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Moving to Heal: Women's Experiences of... - Document (1 M) |
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| Author |
West, Jennifer Inge |
| Title |
Moving to Heal: Women's Experiences of Therapeutic Yoga after Complex Trauma |
| Date created |
2011 |
| Abstract |
The study of treatments for complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), especially in cases of chronic childhood abuse, has revealed that traditional trauma treatments often lack success due to the complexity of symptom presentation. CPTSD often manifests as a lack of integration between the self and the body. While certain coping strategies used by survivors during the trauma experiences, such as dissociation, may be adaptive in the short-term, prolonged use posttrauma comes at a cost--resulting in a loss of awareness of one's emotional and physical being in the present moment. Mindfulness-based interventions, such as hatha yoga, show promise as alternative or complementary treatments for CPTSD. Furthermore, current trauma treatments have been criticized for their primary focus on psychopathology. More recent conceptualizations of trauma recovery call for a paradigm shift that recognizes not only the need for symptom-reduction, but also the encouragement of positive development and personal growth (i.e., stronger sense of self, relationships with others, and perspective on life). This qualitative study explored the experiences of women with CPTSD in a 10-week, trauma-informed hatha yoga class, specifically examining perceived changes with regard to symptom reduction and personal growth. Six themes were identified through qualitative content analysis. Theme 1 describes the yoga practice and study design characteristics that influenced participants' experiences. Themes 2 through 6 reflect participants' increased feelings of Gratitude and compassion, Relatedness, Acceptance, Centeredness, and Empowerment (referred to as G.R.A.C.E. themes). Findings are discussed in the context of current literature. Limitations of the study are also presented along with recommendations for future research and clinical work. |
| Use Restrictions |
I hereby allow Boston College to include and preserve my dissertation/thesis in electronic form in the Boston College Institutional Repository, which shall include the right to publicly post my dissertation/thesis on the World Wide Web. I will retain copyright ownership, but I grant to Boston College the non-exclusive right to copy, distribute, and publicly display my dissertation/thesis in any form as may be necessary or convenient in the future as file formats, storage media, and distribution mechanisms evolve. |
| Subject |
Complex Trauma |
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Growth and empowerment |
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Posttraumatic Growth |
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PTSD |
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Therapeutic Yoga |
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Trauma-informed Yoga |
| Genre Heading |
Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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text |
| Publisher |
Boston College |
| Link to Item |
2345/2460 |
| Thesis Advisor |
Liang, Belle |
| Degree Name |
PhD |
| Degree Grantor |
Boston College. Lynch School of Education. |
| Sys. No. |
000012391 |
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