Trauma-sensitive yoga as an adjunctive mental health treatment for survivors of intimate partner violence: A qualitative examination.

Abstract

Yoga is a practice of uniting mind, body, and spirit that has been shown to improve mental health symptoms and is increasingly being used as adjunctive mental health treatment. Less well studied, however, is the impact of incorporating trauma-sensitive yoga into group psychotherapy for at-risk groups, such as survivors of intimate partner violence. Through the examination of care providers' (i.e., yoga instructors, group psychotherapists) viewpoints, the purpose of the present study was to assess, via qualitative interviews, the strengths, benefits, consequences, and challenges of integrating trauma-sensitive yoga into a psychotherapy program in a community setting for female survivors of intimate partner violence. This 12-week program consisted of 90 min of group psychotherapy followed by 30 min to 40 min of yoga taught by a registered yoga instructor. Nine interviews were conducted with 7 care providers following a structured questionnaire format. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and then analyzed thematically. The results indicated that yoga as an adjunct treatment to group psychotherapy for survivors of intimate partner violence may have positive effects for both care providers and clients, exemplified by the identified common themes (e.g., spiritual healing, increased self-confidence, increased mind-body connection). Implementation of such a practice seems to be feasible within community settings with hindrances (e.g., initial client resistance) ultimately being worthwhile for the healing observed in the population served. The care providers reported experiencing more growth than distress in their work. An understanding of this dynamic might allow care providers to focus on these strength areas to increase well-being.

Social Work Students’ Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Therapeutic Yoga

“…In this regard, yoga-based interventions could be useful to help re-establish the connection between the body and mind in a safe and controlled manner. Preliminary evidence suggests that the processes of breathing, mind-body awareness, and meditation commonly used in yoga-based interventions may be beneficial in reducing autonomic sympathetic activation, muscle tension, and emotional distress [33,35]. Yoga-based interventions have also been shown to affect neurobiological functioning.…”

Moderators of treatment efficacy in a randomized controlled trial of trauma-sensitive yoga as an adjunctive treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder.

“…By exploring moderators specifically for TCTSY (rather than yoga in general that is taught to trauma survivors) on PTSD, we further narrow and define characteristics of those for whom trauma-sensitive yoga would be most effective. As TCTSY appears feasible in quantitative and qualitative studies with growing evidence of effectiveness (e.g., Clark et al, 2014; Nguyen-Feng, Morrissette, et al, 2019; Neukirch et al, 2019), we hope to further understand the nuances of its effect.…”