Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness and Self-as-Context
Booz Allen
Department of Veterans Affairs
Yale University
University of Nevada, Reno
Key Points
- Some clients need modifications to begin their work on present moment awareness.
- The ability to practice mindfulness is fundamental to the work of the other core ACT processes.
- Self-as-context exercises can be modified or augmented for trauma survivors. Don’t avoid this component of ACT.
- Trauma survivors are among the groups of clients that can most benefit from this work.
Materials Downloads
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Transcript
As I’ve mentioned earlier, some trauma survivors, especially those who are early in therapy, may not respond well to closed eyes mindfulness or self-as-context exercises. And some trauma survivors, especially those who’ve experienced physical or sexual abuse, may be triggered by body or somatically focused exercises.
Batten, S. V. (2011). Essentials of acceptance and commitment therapy. SAGE Publications Ltd.
As a reminder, you can focus on more physical metaphors or exercises with either of these sorts of clients. For example, mindfulness of an orange in their hand, or mindfulness while walking rather than a closed eyes exercise, or the box with stuff in it exercise as opposed to a closed eye self-as-context exercise.
Batten, S. V. (2011). Essentials of acceptance and commitment therapy. SAGE Publications Ltd.