by Peter Shannon  and Paul Gilbert

Received: 06 March 2026;  Published: 03 August 2026;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2603025

Live music interventions are increasingly employed in healthcare settings through a range of models, including clinical music therapy and Arts-in-Health musician programs. This study examines patient responses to live music delivered by trained professional orchestral musicians within an outpatient chemotherapy infusion unit. Although a substantial body of research associates music with reductions in anxiety, pain, and distress, findings remain heterogeneous, and the mechanisms underlying these outcomes remain inco [...]

by Will W. Dobud  , Daniel L. Cavanaugh  , Kat Sharp  , John Paul Healy  , Luke Elder  and Nevin J. Harper

Received: 12 January 2026;  Published: 30 July 2026;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2603024

This paper details an ongoing research study on practitioner and participant experiences in adventure therapy, informed by a progressive research program. To test the feasibility of this study, we present a contextual understanding of adventure therapy and explore the theoretical position informing an evolving research program. We use this theoretical orientation to propose a study intending to advance research in naturalistic settings, build knowledge, and to provide a framework for developing a robust person-cent [...]

by Adrian Matt Zytkoskee  and Tamara Goldsby

Received: 09 April 2026;  Published: 28 July 2026;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2603023

Despite their combined use in well-being-oriented curricula, the pairing of reflective writing and sound healing has not been empirically examined. In response, this Perspective explores the integration of reflective writing and sound healing as complementary practices for supporting well-being. The article begins by defining reflective writing and examining its use through an interdisciplinary framework that emphasizes its core functions of catharsis, processing, and bearing witness. It then turns to sound healing [...]

by Rick Sá

Received: 02 April 2026;  Published: 24 June 2026;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2602022

Biofield Therapies (BTs), such as Reiki and Healing Touch, are used in integrative and complementary medicine, but their biological mechanisms remain poorly understood. This review aimed to explore the physiological biomarkers modulated by BTs in a selected sample of studies to identify common patterns and elucidate potential mechanisms of action. A focused narrative synthesis of 14 intentionally selected studies was performed, encompassing various BT modalities, study designs (including randomized clinical trials, [...]

by Rick Sá  , Robison José Quitério  and Godofredo Pignataro Neto

Received: 23 March 2026;  Published: 02 June 2026;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2602021

Biofield therapies (BTs) including Reiki, Therapeutic Touch (TT), Healing Touch (HT), and External Qigong Treatment (EQT) are non-pharmacological interventions proposed to modulate putative energy fields surrounding the human body. Despite growing clinical interest, the evidence base remains methodologically heterogeneous. This study aimed to provide a rigorous synthesis of randomized controlled trial (RCT) evidence on the efficacy of BTs for pain reduction and for the alleviation of symptoms associated with mental [...]

by Graeme Tainsh  and Katherine Baughan

Received: 11 October 2025;  Published: 28 May 2026;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2602020

A significant percentage of the population attending local adult psychology services have experienced variable forms of maltreatment from a young age and by a close attachment figure. For those who do not present with post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, they may be misunderstood and offered a phase-based approach to their care. Although a stepped care approach to complex trauma is in keeping with current guidelines this often includes lengthy periods of group-based psychoeducation and skills development that o [...]

by Veronica L. Martinez-Marignac  , Jose Luis Favant  , Leonel Mondragon  and Gloria Oertlin

Received: 17 December 2025;  Published: 21 May 2026;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2602019

ESSIAC tea is a traditional multi-herb infusion or decoction widely used by cancer patients as a complementary therapy. Originally employed in traditional Ojibwa medicine, it was later reformulated by a Canadian nurse. The classic ESSIAC infusion contains four main botanicals: burdock root (Arctium lappa), Turkish rhubarb root (Rheum palmatum), sheep sorrel (Rumex acetosella), and slippery elm bark (Ulmus rubra). Commercial variations (e.g., FlorEssence® and Genuine ESSIAC™) expand this list to include blessed this [...]

by Keith Tudor  and Maria Haenga-Collins

Received: 20 November 2025;  Published: 18 May 2026;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2602018

Positive mental health frameworks in Aotearoa New Zealand have largely been shaped by Western individualist assumptions and have given limited attention to Indigenous and bicultural understandings of wellbeing. This article examines positive mental health and its promotion in Aotearoa New Zealand, through a bicultural lens grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It reports on two cross-cultural mental health searches and discusses several models of health from te Ao Māori (the Māori world). Based on the view that positiv [...]

by Xiaying Wang  , Xiaoying Lv  , Kushal Malla  , Bingjun Chen  , Saroj Pradhan  , Ralf Bauder  , Yiming Li  and Michael Furian

Received: 24 November 2025;  Published: 18 May 2026;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2602017

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is often applied in isolated TCM practices, making rigorous research and standardized real-world data collection challenging. The purpose of this study was to implement the general consent (GC) in TCM practices, investigate the issue and the acceptance rate of the GC, and the influencing demographic factors. GC forms were distributed to patients before appointments and collected during their first visits. Logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate demographic facto [...]

by Katherine Lucre  , Neil Clapton  , Paul Gilbert  , Chris Jones  and Alex Copello

Received: 11 October 2025;  Published: 12 May 2026;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2602016

Individuals who have early attachment trauma can be fearful and resistant to caring behaviour from others and for themselves. This is partly because stimulation of the caring motivational system ignites trauma attachment memory. As a consequence, these individuals are unable to access care-attachment systems, supported by neurobiological processes involving the vagus nerve, oxytocin, and the frontal cortex, for modulating threats and regulating interpersonal distress. This paper outlines a Compassion Focused Group [...]