Setting the Context
At Healing and Resilience after Trauma (HaRT) we have spent the last eight years deepening our understanding of how trauma is held in our bodies and growing our conviction that our bodies also offer the way to heal. Our ‘Move with HaRT’ program to support survivors of violence uses a mind-body approach to mental wellness and holistic wellbeing. Through yoga-based movement, breathwork, mindfulness practices, guided relaxation and group discussions, we gently affirm the wisdom of the body. We place trust in our innate capacity to heal, enhanced when we journey as a collective – moving, breathing and contemplating more compassionate futures together.
The focus on mind-body connections in communal healing is age-old. In ritual and ceremony there has always been dance and song, poetry that creates rhythm and invites movement. Within these sacred circles, members gain embodied experiences of safety, vulnerability and courage—a felt-sense of belonging to something bigger than oneself. This is the ‘medicine’ that communities all over the world have created to alchemize trauma and grief. And we can tap into this potency. With skillful and trauma-informed facilitation, we can co-create similar experiences within a program context. This is the power of mind-body approaches for trauma healing.
Within the field of violence against women and girls (VAWG), we increasingly recognize the complex linkages between violence and mental health. For example, a consistent body of research has demonstrated that poor mental health is both a consequence of—and a risk factor for—experiencing violence (see the Prevention Collaborative’s evidence review). Healing from violence-inflicted trauma is not only a right in-and-of-itself, but a necessity for future violence prevention. And as we delve deeper into the realities of burn out, compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma, a growing number of feminist organizations1 are calling for the integration of healing and collective care across our work. This need is urgent for survivors, as well as the community members, activists, practitioners, researchers, human right defenders, health-workers and others who support them. And if we hope to sustain and intensify vibrant movements to end violence, healing must be at the center.
Four Core Arguments
For many of us, the case for integrating mind-body practices resonates intuitively, aligned with our feminist values and our lived experiences. And yet, mind-body approaches have largely been under-appreciated in VAWG programming. Some reject such programs outright, dismissing the focus on embodiment and collective care as misplaced, nonessential and/or against the grain of capitalistic constructs of productivity. Clearly there are many skeptics—and when it comes to financial investments ‘evidence’ must be brought to bear. The good news is that we are building the knowledge base–with important contributions from neurobiology, trauma research and practice-based learning. Below we unpack four core arguments to bolster the case, each framed from a distinct perspective:
- A political stance. Inspired by UAF-Africa’s feminist exploration of healing justice, we understand healing as a liberatory practice to overcome oppression and structural violence. Further, we recognize gender-based violence as a systemic trauma that can cause collective harm to the bodies, hearts and minds of those affected (including future generations). As such, healing requires a holistic approach that does not pathologize trauma or overlook the structural determinants of many trauma-related symptoms. Mind-body practices are well aligned to this need, capable of transforming embodied trauma to catalyze wellbeing, resilience and a path towards collective liberation.
- The neurobiological evidence. Somatic—or body focused—approaches to healing have been upheld by cultures across the world (and across time), and recent advances in neurobiology can help demonstrate why these have been so persistent. Cutting-edge research using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and physiological markers have linked mind-body practices (e.g., yoga, meditation, and mindfulness) with a range of positive changes to brain anatomy and function (see Yoga Effects on Brain Health: A Systematic Review of the Current Literature). These include: growth in specific brain regions which support emotion regulation, memory consolidation and body-awareness; regulation of the autonomic nervous system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis to de-activate the stress response (i.e., ‘fight, flight or freeze’); and the release of hormones and neurotransmitters associated with calmness, relaxation and enhanced mood.
- Bridging the gaps across the prevention-response continuum. Promoting positive mental health is critical for both supporting survivors’ healing and reducing risk factors for violence. And yet, the availability of specialized mental health care is severely limited in many communities. Even when such services exist, they may not be financially accessible or desirable, as conventional approaches to individualized care and pharmacology are often stigmatized or rejected (see Jessica Horn’s article Decolonising emotional well-being and mental health in development). Considering this larger context, promoting mind-body practices for mental wellness offers immense potential to boost inclusivity and access to essential programming to support survivors (see SVRI Knowledge Exchange Healing from sexual violence: Body-focused mental health approaches) and to prevent and disrupt future cycles of violence. Indications of acceptability and feasibility are promising; at HaRT we have found respectful ways to integrate traditional practices into curriculums that can be adapted and successfully embedded within diverse program contexts.
- Voices from survivors. In our programming with women and girls who have experienced various forms of gender-based violence, we bear witness to the devastating consequences of violence and to their inspiring resilience. It is from the voices of survivors that the strongest arguments for mind-body healing emerge. Across varied settings, Move with HaRT participants have consistently and beautifully described how becoming more embodied (or aware of their physical and emotional selves within the present moment) creates peace, healing and community:
“I have evolved into a beautiful self. I am calm. When negative things happened to me, I used to get to panic and get so anxious. Small things would give me an earthquake. I am very different these days, because of the HaRT [sessions]. I remain stable and think about my next steps during a disappointment. I stand in the moment, with a free mind.”
“[In our Move with HaRT session] I felt a nice air sweep onto the hairs on my body. It was sensational. I love the feeling, because it came with peacefulness. I realised I was fully present in body, soul and thought. My body was calm and relaxed.”
“We all have daily problems, miss. And HaRT has been a big help, because not everyone is willing to listen to you. And I’m happy because at least once a week, you can release your feelings, miss, and you can open up and the pressure will be lifted from your chest. It’s really heavy if you face the problem on your own.”
What next?
Sometimes innovation requires that we think outside the box, searching far and wide for a novel solution. Other times, we embrace innovation by affirming what already exists within. Somatic approaches to emotional wellness are rooted in each of us—our profound capacity for healing through the wisdom of our own bodies. And although we have a start, there is much we still need to learn regarding how to design and facilitate inclusive mind-body programs in our work towards violence prevention. There are also many tensions to untangle, for instance how can we best anchor somatic approaches to a healing justice framework, such that we recognize the interconnection between personal wellness and collective liberation from violence. More practically, how can we best train and support program facilitators in ways that adhere to ‘Do No Harm’ and also keep programming accessible and open. There are many such tricky questions with which to grapple. And at the same time, we are experiencing a new receptiveness within the violence field to further explore and deepen this work. Our invitation is for all of us who believe in this effort to band together and build momentum. To share our learning. To join our voices in convincing the skeptics that investing in mind-body approaches is innovative, strategic . . . and urgent. We hope the arguments discussed above can advance our collective advocacy and would love to learn further from your perspectives and experiences.
1Organizational allies include the SVRI, Feminist Republik (under the auspices of UAF-Africa) and the GBV Prevention Network, among others.
Written by Sophie Namy, Jean Kemitare and Catherine Carlson
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About the Authors
Sophie and Catherine are Co-Directors at HaRT. Jean is a member of HaRT’s Board of Directors and the Programmes Director at Urgent Action Fund, Africa which coordinates the Feminist Republik to deepen cultures of collective care in movement building efforts (among other programs).
To get in touch with Sophie, Jean and Catherine, visit https://movewithhart.org/contact/
