Posttraumatic growth following culturally grounded intervention among tribal young women with dissociative disorders in Sikkim: an interpretative phenomenological analysis
Frontiers in Psychology September 1, 2026 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1927590 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 3 |
| Population | Tribal adolescent girls and young women from Sikkim with dissociative disorders |
| Interventions | Pranayama Ana Pana Sati meditation Raga-based music therapy |
| Duration | Intervention completed in 2022; follow-up interviews conducted in 2025 |
| Topics | Breathwork |
| Keywords | Culturally grounded intervention Dissociative disorders India Interpretative phenomenological analysis Posttraumatic growth |
| Key findings | Participants described significant posttraumatic growth, including emotional liberation, identity reconstruction, and altruistic orientation, alongside persistent sociocultural stressors and episodic relapse. The findings informed the TRIBE-HEAL model, proposed as an exploratory, hypothesis-generating framework requiring further testing. |
Abstract
BackgroundTrauma recovery among tribal adolescent girls and young women in Northeast India remains poorly understood, particularly for those with dissociative disorders. Existing frameworks rely on Western paradigms that do not account for the cultural, spiritual, and environmental realities of tribal communities.MethodsUsing Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), this study examined the lived healing experiences of three young women from Sikkim who had completed a culturally grounded intervention comprising Pranayama, Ana Pana Sati meditation, and raga-based music therapy in 2022. Long-form semi-structured follow-up interviews were conducted in 2025.ResultsAnalysis yielded four superordinate experiential domains: (1) Psychological and Emotional Transformation, (2) Sociocultural and Systemic Trauma Context, (3) Embodied and Relational Pathways to Healing, and (4) Non-Linear Recovery and Ongoing Vulnerability. Participants described significant posttraumatic growth including emotional liberation, identity reconstruction, and altruistic orientation, alongside persistent sociocultural stressors and episodic relapse.ConclusionThese findings informed the TRIBE-HEAL model (Trauma Resilience Integration using Breathwork and Expressive Healing Approaches in Local contexts), a culturally grounded trauma-recovery framework addressing the biopsychosocial-spiritual dimensions of healing in marginalized tribal settings. TRIBE-HEAL is proposed as an exploratory, hypothesis-generating framework derived from a small idiographic sample; it has not been independently validated and requires further testing before clinical application.