Clinician Perceptions of Incorporating Yoga into Therapeutic Practice.
Elizabeth Elsmore, Steven Hawks, Roberta May, Julie Gast, Hailey Judd
International Journal of Yoga Therapy January 1, 2022 DOI: 10.17761/2022-d-21-00070 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 8 |
| Population | Therapists from a yoga teacher training program designed for clinical therapists |
| Interventions | Yoga body awareness breathwork |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Mental health therapy Therapeutic setting Trauma Yoga |
| Key findings | Therapists reported that yoga, specifically body awareness and breathwork, provided a baseline for navigating mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, helped them avoid burnout and compassion fatigue, and facilitated a more positive therapy experience for patients and therapists. The authors propose yoga as a potentially positive adjunct in therapeutic settings and call for further research. |
Abstract
Despite increased interest in mindfulness practices such as yoga as an adjunct for depression, anxiety, and other chronic health concerns, little research exists on the potential benefits of yoga in therapeutic settings. As a complementary therapy, yoga provides a value-added benefit to traditional clinical practices for (1) clinicians as a form of self-care in treating compassion fatigue caused by, for example, fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, and (2) the patients they serve. The primary goal of the present study was to understand clinician perspectives of yoga as an intervention in the therapeutic setting for clinicians and clients. We conducted a qualitative study and surveyed therapists from a yoga teacher training program designed specifically for clinical therapists. Eight therapists completed a qualitative questionnaire designed to understand the effects of yoga on clinicians and patients in the therapeutic setting. Although the effects of COVID-19 had not been anticipated, survey results corroborate high rates of compassion fatigue for therapists and a decline in mental health for patients throughout the study. Yoga, specifically body awareness and breathwork, however, provided a baseline for navigating mental health for both patients and therapists amid the pandemic. Additionally, body awareness and breathwork were found to help therapists avoid burnout and compassion fatigue and facilitate a more positive therapy experience for patients and therapists. Yoga has the potential to be a positive adjunct in therapeutic settings and would benefit from further research into various applications.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.