Yoga Therapy for Trauma in Domestic Violence

How yoga and Mindfulness can bring better mental health in the face of trauma and abuse.

Hey folks. I just finished an assignment for my research class and wanted to share some thoughts on it.

For anyone reading this who doesn’t know me, welcome! I’m Viviane Wolfe, a yoga therapist and (at the time of this writing) a graduate student in the field of Social Work. I focus on improving mental health through the tools of yoga and Ayurveda. Most of the clients I work with are women, usually Generation X, and nearly all have experienced some kind of trauma in their lives.

With that in mind, it shouldn’t surprise you that when given the chance, I nearly always use my classwork to further understand the ways that yoga and mindfulness can support and help women who have PTSD, anxiety, depression, and stress.  So today, I’ve been reading a study from 2024 that focuses on how online yoga and mindfulness combined with psychoeducation can reduce the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress in a short amount of time. You can find this study below under the heading “references.”

The authors of this study created a unique program that used yoga, mindfulness-based psychoeducation, and techniques derived from Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). They wanted to teach the participants how to handle the intense thoughts and emotions that many people experience when they are survivors of domestic violence (DV). The participants all identified as women who experienced DV and were now separated from their abuser. 

This program lasted for five weeks and included weekly 90-minute classes that offered both practice and education, supplemented by daily 10-20-minute yoga/mindfulness homework practices. The program was trauma-informed and prioritized safety, support, and individual pacing, all of which align perfectly with therapeutic yoga. The participants learned to develop a greater sense of self-compassion, recognize negative thoughts, challenge and reframe them before they became a negative thought spiral. They were given assessments for depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as self-compassion and rumination at the beginning of the program and at the end.

The results of this program were significant. In just five weeks, all participants experienced improvements in all five factors, meaning they all experienced a reduction in depression, anxiety, stress, and rumination and an increase in self-compassion. Their overall psychological health improved, and their distress was reduced.

Want to try it now?

Stop the Spiral: The "Whispered Ah" Somatic Tool for High-Stress Moments 

The reason yoga and mindfulness were effective was that these practices help us to grow our self-compassion while learning to control our thoughts. Negative thoughts are normal to have, but we often get swept up in them, and they become mental tornadoes of shame and self-doubt. When we experience trauma and abuse, we often have negative thoughts and feelings associated with the experiences we had. DV is widespread, and nearly everyone has witnessed, heard about, or experienced it firsthand. The growing data shows that yoga and mindfulness can help to lessen the effects that DV and trauma have on our bodies as well as our mental health. 

I have years of experience in supporting clients in this process. Whether you want to try a group class, watch a video, or work one-on-one for personalized support, I can help you find the tools that will improve your well-being. Are you ready to get started? EMAIL ME, and I will personally get back to you with some recommendations.

Thanks for reading!

Viviane

P.S. A friend and I are chatting about offering something like this as an online adult summer camp. What do you think about that? Should I do it?

References: 

Reha, N., & Reha, A. R. (2024). A Brief Yoga- and Mindfulness-Based Psychoeducation Program for Women Who Have Experienced Domestic Violence: An RCT Study. Journal of Family Violence, 41(2), 253–266. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-024-00734-8