Healing the Effects of Domestic Violence and Trauma

A new partnership with Michigan State University, SAFE Ireland and The Gerda Boyesen International Institute of Biodynamic Psychology and Psychotherapy (GBII) has been given the approval to commence a research study into healing the effects of domestic violence and trauma. The clinical trial will test the efficacy of biodynamic psychotherapy in healing trauma linked to domestic violence.

This pilot phase of the study commences in April 2011 and SAFE Ireland with its research partners will analyse the preliminary data over the coming months. Based on these findings and resources the partners hope to conduct a more in depth study towards the end of 2011. The research team is led by Dr Denise Saint Arnault, Associate Professor (College of Nursing) in Michigan State University.

For further details about Dr Denise Saint Arnault see http://nursing.msu.edu/facultyprofile.aspx?ID=22

For further details about GBII see www.biodynamic.org

Background

In a recent research project (SAFE Ireland, 2009) 98% of women who had experienced domestic violence said that they wanted to heal emotionally from the effects of domestic violence. As part of a programme to address this need SAFE Ireland has been working with the Gerda Boyesen International Institute for Biodynamic Psychotherapy and Psychology (www.biodynamic.org) and Michigan State University.

We have designed an intervention called ”Healing from Domestic Violence – The Biodynamic Approach” – a 2 and a half day, residential workshop that uses biodynamic methods aimed at supporting the restoration of health and well being to women affected by domestic violence. We have run three of these residential workshops for frontline workers and we now want to evaluate the benefits of the workshop for women who have been directly affected by domestic violence.

Purpose

“Bio” means life and “dynamic” means movement. Biodynamic therapy helps restore the movement of life energy, energy that has become trapped in response to trauma and domestic violence in particular. Restoring normal circulation of life energy can help people heal from emotional and physical pain, and move toward a state of wholeness. This project involves research about the usefulness of the Biodynamic workshop.