This study examined meditative practices among group participants and therapists, participating in the Domestic Violence Focused Couples Treatment (DVFCT) group using the phenomenology and systems frameworks. Specifically, this inquiry explored whether or not group participants and therapists experienced intrapersonal effects as well as relational effects from meditating, both within and outside of session. Little research examines the relational impact of meditating, or the use of meditation as a strategy for helping couples who experienced intimate partner violence. Systems theory and existing research regarding mindfulness meditation contributed to the development of interview questions. Five group participants and four therapists who facilitated the Domestic Violence Focused Couples Treatment group within the last two years were interviewed. The main theme that had emerged from the study were the differences between meditating during session versus out of session for all study participants. In the study, it was noticed that group participants also experienced more relational effects then were noticed by the therapists. While the experience for the therapists and group participants varied, some similarities were found consistently through their interviews. Also included are a discussion of the connections between these themes and the existing literature, the strengths and limitations of this study, and the implications for future research. / Master of Science
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/32520 |
| Date | 16 June 2009 |
| Creators | Claus, Susan Lynne |
| Contributors | Human Development, McCollum, Eric E., Sayre, Julia B., Huebner, Angela J. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
| Relation | ETDMastersThesis.pdf |
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