions to help mitigate symptoms of anxiety and depression before escalation. Further research could assess the quality of experiences (e.g., appraisal) to deepen understanding of how engagement promotes resilience.
Conclusions: Care must be taken when recommending resource use, since some forms (e.g., music listening) may be unhelpful to adolescents with symptoms of anxiety and depression.
in ganzfeld GESP experiments has used a random number generator (RNG) as
a “virtual receiver” to select descriptors from a pool of statements (e.g., Roe &
Holt, 2005; Roe, Holt, & Simmonds, 2003). Here participants focused on the virtual
receiver when attempting to “send” information concerning a randomly selected
target clip. This obviated the need for a human receiver and allowed for immediate
feedback of a 24-statement “virtual mentation” consisting of 8 statements selected
by each of 3 methods differing in lability: random number table; pseudorandom
process; and live RNG. We hypothesised that the greatest psi effect would be found
with the most labile target system and with the most “stable” senders. Virtual
mentations from 40 trials were rated by 2 independent blind judges for similarity to
the target and 3 decoys. Significant main effects of target and sender lability were
not obtained, but a predicted interaction between them was found, F (4,74) = 4.959,
p = .001, as senders with high trait lability performed best with the least labile target
system and vice versa. This result was interpreted in terms of Stanford’s (1978)
conformance behaviour model.
Methods: The systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines and used Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) templates and the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). Major electronic databases were systematically searched, including: Cochrane
Library; Web of Science; Pubmed; PsycINFO. A narrative review of the data and a meta-analysis of seven quantitative studies were conducted.
Results: 7805 records were identified but only 25 met the inclusion criteria. Studies were conducted in Australia, Denmark, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the United States. Programmes were held in community settings, arts venues, GP surgeries, primary healthcare settings, and one school. Most interventions ran for 8-10 weeks and included a wide range of arts activities. Qualitative themes included social benefits, psychological benefits, and progression opportunities. The meta-analysis showed a statistically significant improvement in wellbeing, with a mean wellbeing change of 5.82 (Z = 12.36, p < .001). Further quantitative studies explored process variables predicting wellbeing change and barriers to engagement.
Discussion: AoP programmes are an appropriate intervention for improving psychosocial wellbeing. Quantitative data consistently reported positive wellbeing change, and qualitative studies reported that participants found AoP meaningful. However, limitations were identified, including barriers to engagement and problems with the evidence base. Numerous barriers to engagement have been suggested, including physical, psychological, and social barriers, which have implications for practice. Further research is required to include comparator groups, assess longitudinal impact and the mechanisms by which AoP improves wellbeing (including the impact of different art activities and practices of facilitators). We hope that this review will be useful for practice and policy-making.
Methods: 183 participants completed a counterbalanced battery of measures including the short OLIFE (to measure schizotypy), the Sense of Coherence Scale (to measure well-being), four measures of creativity (Creative Activities, Creative Personality, Emotional Creativity and Creative Cognition), and the Vocabulary and Blocks Tests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scales. A K-means cluster analysis of z-score transformed OLIFE scores was undertaken to produce schizotypal profiles, and a MANOVA to compare scoring on each of the dependent variables between these profiles.
Results: Commensurate with previous research, four schizotypal profiles emerged: Positive Schizotypy; Negative Schizotypy; Low Schizotypy; and High Schizotypy. Both Positive and High Schizotypes scored significantly higher than other profiles on belief in the paranormal. Positive schizotypes had statistically significant higher levels of well-being than High and Negative Schizotypes, but not than Low Schizotypes (who had significantly higher well-being scores than all other profiles). Positive Schizotypes also had statistically significant higher scores on the cumulative measure of creativity. No significant differences were found between the clusters on intelligence.
Conclusions: The outcome supports the hypothesis that there are different profiles of believer in the paranormal, and that belief in anomalous/magical phenomena cannot be attributed to low intelligence or to psychopathology per se (thus supporting the fully dimensional model of schizotypy). These may be characterised as ‘happy-(ish) believers’ and ‘unhappy believers’, the prior being associated with creativity and well-being, and the latter with cognitive disorganisation, introvertive anhedonia and low levels of well-being. Both groups had high scores on the unusual experiences dimension of schizotypy and further research might profitably explore whether these experiences are of qualitatively different types. However, being a Low Schizotype without paranormal beliefs appeared to be the best recipe for happiness, yet, at the expense of being creative.
Background: Psychometric studies consistently report that ‘artists’ score higher on measures assessing a proclivity to have unusual experiences (such as pseudo-hallucinations or mystical experiences) than comparison groups (e.g., Ayers, Beaton & Hunt, 1999; Rawlings & Locarnini, 2008). Such findings have been interpreted as being healthy, controlled experiences (Barron, 1993) or as mild manifestations of illness, the ‘positive symptoms’ of schizophrenia (Nettle & Clegg, 2006).
Methods: A critical perspective will be taken, based on a detailed literature search of research and models from different perspectives, such as clinical psychology and transpersonal psychology.
Conclusions: Potentially, the association between art and unusual experiences, and associated models (e.g. Eysenck, 1993), has important implications for the nature of the creative process and also provides support for the construct of ‘healthy schizotypy’ (Claridge, 1997). However, the methodological limitations of this body of research must be taken into account, considering the potential role of artefact, through response bias, self-representation and cultural expectations. By so doing, fruitful future research endeavours may be identified.