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Exploring the Healing Effects of Yoga for Trauma in Children and Youth: the Stories of Yoga Instructors

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Exploring the Healing Effects of Yoga for Trauma in Children and Youth: the Stories of Yoga Instructors Exploring the Healing Effects of Yoga for Trauma in Children and Youth: The Stories of Yoga Instructors By: Sarah Bonnell BA, University of Victoria, 2009 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS in the School of Child and Youth Care © Sarah Bonnell University of Victoria 2016 All rights reserved. This thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author. ii Supervisory Committee Exploring the Healing Effects of Yoga for Trauma in Children and Youth: The Stories of Yoga Instructors By: Sarah Bonnell BA CYC, University of Victoria, 2009 Supervisory Committee Dr. Daniel Scott, School of Child and Youth Care Supervisor Dr. Marie Hoskins, School of Child and Youth Care Department Member iii Abstract Dr. Daniel Scott, School of Child and Youth Care Supervisor Dr. Marie Hoskins, School of Child and Youth Care Department Member Yoga as a therapeutic modality for treating trauma is currently emerging as an important topic of research with several new studies being produced to analyze its effectiveness on varying populations of traumatized individuals. Research is beginning to demonstrate that individuals who suffer the effects of trauma have often experienced several negative events that accumulate over the course of one’s lifetime. It has been displayed that when treated early, the adverse effects of trauma may be much less debilitating. Recent studies indicate traumatic memories are often stored within the body and are difficult to recall through cognition alone. Therefore, somatic therapies such as yoga are proving to be an effective means of working through this unresolved trauma. Using a constructivist and postmodernist lens with a narrative methodology, this study explores the impact of yoga on children and youth who have experienced trauma as witnessed by yoga instructors teaching to these populations. Seven participants who reside in British Columbia, volunteered to share their stories and experiences through individual semi- structured interviews. The narratives highlight a potential pathway to healing trauma through several shared factors. These common threads indicate that yoga can provide children and youth a safe space to explore their bodies, develop a sense of community and belonging among peers, as well as engage in a mindfulness practice that incorporates several healing factors such as asana (the physical postures of yoga) and pranayama (connecting to one’s breath). Opening to vulnerability was another common thread indicated as a necessary component to healing that iv occurred for many children and youth throughout the practice of yoga. This study contributes to the growing research of yoga as a therapeutic modality for healing trauma in children and youth. v Table of Contents Supervisory Committee…………………………………………………………………………...ii Abstract………………………………………………………………………………………..….iii Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………………….……v Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………………....vii Dedication……………………………………………………………………………………….viii Chapter 1: Introduction………………………………………………………………………...…1 Terms and Definition……………………………………………………………………………...5 Chapter 2: Literature Review……………………………………………………………………...7 Yoga and Trauma………………………………………………………………………...11 Polyvagal Theory………….……………………………………………………..13 Regulation……………...………………………………………………………………...16 Interoception……………………………………………………………………………..17 Post Traumatic Growth…………………………………………………………………..18 Trauma, Spirituality and Yoga………………………………………………………..….19 Teaching Yoga to Vulnerable Populations………………………………………………20 Guiding Questions……………………………………………………………………….21 Chapter 3: Methodology…………………………………………………………………...……23 Theoretical Orientation………………………………………………………………..…23 Positioning Myself as the Researcher……………………………………………………24 Personal Location……………………………………………………………………...…25 Narrative Inquiry Methodology………………………………………………………….26 Participant Recruitment………………………………………………………………….28 Confidentiality……………………………………………………………………...……29 Limits Due to Context………………………………………………………...…30 Consent………………………………………………………………………..…30 Data Collection Procedures………………………………………………………….......30 Interview Process………………………………………………………………..30 Approach to Analysis……………………………………………………………….…...32 Validity……………………………………………………………………………….….36 Chapter 4: Introduction of Participants………………………………………………………….39 Trista……………………………………………………………………………………..39 Kris…………………………………………………………………………...………......41 Rory………………………………………………………………………………………41 Julie………………………………………………………………………………………42 Amy………………………………………………………………………………………43 Nora……………………………………………………………………………………....44 Sandy……………………………………………………………………………………..44 Chapter 5: Discussion and Findings…………………………………………………………….46 Safe Space………………………………………………………………………………………..46 Physical Environment……………………………………………………………………48 Rules and Boundaries……………………………………………………………………51 Consistency……………………………………………………………………………....52 vi Choice…………………………………………………………………………………....54 Language………………………………………………………………………………....57 Inclusivity……………………………………………………………………………..…58 Meeting Student’s Needs………………………………………………………………...60 Safety within the Body………………………………………………………………..…64 Community……………………………………………………………………………………....65 Connection…………………………………………………………………………….…69 Normalization……………………………………………………………………………72 Support…………………………………………………………………………………..75 Building Relationship……………………………………………………………………77 Mindfulness…………………………………………………………………………………..….81 Becoming present…………………………………………………………………….….82 Letting Go of the Story……………………………………………………………….….83 Embodied……………………………………………………………………………...…85 Grounding……………………………………………………………………………..…87 Breath………………………………………………………………………………….…88 Asana……………………………………………………………………………………..92 Confidence…………………………………………………………………………….…96 Mind/Body Connection…………………………………………………………………100 Release……………………………………………………………………………….....103 Regulation……………………………………………………………………………....107 Relationship to Self…………………………………………………………………..…111 Vulnerability……………………………………………………………………………………113 Chapter 6: Summary and Concluding Remarks………………………………………………..116 Traditional Yogic Methods…………………………………………………………..…118 Touch…………………………………………………………………………………...119 Embracing Yoga………………………………………………………………………..119 Off the Mat…………………………………………………………………………...…120 Post Traumatic Growth………………………………………………………….…..….121 Gaps………………………………………………………………………………….…122 Limitations…………………………………………………………………………...…123 Future Research………………………………………………………………………...124 References………………………………………………………………………………………128 Appendix A……………………………………………………………………………………..138 Appendix B……………………………………………………………………………………..139 Appendix C…………………………………………………………………………………..…140 Appendix D………………………………………………………………………………….….143 vii Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge first and foremost, my parents for believing in me and supporting me throughout the entirety of my MA. Your patience, encouragement and unwavering faith in me carried me through this process to the end. Thank you Mom for your endless pep talks and emotional support, and a special thank you to my Dad for tirelessly proof reading all of my work every step of the way. I could not have done this without the two of you. Thank you to my friend Kristy P. for your continual belief in me throughout this journey. As a classmate, friend and co-worker, I feel incredibly blessed to have met such a genuine soul within this process. Dr. Daniel Scott, thank you so much for your encouragement, support and belief in my study. Your openness and genuine regard for my work has been paramount to the completion of this thesis. I thank you for your uplifting sense of humour, patience, and thoughtful suggestions throughout. Dr. Marie Hoskins- you have been on my side since the beginning, supporting me through some very difficult times and helping get to where I am now. Thank you for being such an inspiration to me and a kind presence throughout my entire academic career. Finally, thank you to my participants for opening your hearts and sharing your stories with me. You are deeply inspiring individuals. As I listened to each of your interviews, I found myself experiencing many moments of joy, pride, excitement and determination. Your contributions add to the knowledge of this newly emerging field and I am so fortunate to have met you all. viii Dedication This thesis is dedicated to all of the brilliant yoga teachers that inspired this research. 1 Chapter 1: Introduction Human beings are tender creatures. We are born with our hearts open. And sometimes our open hearts encounter experiences that shatter us. Sometimes we encounter experiences that so violate our sense of safety, order, predictability, and right, that we feel utterly overwhelmed—unable to integrate and simply unable to go on as before. Unable to bear reality. We have come to call these shattering experiences trauma. None of us is immune to them. (Stephen Cope as cited in Emerson & Hopper, 2011, p. xiii). This study investigates the impact that yoga can have on children and youth who have experienced trauma and suffer from the residual effects that trauma can have on the mind, body and spirit. Yoga has been applied in the treatment of mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, fatigue, stress (Bussing, Michalsen, Khalsa, Telles & Sherman, 2012) and psychosis (Sistig, Lambrecht & Friedman, 2014). The effect of yoga on individuals with trauma related disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is currently a topic of great interest. In less than a decade, several studies have begun to emerge displaying how yoga can
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