The holistic healing arts retreat: An intensive, experiential intervention for survivors of interpersonal trauma.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the effectiveness of an intensive, experiential intervention, the Holistic Healing Arts Retreat, for improving posttraumatic symptoms (primary) and comorbid depression and perceived stress (secondary). METHOD: The sample consisted of women exposed to childhood physical or sexual abuse, sexual assault, or domestic violence in a two-arm randomized control trial comparing retreat now (n = 49) versus retreat later (n = 60) conditions. We also examined the retreat's effectiveness for improving potential transdiagnostic mechanisms (self-compassion, experiential avoidance, nonreactivity, negative self-affect) common to emotional disorders. Assessments were conducted at baseline and 1, 4, and 7 months following the retreat. RESULTS: Linear mixed-effects models, adjusted for age and level of trauma exposure, showed statistically significant improvements in posttraumatic symptoms (d = .65, .55, .70), depression (d = .42, .39, .41), and perceived stress (d = .47, .50, .57) at 1, 4, and 7 months, respectively, with the exception of posttraumatic symptoms at 4 months, which showed a trend (p ≤ .06). Linear mixed-effects models, adjusted for age, also showed statistically significant improvements in self-compassion (d = .78, .71, .62) and experiential avoidance (d = .34, .34, .51) at 1-, 4-, and 7-month time points, respectively; nonreactivity (affect regulation) at 1 and 7 months (d = .58 and .44, respectively) and nonjudging (negative self-affect) at 4 and 7 months (d = .63 and .71, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest this intense, experiential, holistic, retreat-based intervention is effective and efficient among trauma-exposed women for lasting change in trauma-related outcomes, as well as transdiagnostic mechanisms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Hope Shattered: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis of Survivors' Experiences With Untested Rape Kits.

Rape survivors who submit to a medical forensic exam generally expect the resulting rape kit to be tested, but hundreds of thousands of rape kits have been left untested in police storage facilities nationwide. The current study sought to understand what the experience of having an untested rape kit was like for survivors. Using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, this study examined narratives of 15 survivors whose rape kits had been part of the rape kit backlog. Analysis suggested that survivors experience an extreme sense of betrayal and loss of faith in the criminal justice system when their kits are not tested. For these survivors, the rape kit was more than just evidence in a box; it was part of them. Implications are discussed.

Rape Kit Notification: Recommendations and Barriers to Reconnecting with Survivors.

In the wake of the discovery of untested rape kits across the country, jurisdictions now face questions about how best to reengage with survivors in a sensitive and empowering way. The current study sought to provide guidance on this question through interviews and surveys about effective victim notification procedures. Using a combination of purposive and snowball sampling, the current study interviewed 76 criminal justice, advocacy, and public policy professionals and 19 rape survivors from across the country about their recommendations for rape kit notification. Inductive thematic analysis was used to derive a set of 51 unique recommendations about how and when notification should occur. These recommendations were then transformed into a survey that was sent back to participants for ratings of importance, feasibility, and acceptability. Results suggested that approaches such as involving advocates, responding in a sensitive and empathetic way, engaging in full and ongoing notification, and providing clear information and referrals to survivors were supported by professionals and survivors alike. Results also suggested that feasibility concerns played little role in determining the acceptability of different notification approaches, calling into question the common assertion that feasibility concerns prevent jurisdictions from utilizing survivor-centric and trauma-informed procedures. Implications of these findings for both researchers and practitioners seeking to address the problem of untested rape kits are discussed.