They call me Danielle Borie, sometimes Dani.
I am a senior at BASIS Scottsdale, a charter school in Arizona. At BASIS, during the third trimester of school, rather than attend classes, the senior class is given time off to get an internship or a job. I have an internship at the Mayo Clinic with Dr. Geda where I will spend time making a systematic review of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
ACT is a behavioral therapy which promotes acceptance and mindfulness so as to lessen the harsh effects of various disorders. It has been shown to be particularly successful in improving the quality of life of individuals with depression, anxiety, and chronic pain. This project greatly interests me due to the nature of ACT, which focuses on not letting the negatives in your life define who you are. It is important to embrace yourself as you are and not allow an "imperfect" life to keep you down indefinitely. If you want to read a more in-depth summary of my project, here is my Project Proposal.
During the next ten weeks, I will be blogging about my experience at the Mayo Clinic and what I learn. Then, in May, I will do a presentation. If you would like to see the blogs of others who are doing a Senior Research Project or who are in AP Research, check out this link!
As for who I am...well I like books, music, movies, and more. I primarily read Young Adult Fiction: Paranormal, Romance, Fantasy, Contemporary, and Historical. Some of my favorite books are Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson, the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, and We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. I have diverse music interests, including indie (Lana de Rey, MØ, and Zella Day), EDM (Martin Garrix, Skrillex, and Diplo), alternative (Findlay, Franz Ferdinand, and Cage the Elephant), metal (Rob Zombie, Megadeath, and Marilyn Manson), rock (Nirvana, the Doors, and Led Zeppelin), and foreign pop (Fedez, Elliphant, and Nicky Jam). Also, I enjoy listening to bands such as Die Antwoord, K.Flay, and Cherry Glazerr, however I am unsure as to which categories they fit in. Two of my favorite TV shows are Teen Wolf and True Blood, and two of my favorite movies are Donnie Darko and The Longest Day. Earlier, I mentioned that I like "more," this "more" refers primarily to my tendency to dye my hair blue and sometimes wear different-colored contacts. Also, I hold two sports dear to my heart: track and rugby. Additionally, this introduction would seem incomplete if I did not mention at least once that I am French and love all things related to France.
One of my all time favorite quotes, said by Oscar Wilde, is "To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all." I also love Megadeth's "A Tout le monde. A tous mes amis. Je vous aime. Je dois partir." I plan to put the latter, lyrics from the song "A Tout le Monde," on my tombstone (To everybody. To all my friends. I love you. I have to leave.)
Have a fantabulous day!
Hi Danielle, what a lovely post! I cannot wait to read more about your journey learning more about ACT behavioral therapy at the Mayo Clinic. Oh, and let me just say that your music taste is superb if I do say so myself. Good luck on the weeks to come!!!
ReplyDeleteHey Frida! Thanks for your support and enthusiasm. Your taste in music is also not terrible. See you later!
DeleteHey Dani, what an awesome post! I like how you paralleled the positives in your life to the therapy that you are studying in your project (not sure if that was intentional). I am interested to learn how the therapy (behavioral, cognitive, etc.) helps to promote positives within one’s life as well as what types of disorders ACT is most helpful for. Also, I strongly believe the “glass half full” outlook is something that expands beyond cognitive disorders, and into a useful philosophy of life. In terms of your about me information, I enjoyed your varied music interests (especially indie and alternative) and look forward to your creative blog entries as you begin your project.
ReplyDeleteHey Kayvon! Wow yeah I had not realized the parallels! I strongly agree that the philosophy behind ACT is one which could be beneficial as a daily outlook on life. Also, you have great taste in music genres too so props for that. See you soon!
DeleteHey Dani! I like your post a lot, I find the topic you are learning to be very interesting. I am currently in 9th grade taking AP Psychology, I would like to know why you felt that Psychology is a field that you want to pursue a career in? Also why did you pick this particular topic involving therapy while psychology has many more other topics? I also find your interests to be very diverse and I appreciate you for having many activities that you are involved in. I can't wait to leant more about your project!
ReplyDeleteHey Sruthi! Thanks for following my blog! I decided to pursue a Psychology career due to my passion for understanding the way humans think, feel, and act. I am entranced by the brain and wish to better understand it so as to be able to help people in any way which I am able to. While many fields are capable of helping people in a variety of ways, I am of the opinion that without mental wellbeing, other forms of wellbeing will not lead to a satisfying existence. I chose to research ACT rather than another topic due to my belief that your life can never be "perfect" - due to the subjectivity of the term - and that accepting the "imperfections" and negatives will lead to a peaceful resolve and general happiness. Feel free to ask any other questions you have.
DeleteHi Dani! I really enjoyed your first post and all the cute little details you added about yourself. I am also really interested in Psychology (as you know) so I can't wait to see where your project goes.
ReplyDeleteHey Gillian! Thanks for taking the time to read and comment on my post. See you next week! (Evan says its a weak comment)
DeleteHi! I share a strong passion in psychology and the functions of the mind and I'm really looking forward to learning more about your project and how you plan to develop it. I really enjoy what your organization stands for, the optimistic views and omitting the negative ones. What made you look deeper into this cause and is therapy a field you would be interested in taking your in?
ReplyDeleteHey Kailee! I was drawn to this therapy due to how it parallels my philosophy on living life. I strongly believe in accepting the parts of life which we would rather run from and avoid because not facing your problems only allows them to grow and become more painful. Also, I plan on pursuing a career in counseling and hope that after learning more about this therapy, my admiration and interest continue to grow so that I could apply it later in life.
DeleteHi Dani! This project sounds perfect for you as you are one of the most positive people I know! In what ways does ACT promote mindfulness in ones life? Is it through changing how one looks at different aspects of their life? I am currently taking AP Psychology, and can't wait to learn more through following your blog!
ReplyDeleteHi Layla! If I'm the most positive person you know then you haven't met yourself! ACT promotes mindfulness in one's life by calling for acceptance and awareness. This, as you suggested, can be accomplished through changing how one looks at different aspects of his/her life and the lives of others. I wish you luck in class and if you ever have any questions for me, I would be more than glad to answer them. See you :)
DeleteHey Dani! I am so excited to see what comes next for your project! I am especially excited to see how your experience learning ACT will be especially at a hospital. As much as it would be interesting to analyze the effects of ACT on patients with those with depression and chronic pain... how does ACT behavioral therapy effect those who don't need it per say such as the doctors themselves implementing this therapy? Cant wait to learn more!!
ReplyDeleteHey Bella! That is an excellent question. While I have not actually asked this question to Dr. Geda or read any answers to such a question, I would imagine that the physicians might feel a sense of calmness or profundity due to the very peaceful and accepting nature of the therapy. In order to successfully implement the therapy, they must believe in it, incorporating the properties of the therapy into their own lives. This might translate into the sense of calmness or profundity which I mentioned. Can't wait to see you next week!
DeleteHi Dani! I think that you're idea is very interesting, and I am excited to see where this project will go. In your project proposal, many of the examples of previous study that you gave were related to epilepsy. Will you be more focused on ACT as relating to epilepsy, chronic pain, and depression, or the broader effects of ACT as relating to all disorders and problems?
ReplyDeleteHey Dhanya! I am currently working on compiling a list of many ACT studies which I could use for my systematic review. Then, I must evaluate whether it will be realistic to include all of those which fit the criteria guidelines so that I can decide which disorder(s) can be included. So, to answer your question, I do not yet know.
DeleteHi Dani! Nice taste in music especially Marilyn Manson. Your project seems so interesting and I haven't heard of ACT before so it will be exciting. What made you choose this study?
ReplyDeleteHi Nash! Haha yeah I remember how you told me you love Marilyn Manson and how relatable he is. This project will give you the opportunity to learn more about this therapy! I chose this study because the values of the therapy parallel my life philosophy.
DeleteHi Dani. I loved your gif from the Addams Family, one of my favorite movies. I recently have found psychology very interesting, and in all my time studying so far, I have not come across ACT. ACT sounds like a very interesting project to research on, I cant wait for the final product. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteHey Josh! I also love the Addams Family, Wednesday being one of my all-time favorite characters. I can't wait to hear more from you in the coming weeks!
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