Meditation for Female Trauma IPV Survivors with Co-Occurring Disorders
Effectiveness

Promising

.

.

.

.

.

Promising

Want to know more about this classification? Check out our methodological manual.

Life periods served
Where the program was applied
Country of application
Description

This is a meditation therapy program for female victims of violence and associated comorbidities (substance use disorder or depressive disorder).
The goal is to improve recovery outcomes and/or mental health-related gains, as well as to address symptoms stemming from trauma and disorders through meditation by attempting to:
1) Develop a mindful state of mind; and
2) Achieve the ability to stay present in the here and now, in each moment of existence.
The program consists of applying a traditional Tibetan approach curriculum focusing on the skills of mindful breathing, mindfulness, empathy, and compassion for oneself and others. The intervention lasts six weeks, with two daily one-hour meetings, five days a week.

Impact evaluations

An impact evaluation revealed that women in the treatment group who participated in the meditation curriculum had fewer mental health symptoms, distress, and post-traumatic stress, and a higher level of change in relation to those symptoms, compared to the women in the control group, who received the usual services [1].

Bibliographic reference

[1] Lee, M. Y., Zaharlick, A. & Akers, D. (2017). Impact of Meditation on Mental Health Outcomes of Female Trauma Survivors of Interpersonal Violence With Co-Occurring Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 32(14), 2139–2165. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260515591277

Information source