The BodyMind Approach® as Transformative Learning to Promote Self-Management for Patients With Medically Unexplained Symptoms

Payne, Helen; Roberts, Amanda; Jarvis, Joy

doi:10.1177/1541344619883892

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…The advantages of TBMA include reducing a) the possibility of new conditions, b) exacerbation of existing concerns, c) isolation anxiety/depression, and increasing a) activity, b) wellbeing, and c) feelings of control when living with uncertainty. Wordage is insufficient to describe TBMA, but details are available (Payne, Jarvis & Roberts, 2019).…”

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confidence: 99%

The BodyMind Approach® to support students in higher education: Relationships between student stress, medically unexplained physical symptoms and mental health

Payne

2021

Innovations in Education and Teaching International

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This article proposes that The BodyMind Approach® (TBMA) (Payne, 2009) can be employed as an innovative psychoeducational intervention targeting the many students in universities with medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) (such as chronic pain/fatigue, fibromyalgia, headache or backache for which tests/scans return normal), often with co-occurring anxiety/depression. It provides a rationale for TBMA by exploring benefits in the context of the relationships between student stress, MUS and the substantial increase in mental ill-health in higher education provider (HEP) settings. By contributing to the discussion on how to enhance student helpseeking behaviour for chronic stress/mental health difficulties, TBMA has the potential to advance knowledge and facilitate theory development in mental health within HEPs. Although not reporting research here, TBMA has shown encouraging outcomes in the UK National Health Service (Payne & Brooks, 2017, 2020.TBMA emphasizes the cultivation of good mental health and sustained resilience through participants learning to self-manage stress, associated with MUS, by integrating body with mind.Previous studies on body-oriented approaches for MUS (Röhricht, Sattel, Kuhn & Lahmann, 2019;Papadopoulos, Burrell, Smith, & Röhricht, 2017) have shown positive results. Students may be more able to live well with their bodily distress by learning to self-manage rather than experiencing consequences such as reduced emotional resilience, and/or mental health conditions due to overwhelming stress. TBMA could contribute to overall mental health and wellbeing by, for example, increasing early help-seeking behaviour and academic outcomes, and reducing referrals to oversubscribed counselling services and/or withdrawals from studies. It is hoped this discourse will help inform organizational practices and educational policies aimed at supporting student mental health and wellbeing. 2 2The BodyMind Approach® Current HEPs' interventions address solely the psychological elements of MUS, and only with verbal methods. This, despite many students feeling unable to access such services due to stigma, defensive verbal communication to avoid emotion, their explanatory model being solely physical, or if non-native speakers, for example. Students can access medication/pain management or more tests/scans which treat these bodily symptoms only, neglecting the associated stress/anxiety/depression. No current intervention caters for both the emotional and bodily distress, attracts less stigma, reduces avoidance behaviour and employs nonverbal, embodied methods rather than verbal language alone. Since many students do not disclose or seek help for chronic stress/mental health difficulties, a psychoeducational intervention targeting students with MUS may be more acceptable, reducing fear of judgement thus increasing numbers benefiting from support.TBMA is designed for students not coping with their MUS to learn to self-manage both symptoms, and the emotional counterpart, to improve and sustain good mental health. The co...

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confidence: 99%

The BodyMind Approach® to support students in higher education: Relationships between student stress, medically unexplained physical symptoms and mental health

Payne

2021

Innovations in Education and Teaching International

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“…Within this domain, three categories appear to be related to skills that could help the daily activities and relationships. Learning new ways to live in the body relates to self-knowledge in terms of recognizing body awareness as a way for learning through one's own body [21,88,96]: "I've never done this before so it's a good experience to listen to my body" (P2, 28 December 2019). This could contribute to creating better and more quality dialoguing (interacting with others): "I notice that "group" feeling of getting to know each other a little better and gaining confidence by leaps and bounds" (P1, 8 November 2019).…”

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confidence: 99%

Embodied Learning for Well-Being, Self-Awareness, and Stress Regulation: A Randomized Trial with Engineering Students Using a Mixed-Method Approach

et al. 2022

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The continuous changes in our society require adapted training that encompasses both technical and competency knowledge. There is a high level of demand, especially in areas such as engineering, which can affect the mental health of students, producing high levels of stress and psychological distress, hindering self-efficacy and academic performance. Embodied learning working on self-awareness, stress reduction and self-knowledge can help to generate healthier environments. Creative therapies can be a tool to promote the prevention of health problems in this group of the population. In particular, Dance Movement Therapy has demonstrated its effectiveness in improving health in clinical and non-clinical settings. In this work, a body awareness program based on Dance Movement Therapy is developed and implemented in engineering students. Through a mixed pre-post methodology, its impact is evaluated and analyzed in an experimental group of engineering students. Psychometric tests, physiological variables and reflective diaries are used as data sources. The results show that the experimental group, compared with the control group, increased their levels of body awareness and connectedness, well-being and life satisfaction and reduced their stress levels. The results were supported by cortisol measures. Likewise, the students acknowledged having increased their levels of self-awareness and self-knowledge and considered the inclusion of these bodily approaches in higher education to be necessary.

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“…TBMA works in the “present moment” to raise and change awareness of the bodily sensation and the individual’s relationship to it (Payne, 2019). TBMA is framed as experiential learning (Kolb, 1984; Payne and Brooks, unpublished) as well as transformative in adult learning (Payne et al, 2019). The exercises enable access to perceptions of symptoms through the facilitator coaching enactive embodied mindful practices.…”

Section: The Bodymind Approach®mentioning

confidence: 99%

Medically Unexplained Symptoms and Attachment Theory: The BodyMind Approach®

Payne

Brooks

2019

Front. Psychol.

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This article discusses how The BodyMind Approach® (TBMA) addresses insecure attachment styles in medically unexplained symptoms (MUS). Insecure attachment styles are associated with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and MUS (Adshead and Guthrie, 2015) and affect sufferers’ capacity to self-manage. The article goes on to make a new hypothesis to account for TBMA’s effectiveness (Payne and Brooks, 2017), that is, it addresses insecure attachment styles, which may be present in some MUS sufferers, leading to their capacity to self-manage. Three insecure attachment styles (dismissive, pre-occupied and fearful) associated with MUS are discussed. TBMA is described and explanations provided of how TBMA has been specifically designed to support people’s insecure attachment styles. Three key concepts to support insecure attachment styles involved in the content of TBMA are identified and debated: (a) emotional regulation; (b) safety; and (c) bodymindfulness. There is a rationale for the design of TBMA as opposed to psychological interventions for this population. The programme’s structure, facilitation and content, takes account of the three insecure attachment styles above. Examples of how TBMA works with their specific characteristics are presented. TBMA has been tested and found to be effective during delivery in the United Kingdom National Health Service (NHS). Improved self-management has potential to reduce costs for the NHS and in General Practitioner time and resources.

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The BodyMind Approach® as Transformative Learning to Promote Self-Management for Patients With Medically Unexplained Symptoms

Cited by 10 publications

References 60 publications

The BodyMind Approach® to support students in higher education: Relationships between student stress, medically unexplained physical symptoms and mental health

The BodyMind Approach® to support students in higher education: Relationships between student stress, medically unexplained physical symptoms and mental health

Embodied Learning for Well-Being, Self-Awareness, and Stress Regulation: A Randomized Trial with Engineering Students Using a Mixed-Method Approach

Medically Unexplained Symptoms and Attachment Theory: The BodyMind Approach®

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