mgr Piotr Osak

 

ORCID: 0000-0001-6888-3813

The topic of my dissertation is: "Alexithymia syndrome and musical preferences among prisoners of prison addicted to intoxicants"

My path to therapeutic interactions, begins with artistic experiences. The need to understand people and reach out to them - in this case through music - has become a motive of interest.

Alexithymia is manifested by the inability to recognize emotional states, poverty of imagination, superficiality and the specificity of thinking, or the inability to distinguish between the physiological arousal and emotions. Suppressing and blocking emotions leads to the so-called acting-outs, i.e. behavior over which a person has no control, which relieves the accumulated tension caused by unconscious impulses. The discharge of tension is dysfunctional and deconstructive. The causes of alexithymia are not yet fully understood. Crisis situations and/ or traumatic experiences may consequently lead to alexithymic behavior, which is called secondary alexithymia.

This type of traumatic experience is, among others, stay in a prison. There is  not enough  space in a prison to discharge your emotions freely. Long-term isolation, the inability to relieve sexual and aggressive tension, feelings of frustration, and other burdens such as addiction can make emotional disturbances worse.

Little attention has been paid to music as a potential therapeutic agent in this area. Working clinically with convicts, getting to know their life stories, observing their behavior, verifying theoretical knowledge and checking how it works with specific cases, and at the same time analyzing the topic of disorders from the spectrum of social maladjustment and music therapy, I found a certain research gap in Polish literature on the use of music in the therapeutic process in prisons in Poland. Taking up this topic, I would like to find out whether music therapy can in any way become a support for therapeutic interactions, enabling social re-adaptation.

I hope that my dissertation will show the potential that music therapy can be treatment on a par with other therapies that focus on improving the social and communication spheres, the ability to receive and process stimuli and controlled behavior. This motivates me to take up the topic and conduct a scientific test to verify the effectiveness of music therapy at work with specific cases.

I believe that as a researcher, psychotherapist and, above all, a human being, I will be able to help each of these people gradually overcome their emotional inner prison.

 

Education:

  1. KONTEKST Foundation for the Development of Psychotherapy and Family Therapy.
    System-psychodynamic training integrated approach- The 5-year course is certified by the Polish Psychiatric Association.
  2. Institute of Health Psychology in Warsaw. Study of addiction therapy and co-addiction. Specialist in Addiction Psychotherapy
  3. University of Rzeszow:
  • Artistic education in the field of musical art - Master of Arts
  • Pedagogy: specialization: social prevention and rehabilitation - Master
  • Human Resource Management - Postgraduate Studies

Certificates:

  1. Certificate of an Addiction Psychotherapy Specialist - No. 2128

Additional training:

  1. Study of Treatment of Eating Disorders,
  2. Motivating Dialogue and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in addiction therapy and prevention
  3. Motivator - specialist training based on the Motivating Dialogue and the Transtheoretical Model of Change
  4. Basics of crisis psychology and crisis intervention
  5. Crisis intervention towards people at risk of suicide
  6. 1st and 2nd degree of postgraduate training in family therapy (system approach).

Media statements and publications:

  1. „Muzykoterapia w resocjalizacji” Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego – „Animato” Nr 2 rok 2021
  2. O resocjalizacji więźniów w „Świat się zmienia”

 https://www.archiwalne.radio.rzeszow.pl/audycje/content/115/swiat-sie-zmienia#ajx/audycje/36021/o-resocjalizacji-wiezniow-w-swiat-sie-zmienia

  1. Wystąpienia w radiu Via Rzeszów w audycji „Żyć w rodzinie, ale jak?”- osoba prowadząca audycje: Iwona Kosztyła
  2. Czasopismo Stowarzyszenia Trzeźwościowego "Wolność i Miłość" Diecezji Rzeszowskiej ISSN 1730-3222 - 2 artykuły:
    • „Kiedy terapia działa?”- Styczeń- Marzec 2022
    • „Fazy uzależnienia”- Kwiecień-Czerwiec 2022