Integration of Mindfullness-Based Cognitive Therapy into the Therapeutic Community: Implications for Trauma Treatment Part 3

What We Have Learned: Mindfulness Meditation and the TC Perspective

From a historical perspective, the social organization of the TC is designed to address the whole person through surfacing and raising awareness of negative behaviors (Arbiter & Mullen, 2002). Remarkable changes in lifestyle are possible when individuals live and work in community where every element has an educational and therapeutic impact on their process (DeLeon, 2000). Mindfulness meditation practices help facilitate self discovery and increase awareness. As students of mindfulness meditation courses develop an increased ability to “dwell within”, they become more conscious of internal and external triggers to negative behaviors. As one student stated, “The Body Scan meditation has helped me become aware of how I respond physically to my emotions. In the past a situation would trigger me and I’d act out without knowing why. I’m learning to be more aware and beginning to respond differently.” This ability to live more fully in the present moment allows every element of the therapeutic community process to have an increased potential for influencing positive change.

From the perspective of drug abuse as a disorder of the whole person involving cognitive, behavioral, emotional, social, and spiritual functioning, it is necessary to live with others in a social setting where all of who they are can be displayed, seen, and changed (DeLeon, 2000). Mindfulness meditation practice not only involves being fully present within yourself, but includes being fully present with others as well. We have found that feedback from students in our Community who have not participated in the MBCT course illustrates this point. Several have reported that their roommates or members of their circle who participated in the course are “calmer”, “easier to talk to” or “seem to really listen” as they practice being more mindful in daily activities. This type of observable growth among course participants illustrates the positive effect mindfulness-based practices have on building authentic relationships. It also stimulates interest and provides an incentive for other students to engage in Mindfulness practices in the TC and to enroll in future MBCT courses.

Persons living in a TC have many shared characteristics including some or all of the following: poor tolerance for frustration, a desire for instant gratification, low self esteem, difficulty with authority, problems with responsibility, poor impulse control, unrealistic or distorted perception of self, and difficulty coping with feelings (DeLeon, 2000). A person’s struggle to manage their feelings often results from an inability to recognize, communicate, and identify the feelings they experience. A young woman who participated in our Women’s MBCT course shared her experience of being held hostage and brutally raped before coming to Circle Tree Ranch. She continued to suffer from paralyzing fear, panic attacks, and sleep disturbance as well as feelings of self-condemnation for “putting myself in that situation”. Understandably, closing her eyes in a room full of people, and lying in a prone position was initially impossible for her. She made necessary adjustments to feel safe and courageously continued her practice. Over time she has internalized the concept that “whatever emerges is already there”, and through openness and acceptance she is beginning to experience self-compassion, gentleness, and allowing rather than resisting her experiences. In the follow-up session she reported, “I’ve been more open about my story with my Lodge Circle4 since I was in the meditation course. Being more present helped me open a door I didn’t want to open and walk through it.”

Within the TC, recovery is seen as a developmental learning process where the individual is the main contributor to their own change (DeLeon, 2000). Participants in MBCT courses are taught how to cultivate an attitude of non-judgmental acceptance towards whatever is experienced in the present moment. Currently about half of the residents of Amity’s Circle Tree Ranch Therapeutic Community have completed the MBCT course. Peer support and feedback within the community allows individuals to see more clearly when negative responses are being triggered, and to help themselves through helping others.

The Therapeutic Community is influenced by values. This fundamental view of right living includes a belief in certain values that are essential to personal growth, health, and well being. Included in these basic precepts is a focus on the here and now, truth and honesty, personal responsibility for one’s destiny, social responsibility, and moral development (DeLeon, 2000). The violation experienced by trauma victims frequently results in a disconnect between the person and their actions or reactions, often resulting in maladaptive behaviors. The formal and informal practice of mindfulness as a way of being fully present facilitates increased personal and social responsibility, and the development of a compassionate, non-judgmental attitude toward self and others. This was evidenced by self-reports of participants who discovered how mindfulness training and practice positively altered their behavior. Thus mindfulness practices have the potential to shift one’s perspective and attitude simply by raising consciousness, facilitating moral development.

Mindfulness-based meditation requires practice and continued learning in order to develop and reinforce skills. We found that maintaining an environment within our Community which reinforces the use of new skills helps students to generalize their learning and enhances all aspects of the TC experience. Our findings indicate that the synthesis of Therapeutic Community traditions and Mindfulness-Based practices has important implications for healing from trauma, substance abuse, and co-occurring disorders within our communities.