Mindfulness advocates believe it to be an elixir for all manner of stresses in our hectic and fast-paced world.  Could it be useful for those suffering trauma as great as being forced to flee your homeland?

That was the question posed by research from the University of Haifa, with the researchers finding that mindfulness-based trauma recovery for refugees (MBTR-R) can reduce the post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues experienced by refugees.

“We are in the midst of a global mental health and human rights crisis,” the researchers write. “Relative to the scale, scope, and urgency of this still-growing crisis, our collective capacity to care for these survivors via evidence-based mental health interventions tailored to refugees and asylum seekers is strikingly limited.”

Dealing with trauma

Data shows that nearly 80 million people were forced from their homes during 2019 alone, which in addition to the all too evident issues around their safety and welfare raises considerable concerns around the mental wellbeing of these people.  The researchers believe that MBTR-R might go some way towards supporting them.

The study recruited volunteers who were asylum seekers that had suffered a range of traumas, including rape and torture alongside the evident difficulties inherent in being forced to flee from one’s homeland and settle in a foreign land.

The volunteers were randomly assigned either to a group that underwent 9 weeks of MBTR-R or to a control group that did not.  The program consisted of nine weekly sessions of 2.5 hours each, plus an assessment conducted a week after the sessions concluded, and a further follow-up visit 5 weeks later.

The volunteers were given training in both formal and informal mindfulness techniques, with each adapted for trauma-sensitive deployment.  The sessions were also socioculturally adapted to ensure that they had the maximum chance of a successful outcome.

The researchers are at pains to point out that those in the control group were not left completely unsupported, and were instead offered equivalent support in the shape of 22.5 hours of training on cognitive behavioral therapy and relaxation techniques.

Positive results

The results suggest that MBTR-R was effective both in terms of its efficacy and its safety, with those in the MBTR-R group exhibiting lower levels of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress after both 1 week and 5 weeks than their peers in the control group.

What’s more, this group also showed an increase in their subjective well-being during the assessments.  While the authors accept that the sample used in the study was relatively small and should therefore be accepted as such, they believe the results warrant further investigation to see what role MBTR-R could play in helping asylum seekers and refugees cope with their circumstances.

“We hope this study will contribute to field-wide efforts to promote refugee mental health among forcibly displaced people and the potential role of mindfulness- and compassion-based practices in such efforts,” they conclude.