|
THE ALL-BUT-DISSERTATION SURVIVAL GUIDE™ The All-But-Dissertation Survival Guide™ focuses on ways to help its readers more readily overcome the roadblocks that often seem to stand in the way of completing the dissertation. It is read throughout the world. Want to become a coach?New MentorCoach Training Programs launching. Subscribe to our other no-cost ezines: INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH A DISSERTATION
COACH? Email: ben16-76471@autocontractor.com. You will receive an email outlining the application process. Simply follow the instructions and submit the form. Your application will then be forwarded to potential coaches so that you might arrange a free initial consultation. Various fee plans are available. A FAVOR ARCHIVE |
Devoted to providing practical strategies for completing
your Doctoral Dissertation.™
INSIDE THIS ISSUE - August 19, 2009
2. "Engage Your Senses" by Dr. Antoinette DeLuca
August 19, 2009
A Note from the Editor
Tracy Steen, Ph.D.
Could we interest you in a little daydreaming?
Dr. Antoinette DeLuca would like to make your daydreams constructive. Just think of the possibilities! If it worked, you could daydream without the guilt, and most of us are accomplished daydreamers already, aren't we? With all those years of daydreaming experience behind us--all those unproductive but delicious daydreams--this positive adaptation of daydreaming surely wouldn't require much prep time.
Of course most everything good has a string or two attached, and so it is with this version of daydreaming. It's called Visualization and it is very specifically directed. Antoinette DeLuca, Psy.D., directs it straight toward a completed dissertation. If you haven't yet tried this technique, read Dr. Deluca's article, Engage Your Senses, for her explanation of how "if you can see it, really see it, you can get there."
And be sure to take a look this issue's Inspirational Quotes for some thoughts on a familiar ABD theme, Persistence. You all know the old joke about the guy who gets into the cab and asks how he can get to Carnegie Hall. "Practice, Practice, Practice," replies the driver. Well, practice is persistence, and our own adaptation of the cab driver's sage reply might be something like this: Write, Write, Write…. You'll get there!
Finally, if you would like some justification for the no-strings-attached version of daydreaming, be sure to check out some interesting brain research by Dr. Kalina Christoff and colleagues at the University of British Columbia.
Engage Your Senses
by Antoinette DeLuca, Psy.D., HSPP
If you can see it, really see it, you can get there!
No doubt you are aware of the vast powers of the human mind and the power of visualization. The use of mental imagery has been found to be effective in a wide variety of areas such as problem solving, enhancing self-image, and acing that job interview. It has even shown merit in reducing the experience of the distressing negative side-effects of chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer (Yoo et al., 2005).
Techniques such as Visualization, Guided Imagery, and Progressive Muscle Relaxation have been studied and practiced for many years and perhaps became more popularized in books such as The Secret. Why not harness this powerful mental tool to help you convert your ABD status into a thing of the past?
For a bit of additional convincing that positive visualization may be worth a try, reflect on this statement from American Psychologist: "As an indication of how effectively an imagined thing can substitute for the real thing, consider how often behavior seems to be governed more by how vividly one pictures a desired or feared event, such as winning the lottery or being dismembered by a shark, than by the probability that one would otherwise assign to the event by purely logical or statistical reasoning" (Shepard, 1978).
Mental imagery can be classified into four key areas: Self Images, Trajectory Images, Projective Images, and Action Images. Self Images are related to self-perception and appropriate behavior. Trajectory Images are our mind's exploration of various possibilities. Projective Images allow for sequencing procedures for events that have not yet occurred. And lastly, Action Images allow us to map out strategies to reach our goal. You may be thinking that all four of these categories seem to be key to the task at hand - reaching the goal of a completed dissertation!
Ready to give this a try?
Here are some simple tools to help you get you started:
As preparation for the use of imaginal techniques, Maddox, Wheatley, & Anthony (1989) recommended pairing them with an appropriate relaxation exercise such as progressive muscle relaxation, "peaceful scenario practice," or "breathe focus." They emphasized in their guided imagery protocols that "preparation plus relaxation equates with optimal performance in any activity."
The Mayo Clinic website provides useful descriptions of various relaxation exercises. Bonus: If your strained eyes are too weary to read, you can even watch a video of a guided breathing exercise.
Ready, Set, Visualize
Spend time each day visualizing the experience of just having gone through
a successful defense of your dissertation. The time spent can be as little
as 5 minutes, but do allow yourself to truly experience the positive sights,
sounds, and feelings that will arise from this moment. Be as detailed as possible.
For example:
• Feel the congratulatory pat on the back from an esteemed colleague.
• Hear your name being announced as Dr. ______ (your name here).
• See yourself and those around you smiling widely with pride.
• Feel the embossed lettering down the spine of your completed dissertation.
• Hear the positive remarks from members of your committee.
• See the outfit you envision you might wear on the day of your defense.
Guided Imagery
You can even prepare a script for your positive visualization, record it,
and play it for yourself each day. It is the use of a script that sets guided
imagery apart from the more informal use visualization (as described above).
Extra Tips
• Make it pleasant.
• Be comfortable.
• Select a spot away from distraction (if possible).
If all these elements cannot align perfectly, don't let that stop you from
for having these positive thoughts about reaching your goal of dissertation
completion.
REALLY see it
I recently heard a lecture by Dr. Wayne Dyer in which he relayed a bit about
his process for writing. What he said reminded me of a strategy I had employed
to tackle my dissertation. Dr. Dyer shared that when he sets out to write
a book, one of the first things he does is create the cover, place it around
an existing book, and voila - it's done!
Well, it was not quite as magical as that. But what he was doing was creating a powerful tangible image of the finished product and all he needed to do was fill in the blanks. This technique was similar to the strategy I used to get going and stay on track in writing my dissertation. Here's what I did:
Create that cover!
Just do it! There will be plenty of time to revise, but the important part
is to set all aspects of this project into motion - the beginning, middle,
and the end!
• Buy a three-ring binder with clear sleeve for inserting the title page
as your front cover. Also purchase section dividers. While you are at it,
purchase a three-ring hole puncher, if you don't already have one.
• Get started in your word processing program. Start by creating your
title page.
• Make the page in the proper format (according to your graduate program's
guidelines) and even include the names of your committee members. Leave spaces
if not all committee members have been selected yet. Better yet, be positive
and enter in the names of your 'dream team' dissertation committee. As I said,
you can always modify later.
• Insert your title page into the front sleeve of your binder.
• Add dividers to your binder.
Proceed to make all the needed sections of your dissertation. Yes,
I said ALL!
• In the word processing file you created, set up the formatting that
you will need to carry through your entire document (e.g., proper line spacing,
margins).
• Create an Abstract page, Acknowledgements page, Table of Contents....
• Your Table of Contents is key, as it sets the schema for your whole
work. (Again, don't be afraid of the need to modify later; just get it going.)
• Use your Table of Contents as your guide to create pages for everything
you plan to include.
• These pages will be mostly blank at first, but the key is that the
pages exist! You just need to fill them-up. Start with just the headings of
the content areas that need to be covered on those particular pages.
• You will continue this process all the way to the final page of your
document. Yes. You will even be creating pages all the way down to your results
section, references, and appendices.
• More about references - Don't forget this step. You will fill up your
reference pages as you go along. Every time you reference an article in your
work, immediately create a proper reference for it in the references section
of your document. (You may use EndNote or other software management tools
if you prefer for this step.)
Print! But be green about it.
• Since this is a work in progress and it will evolve and change over
time, choose to print a hard copy at key times (not every time you modify).
• After creating that first pass at a skeleton of your dissertation,
you should definitely print it. This is that 'finished product' visual that
you will need to fuel your momentum.
• Decide to print again at key times when your progress needs to be reviewed
in a hard copy form. Print that copy and then mark it up with a red pen (or
a more friendly color if you choose)!
You have a powerful visual of the finished product! Now what?
• You now have a schema in place and a tangible skeleton of your work,
which gives you the freedom to work on any section of this piece at any time.
• Perhaps you have reached your threshold for working on the literature
review? Then switch gears and work on your acknowledgements page or even your
results section.
• Also, there are items that will need to be mentioned multiple times
in your document - your hypotheses, for instance. In this case, once you hypotheses
are formulated, you should then copy them to every section of your document
where they will need to appear again. This will give you a continuing sense
of progress.
• This also helps with procrastination, as you should set a goal to do
some work on your dissertation every day. With a full document in place, you
now have the freedom to work on any aspect of it!
Sounds a bit silly? Here's why it works:
• Paying attention to the details ("The more you do now, the less
you do later" - as a very wise family member once told me) keeps you
engaged in your project on a continual basis.
• Some of the details of your document might also be considered the 'easy
stuff.' As such, you shouldn't encounter too much internal resistance by creating,
for instance, a properly formatted title page.
• You now have a strategy for combating avoidance. When encountering
distaste for the more intellectual aspects of this process, you can toil away
on the necessary minutiae like getting your document into proper APA format
(instead of cleaning your windows or organizing that pesky closet).
• You give yourself a sense of completion and accomplishment throughout
the whole process.
• The end is literally in sight. You can see it!
And when you can see it, really see it, you know you can get there!
References
Maddox, E.N., Wheatley, W.J., Anthony, W.P. (1989). Visualization and guided imagery in the organizational behavior class: an experiential, exploratory approach. Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, 16, 57-61.
Shepard, R.N. (1978). The mental image. American Psychologist, 125-137.
Yoo, H.J., Ahn, S.H., Kim, W.K., Han, O.S. (2005). Efficacy of progressive muscle relaxation training and guided imagery in reducing chemotherapy side effects in patients with breast cancer improving their quality of life. Support Care Cancer, 826-833.
About the author:
Dr. Antoinette DeLuca, Psy.D., HSPP, wears many hats. She is an educator,
practitioner, and program leader. Dr. DeLuca relishes the opportunity to work
with both groups and individuals. She has also spent years in a leadership
role for a private organization. Her background in Community Psychology propels
much of her work in the field. In private practice, Dr. DeLuca is a therapist
who espouses a primarily eclectic approach with a tendency towards humanistic
psychology and cognitive/behavioral techniques.
Dr. DeLuca is licensed as a Psychologist in New York State. She is also recognized
by the National Register as a Health Service Provider in Psychology (HSPP).
Her private practice is in Manhattan.
Inspirational Quotes
Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal: my strength lies solely
in my tenacity.
-- Louis Pasteur
Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not;
nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not;
unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full
of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the
human race.
-- Calvin Coolidge
Perseverance is a great element of success. If you knock long enough and
loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.
-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
-- Eleanor Roosevelt
We are made to persist. That's how we find out who we are.
-- Tobias Wolff