An existential-phenomenological methodology was utilized to investigate the experience of meditation for female survivors of intimate partner violence. Six coresearchers were taught a form of concentrative meditation and were asked to meditate daily and to attend a weekly group meditation for 6 weeks. Semistructured interviews were utilized to gather the data. The essence of the experience that was revealed was the emergence of a centered awareness that is distinctly different from the usual mode of being in the world. Findings suggest the value of meditation as an intervention strategy with survivors and demonstrate the need for further research in this area.
Arias, I., & Pate, K. T. (1999). Psychological abuse: Implications for adjustment and commitment to leave violent partners. Violence and Victims, 14, 55-67.
2.
Austin, J. H. (2000). Zen and the brain (5th ed.). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
3.
Ayyub, R. (2000). Domestic violence in the South Asian Muslim immigrant population in the United States. Journal of Social Distress and the Homeless, 9, 237-248.
4.
Barrett, M. J. (1999). Healing from trauma: The quest for spirituality. In F. Walsh (Ed.), Spiritual resources in family therapy (pp. 193-208). New York: Guilford.
5.
Bell, C. C., & Mattis, J. (2000). The importance of cultural competence in ministering to African American victims of domestic violence. Violence Against Women, 6, 515-532.
6.
Benson, H. (2000). The relaxation response (Rev.). New York: Avon Books.
7.
Bono, J., Jr. (1984). Psychological assessment of transcendental meditation. In D. H. Shapiro, Jr. & R. N. Walsh (Eds.), Meditation: Classic and contemporary perspectives (pp. 209-217). New York: Aldine.
8.
Brooks, J. S., & Scarano, T. (1985). Transcendental meditation in the treatment of post-Vietnam adjustment. Journal of Counseling and Development, 64, 121-125.
9.
Brown, M. P., & Hendricks, J. E. (1998). Wife abuse. In N. A. Jackson & G. C. Oates (Eds.), Violence in intimate relationships: Examining sociological and psychological issues (pp. 119-136). Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann.
10.
Cascardi, M., O’Leary, K. D., & Schlee, K. A. (1999). Co-occurrence and correlates of posttraumatic stress disorder and major depression in physically abused women. Journal of Family Violence, 14, 227-332.
11.
Charles, M. A. (2001). The experiences of women survivors of childhood sexual abuse who practice Buddhist meditation. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
12.
Colaizzi, P. F. (1978). Psychological research as the phenomenologist views it. In R. Valle & M. King (Eds.), Existential-phenomenological alternatives for psychology (pp. 48-71). New York: Oxford University Press.
13.
Compton, W. C., & Becker, G. W. (1983). Self-actualization and experience with Zen meditation: Is a learning period necessary for meditation?Journal of Clinical Psychology, 39, 925-929.
14.
Creswell, J. W. (1998). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
15.
Cromwell, N. A., & Burgess, A. W. (1996). Understanding violence against women. Washington, DC: National Research Council.
16.
Cummings, R. L. (1994). The phenomenology of meditation experiences: A developmental perspective. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Georgia, Athens.
17.
Davidson, R. J., Goleman, D. J., & Schwartz, G. E. (1984). Attentional and affective concomitants of meditation: A cross-sectional study. In D. H. Shapiro, Jr. & R. N. Walsh (Eds.), Meditation: Classic and contemporary perspectives (pp. 227-231). New York: Aldine.
18.
DeKeseredy, W. S., & Schwartz, M. D. (2001). Definitional issues. In C. M. Renzetti, J. L. Edleson, & R. K. Bergen (Eds.), Sourcebook on violence against women (pp. 22-34). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
19.
Delmonte, M. M. (1987). Personality and meditation. In M. A. West (Ed.), The psychology of meditation (pp. 118-132). Oxford, UK: Clarendon.
20.
Dillon, S. R. (2000). Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression in battered women: A comparison between shelter and domestic violence agency samples. Dissertation Abstracts International, 61, B4398.
21.
Dutton, M. A. (1992). Empowering and healing the battered woman: A model for assessment and intervention. New York: Springer.
22.
Egan, P. M. (1998). Assessment and diagnosis of trauma and psychological problems in abused and battered women. Dissertation Abstracts International, 59, B0414.
23.
Eisikovits, Z., & Buchbinder, E. (1999). Talking control: Metaphors used by battered women. Violence Against Women, 5, 845-868.
24.
Ellis, A. (1984). The place of meditation in cognitive-behavioral therapy and rational-emotive therapy. In D. H. Shapiro, Jr. & R. N. Walsh (Eds.), Meditation: Classic and contemporary perspectives (pp. 671-673). New York: Aldine.
25.
Fay, D. E. (1996). Embracing the pain: Effects of long-term meditation on survivors of trauma as abuse memories awaken. Unpublished master’s thesis, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
26.
Garko, M. G. (1999). Existential phenomenology and feminist research: The exploration and exposition of women’s lived experiences. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 23, 167-175.
27.
Gillani, N. B., & Smith, J. C. (2001). Zen meditation and ABC relaxation theory: An exploration of relaxation states, beliefs, dispositions, and motivations. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 57, 839-846.
28.
Goleman, D. (1988). The meditative mind: The varieties of meditative experience (Updated Ed.). New York: Tarcher/Putnam.
29.
Griffith, F. F. (1974). Meditation research: Its personal and social implications. In J. White (Ed.), Frontier of consciousness: The melting ground between inner and outer reality (pp. 119-137). New York: Julian Press.
30.
Hamby, S. L. (2000). The importance of community in a feminist analysis of domestic violence among American Indians. American Journal of Community Psychology, 29, 649-669.
31.
Hughes, M. J., & Jones, L. (2000). Women, domestic violence, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Family Therapy, 27, 125-139.
32.
Humphreys, J. (2000). Spirituality and distress in sheltered battered women. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 32, 273-278.
33.
Humphreys, J., Lee, K., Neylan, T., & Marmar, C. (2001). Psychological and physical distress of sheltered battered women. Health Care for Women International, 22, 401-414.
34.
Israel, E. (1998). Treatment intervention with battered women. Dissertation Abstracts International, 58 (9-B), 5122.
35.
Jackson, N. A. (1998). Lesbian battering. In N. A. Jackson & G. C. Oates (Eds.), Violence in intimate relationships: Examining sociological and psychological issues (pp. 191-194). Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann.
36.
Jones, L., Hughes, M., & Unterstaller, U. (2001). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in victims of domestic violence: A review of the research. Trauma, Violence, and Abuse, 2(2), 99-119.
37.
Khouzam, H. R. (2001). Religious meditation and its effect on posttraumatic stress disorder in a Korean War veteran. Clinical Gerentologist, 22(3-4), 125-131.
38.
Lynch, S. M., & Graham-Berman, S. A. (2000). Woman abuse and self-affirmation: Influences on women’s self-esteem. Violence Against Women, 6, 178-197.
39.
Mahoney, P., Williams, L. M., & West, C. M. (2001). Violence against women by intimate relationship partners. In C. M. Renzetti, J. L. Edleson, & R. K. Bergen (Eds.), Sourcebook on violence against women (pp. 143-178). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
40.
Marlatt, G. A., & Kristeller, J. L. (1999). Mindfulness and meditation. In W. R. Miller (Ed.), Integrating spirituality into treatment (pp. 67-84). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
41.
Marshall, L. L. (1996). Psychological abuse of women: Six distinct clusters. Journal of Family Violence, 11, 379-409.
42.
Murphy, M., & Donovan, S. (1997). The physical and psychological effects of meditation (2nd ed., E. Taylor, Ed.). Sausalito, CA: The Institute of Noetic Sciences.
43.
Naranjo, C., & Ornstein, R. E. (1971). On the psychology of meditation. New York: Viking.
44.
O’Leary, D. K. (1999). Psychological abuse: A variable deserving critical attention in domestic violence. Violence and Victims, 14, 3-23.
45.
Oliver, W. (2000). Preventing domestic violence in the African American community. Violence Against Women, 6, 533-549.
46.
Ornstein, R. (1986). The psychology of consciousness. New York: Penguin.
47.
Pelletier, K. P. (1984). Influence of transcendental meditation upon autokinetic perception. In D. H. Shapiro, Jr. & R. N. Walsh (Eds.), Meditation: Classic and contemporary perspectives (pp. 223-226). New York: Aldine.
48.
Polkinghorne, D. (1989). Phenomenological research methods. In R. S. Valle & S. Halling (Eds.), Existential-phenomenological perspectives in psychology: Exploring the depth of human experience (pp. 41-60). New York: Plenum.
49.
Reitz, R. (1999). Batters’ experiences of being violent: A phenomenological study. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 23, 143-165.
50.
Rowgh, T. M. (2001). The role of spirituality in the treatment of long-term posttraumatic stress disorder. Dissertation Abstracts International, 61, B3860.
51.
Shamai, M. (2000). Rebirth of the self: How battered women experience treatment. Clinical Social Work Journal, 28, 85-103.
52.
Stark, E., & Flitcraft, A. (1988). Violence among intimates: An epidemiological review. In V. B. van Hasselt, R. L. Morrison, A. S. Bellack, & M. Hersen (Eds.), Handbook of family violence (pp. 293-317). New York: Plenum.
53.
Tuel, B. D., & Russell, R. K. (1998). Self-esteem and depression in battered women. Violence Against Women, 4, 227-332.
54.
Von Eckartsberg, R. (1998). Introducing existential-phenomenological psychology. In R. Valle (Ed.), Phenomenological inquiry in psychology: Existential and transpersonal dimensions (pp. 3-20). New York: Plenum.
55.
Walker, L. (1979). The battered woman. New York: Harper Perennial.
56.
Walker, L. (1984). The battered woman syndrome. New York: Springer.
57.
Walker, L. (1994). Abused women and survivor therapy. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
58.
Wallace, R. K., & Benson, H. (1974). The physiology of meditation. In R. E. Ornstein (Ed.), The nature of human consciousness (pp. 255-268). New York: Viking.
59.
Werner-Wilson, R. J., Zimmerman, T. S., & Whalen, P. (2000). Resilient response to battering. Contemporary Family Therapy, 22, 161-188.
60.
West, M. A. (1987). Traditional and psychological perspectives on meditation. In M. A. West (Ed.), The psychology of meditation (pp. 59-80). Oxford, UK: Clarendon.
