Bishop’s University
Mihaela Zlatanovska, a woman in a pink turtleneck sweater.

Mihaela Zlatanovska, PsyD Research: Exploring the Healing Power of Dreams

Mihaela Zlatanovska first heard of Bishop’s University and its PsyD program from a good friend who is an alum. The balance between clinical training and research within the program was a perfect fit for her and her future goals. Additionally, her friend’s positive experiences reassured her that the environment would be supportive and welcoming, which made her eager to join this community.

She is currently enrolled in the PsyD program, which not only provides clinical training but also offers the opportunity to explore her research interests through a doctoral research project. With the guidance of her mentors, Dr. Dale Stout and Dr. Claude Charpentier, Mihaela is designing a project that explores how dreams can affect the emotional valence of distressing thoughts. This is an area she hasn’t formally explored before, but her mentors have been open-minded and supportive in helping her pursue her personal interests.

Her research idea was inspired by her grandmother, who struggles with distressing thoughts and rumination. Over the years, her grandmother has tried various methods to quiet her thoughts, and her struggles motivated Mihaela to create her study. She hopes her research can contribute to finding different solutions to help people in similar situations.

Dr. Stout and Dr. Charpentier have been instrumental in supporting her interests. She shared her ideas with them, along with their origins, and they shared her enthusiasm. They have helped guide her through the literature review and planning process while allowing her to retain control over the overarching idea. Their support has made the project feel very much like her own.

Her research aims to explore the potential healing power of dreams, an aspect that many people often overlook. It’s widely known that we unconsciously process emotions while we sleep, sometimes remembering these dreams and sometimes not. They hope to investigate how this process might help reduce the distress that uncontrolled thoughts can sometimes cause. An exciting aspect of the study is that they are working with adults over the age of 65, a group often not included in research. They look forward to hearing about their personal experiences through interviews at the end of the study, as this rich data will provide valuable context.

The study is a mixed-methods approach, involving both an intervention and follow-up interviews. One of the main challenges they’ve faced is balancing the quantitative and qualitative portions. The challenge lies in determining the appropriate sample size that will satisfy both sides of the study. She is currently consulting the literature and seeking expert opinions to figure out the correct sample size.

Throughout her time at Bishop’s University, Mihaela has developed key research and methodological skills, especially in qualitative research. In her undergraduate program, she wasn’t exposed to this type of research, so she’s learning a lot from her mentors. Although she is still in the early stages, Mihaela is excited to continue growing in this area.

Balancing academic responsibilities, research commitments, and personal life has been manageable due to two key factors. First, she is organized and sets daily objectives with a clear focus for each week. She dedicates specific time each week to research, ensuring steady progress throughout the semester, and avoids letting work accumulate. Second, the graduate program is much different from undergraduate studies. In her undergraduate years, the focus was primarily on memorizing for tests to achieve high grades. In the graduate program, the emphasis is on self-directed learning and genuine curiosity. This shift has made learning more enjoyable and less about memorization.

While her research project does not directly align with the clinical population she hopes to work with in the future, Mihaela has a wide range of interests that allow her to explore different aspects of human experiences. In her undergraduate research, she focused on child cognitive and social development. She believes this breadth of research experience will ultimately make her a better clinician.

Joannie St-Germain M.Sc. (she/her/elle)
RESEARCH OFFICER
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND GRADUATE STUDIES
819-822-9600 x 2242

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