In women who have been sexually assaulted, the combination of the two activities decreases negative thinking and improves self-esteem.
Women who have been sexually assaulted and suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can learn to decrease negative thoughts and improve their self-esteem through a combination of meditation and aerobic exercise *, according to a new study.
Few interventions are adapted to women victims of sexual violence
The research, published in Frontiers in Neuroscience, found that a combination of one-hour mental and physical training twice a week over a six-week period significantly reduced post-traumatic thinking in women who experienced sexual violence. “Despite the undeniable link between sexual trauma and mental illness, few interventions are tailored to women who are victims of sexual violence,” says Tracey Shors, professor of psychology.
The small pilot study included 100 women aged 18 to 32. About a third of them had suffered sexual violence. After six weeks of a clinical intervention called MAP Training My Brain, the results indicate that thoughts related to trauma experienced by women victims of sexual violence had decreased significantly.
“Women who experience sexual violence and people who experience trauma tend to ruminate on what happened, wondering why it happened or if they could have done something differently,” says Tracey Shors . The more you think about it, the more you review the memories, the more you create. “
Synergistic effect
The 100 women were divided into four groups. One group took the MAP Training My Brain course, which included meditation and aerobic exercise. The second group only did meditation. The third group did only aerobic exercise. Another group did not participate in the training.
Each MAP Training My Brain session began with 20 minutes of sitting meditation, followed by 10 minutes of slow meditation and ended with 30 minutes of aerobic exercise. The traumatic thoughts of sexually abused women decreased after the combination of meditation and aerobic exercise. The training also improved the level of self-esteem of all the women who participated. According to the study, the two activities appear to have a synergistic effect that specifically helps women recover from the trauma of sexual violence. Meditation and exercise alone did not have the same positive effect.
More than 25% of women around the world experience sexual or physical violence in their lifetime. Women are four times more likely than men to be victims of sexual assault and ten times more likely to be raped. Although PTSD is often associated with veterans returning from war, women – especially those who are victims of sexual assault or violence – are also likely to receive this diagnosis.
* These are exercises that solicit several muscle groups and require sustained physical effort over time. The movements will also work the heart and lungs which must work harder than if they were at rest. These are for example brisk walking, running, cycling, swimming, dancing …
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