A Randomized Clinical Study of a Mind-Body Approach to Domestic Violence Offender Treatment

Domestic Violence Clinical Trial

Official title:

A Randomized Clinical Study of a Mind-Body Approach to Domestic Violence Offender Treatment

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT00983593
• Other study ID #: 34135
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• First received: August 25, 2009
• Last updated: June 19, 2017
• Start date: September 2009
• Est. completion date: September 2013

Study information

• Verified date: June 2017
• Source: University of Utah
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The focus of the present study is to examine the relative efficacy of a mind-body method, know as Mind-Body Bridging, of treating DV offenders as compared to a "treatment as usual" (TAU) approach. The study will be conducted on-site at ACES, a non-profit agency that provides licensed domestic violence offender and substance abuse treatment services in the Salt Lake City area.

Description:

Mind-Body Bridging Program (MBBP) was developed by Stanley Block, M.D. over the last decade drawing from his more than 30 years of experience in clinical psychiatry and awareness training. In his book Come To Your Senses: Demystifying the Mind-Body Connection (Block & Block, 2005, 2007), he demonstrates how people can regulate their emotions through "bridging", a technique that brings one back to the present moment to experience and recognize thoughts, emotions and physical sensations. Bridging aims to reduce the impact of negative thought patterns that facilitate stress in the body. Bridging allows individuals to reconnect with a mind-body state that inherently relaxes and restores healthy natural functioning. MBBP is built on awareness practices that enable individuals to investigate their mental states at deeper levels for the purpose of calming their minds and relaxing their bodies. This can lead to reductions in activation of the stress system (stress is consistently implicated in the progression of many mental and physical diseases), with the prospect of potentially alleviating many detrimental health conditions. According to Block & Block (2005, 2007), the critical source of ill-being in humans is rooted in the "Identity System" (IS), which is composed of self-centered thoughts, beliefs and emotions. The IS emphasizes separation, incompleteness, and self-interest, creating an identity that lacks authenticity. In essence, the IS interferes with one's natural functioning in everyday life by effectively cutting one off from one's natural self-healing abilities, and this typically results in constricting and closing down the present-moment awareness that is provided by one's senses. MBBP teaches how using bridging techniques, one can identify and "rest" the IS with its associated negativity and bodily tension, thereby creating more opportunities for improving quality of life and for functioning more naturally.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 100
• Est. completion date: September 2013
• Est. primary completion date: September 2012
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: Male
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Court ordered to completed domestic violence offender treatment

Exclusion Criteria:

• Do not speak English

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Domestic Violence
• Intimate Partner Violence

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Mind-Body Bridging
16 weeks of weekly Mind-Body Bridging group treatment lasting 60-90 minutes per session.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	ACES	Salt Lake City	Utah

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
University of Utah

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Official Recidivism		12-18 months
Secondary	Quality of Life Measure- Form-36 (SF-36)		1 month