Adverse childhood experiences and yoga as "a practice of liberation".

OBJECTIVE: The long-term negative health consequences of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) pose a significant public health concern. Effective and engaging interventions that simultaneously address physical, mental, and socio-emotional health and mitigate the negative sequelae related to ACEs are needed. Promising evidence points to the impact of yoga and mindfulness on physiological and emotional health outcomes. Yet, little is known about those who have experienced multiple ACEs and their perspectives on the influence of yoga and mindfulness on their lives. The current study examines the phenomenological experiences of adults with high ACEs who engage in yoga practice. METHOD: Twelve adults participated in in-depth, semistructured interviews. These included nine cisgender women, two cisgender men, and one gender nonbinary individual; 66.8% White, 16.6% multiracial, 8.3% Black/African American, and 8.3% Asian American/Pacific Islander. Participants were aged 20-63 years and endorsed four or more ACEs. They practiced yoga at least once a week for at least 6 months. RESULTS: Themes that emerged included: healing from trauma-related symptoms, integration of the whole self in mind-body practice, corrective experiences through yoga and mindfulness, and healing beyond talk therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with ACEs may experience yoga as a potentially valuable method for promoting healing through an integrative approach. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Perceptions of Adjunctive Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy to Prevent Suicidal Behavior Among High Suicide-Risk Outpatient Participants.

BACKGROUND: Few investigations of patient perceptions of suicide prevention interventions exist, limiting our understanding of the processes and components of treatment that may be engaging and effective for high suicide-risk patients. AIMS: Building on promising quantitative data that showed that adjunct mindfulness-based cognitive therapy to prevent suicidal behavior (MBCT-S) reduced suicidal thinking and depression among high suicide-risk patients, we subjected MBCT-S to qualitative inspection by patient participants. METHOD: Data were provided by 15 patients who completed MBCT-S during a focus group and/or via a survey. Qualitative data were coded using thematic analysis. Themes were summarized using descriptive analysis. RESULTS: Most patients viewed the intervention as acceptable and feasible. Patients attributed MBCT-S treatment engagement and clinical improvement to improved emotion regulation. A minority of patients indicated that factors related to the group treatment modality were helpful. A small percentage of patients found that aspects of the treatment increased emotional distress and triggered suicidal thinking. These experiences, however, were described as fleeting and were not linked to suicidal behavior. LIMITATIONS: The sample size was small. CONCLUSION: Information gathered from this study may assist in refining MBCT-S and treatments to prevent suicidal behavior among high suicide-risk patients generally.