Marianne McInnes Miller

Intimate Partners Who Struggle With Formal Commitments: Attachment Styles, Major Challenges, and Clinical Implications

In this article, we explore attachment perspectives of romantic relationships and intimate partner commitments. We then present four challenges faced by individuals who are in a relationship where an expressed problem is the lack of a formal commitment. The four challenges that we address are (a) lack of recognition for the relationship, (b) cultural/religious pressures, (c) not being financially ready for a formal commitment, and (d) differences in what a formal commitment means. We then provide real-life examples of four people struggling with formal commitment, and we conclude with clinical implications of this phenomenon.

Clinicians' Experiences of Integrating Prayer in the Therapeutic Process

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine how therapists use prayer in the therapeutic process. Researchers recruited via a maximum variation sampling method 17 diverse participants in terms of race and faith, including Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, and Latter-Day Saints. Results revealed seven themes across faiths: (a) definition of prayer; (b) prayer as connection with God/transcendent and with client; (c) ethical boundaries; (d) use of prayer depends upon the context of therapeutic practice; (e) direct versus indirect prayer interventions; (f) prayer as use for self-of-therapist care; and (g) use of prayer changes as the therapist grows and develops over time.

“I Felt Close to Death”: A Phenomenological Study of Female Strangulation Survivors of Intimate Terrorism

ABSTRACT This qualitative study focused on the lived experiences of female survivors of severe intimate partner violence that involved strangulation. Such domination manifests via power and control tactics, which include extremely violent behavior. Existing literature on domestic violence is extensive; however, previous researchers have not addressed the psychological complexities of strangulation survivors’ lived experiences, especially from a feminist perspective. To address this gap, the researchers used transcendental phenomenology. The primary investigator analyzed interview transcripts and revealed two core themes of strangulation survivors: “Betrayal and violence altered view of self and others” and “Fear of death, fear in daily life.”

Embracing Our Eroticism: A Foucauldian Discourse Analysis of Women’s Eroticism

ABSTRACT Women’s sexuality has been examined through political, religious, scientific, and social lenses. Despite advances, discourses driving sexual expression embody double standards, pathologizing, and silencing. Women’s own experiences are largely ignored in existing literatures. Foucauldian discourse analysis (FDA) is a qualitative methodology rooted in Foucault’s examinations of power and discourse construction. In this FDA, 111 women answered questions about their erotic definitions, experiences, and barriers to expression. Discourses emerging from the data included my own definitions, free but caged, voices of influence, and caution. These discourses are situated within social and institutional contexts, and therapeutic considerations discussed.

“We walk on eggshells”: A phenomenological inquiry of wives’ experiences of living with active-duty Marine husbands with PTSD

ABSTRACT In this qualitative study, the authors explored the lived experiences of wives married to active-duty male Marines who have a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The first author and primary investigator conducted in-depth interviews with eight women, all of whom had been married more than 3 years and experienced at least one deployment while married. Transcendental phenomenology was used to gain an understanding of each woman’s experience. The central research question in this study was “What is it like to live with an active-duty male Marine with PTSD?” Findings demonstrated five essential themes: (1) the unpredictability of living with someone with PTSD, (2) the spouse had to take on different roles, (3) the wives felt unprepared to handle PTSD, (4) the wives received different messages when trying to seek help for their husbands, and (5) the wives wanted to send messages to other wives living with Marines with PTSD.