Although investigations have uncovered the effects of witnessing domestic violence on children and adolescents, adults with witnessing histories have received limited attention. This article summarizes the research efforts toward revealing long-term effects of witnessing domestic violence and indicates the need for careful consideration of the relationship and psychological effects, especially in clinical practice. Specific therapeutic interventions and directionfor further investigations are presented.

Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) teach practices that encourage the development of present moment awareness through paying attention on purpose and non-judgmentally to one’s experiences, feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. We describe three graduate student research thesis projects that explored the suitability and benefits of an arts-based MBI with three different populations; teachers, university students, and women survivors of intimate partner violence. These three populations have been identified as experiencing heightened levels of stress and in need of resilience building supports. All three projects were qualitative pilot studies that explored whether participants would experience increased understanding and development of mindfulness-based skills, and improved coping with stress through participating in the program. Pre- and post-MBI group interviews were conducted, and interview data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Across the three projects, the student researchers found self-reported benefits with no adverse effects. Developing mindfulness-based skills helped the participants to build their self-awareness/understanding which in turn helped to develop emotion regulation. This is consistent with our understanding of how MBIs can build people’s capacity to make conscious choices about their feelings rather than reacting to emotional triggers. Improved coping with stress was also reported in all three projects. Developing present-moment awareness and mindfulness can help people appreciate life’s moments, and cope better with daily life stressors. Also important was the growth of self-compassion and acceptance. The results are promising and indicate that further exploration with these populations is warranted. Future research could explore an arts-based approach to facilitating mindfulness with larger numbers of participants and using control and/or comparison groups.