Summary: | <p> This dissertation focused on advancing the current research on the connection between physical and psychological health. This study focused on two psychotherapy groups that integrate mind-body practices in the form of yoga, meditation, and relaxation. These groups were ongoing and are held once a week for one hour in an urban outpatient mental health clinic. Participants in these groups attended consistently for approximately 1-4 years and experienced a wide-range of trauma and chronic pain symptoms. Because the groups were active and running for several years, this study followed a qualitative research approach to comprehensively capture the participants’ subjective experience. Understanding the experience of these particular clients could prove to be advantageous to the field of psychology as it will help to elucidate the individual’s experience of an integrated mind-body modality for trauma and pain treatment. Using phenomenological interviews, this study explored the subjective experience of individuals in these groups. In-depth interview questions focused on participants’ reactions to the mind-body interventions for combined physical and psychological symptom relief.</p>
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