Research

MBTC's research is broadly in these areas:


Mind + Body 

Yoga, Movement, & Embodiment | Mental & Physical Health

Trauma 

Emotional Abuse | Interpersonal Violence

Access to Care 

Inclusivity Through Technology & Community

mind | body | trauma | care

to increase community access to holistic, embodied, and trauma-informed mental healthcare

The lab's research domains are encapsulated as the following:

Lab logo, which comprises the words "Mind-Body Trauma Care" written in gently-slanted, black front layered on top of overlapping off-gray, almond-shaped, intersecting petals that form an abstract lotus flower

lotus | water lily | birth flower

The lotus as Mind-Body: The lotus petals are shaped like a heart. To some, the petals represent spiritual rising and growth found in mind-body practices, which is also exemplified by its namesake meditation form.

The lotus as Trauma: A lotus must first navigate through and rise above muddy soil to see sunlight and grow. Old adages say that the deeper and thicker the mud, the more beautiful the flower. To me, this represents resilience in the aftermath of trauma. 

"No mud, no lotus... suffering is a kind of mud to help the lotus flower of happiness grow. There can be no lotus flower without the mud.”Thích Nhất Hạnh, Vietnamese monk & author of Vietnam: Lotus in a Sea of Fire and No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering

The lotus as Care: Lotuses can be cultivated with relative ease, as they are perennial and can propagate quickly. However, they only reach their fullest bloom in the right conditions, with warmth and in an environment safe enough to grow its lengthy roots.

Altogether, the center of the overlapping petals in the lotus represent the lab's approach to Mind-Body Trauma Care. Integration of the mind-body spirit, mental-physical health, psychosociocultural health, psychology & public health, trauma consciousness, and access to care awareness is necessary for growth. With that, we aim to produce research that is not simply academic exercises; rather, we hope for our work to reflect back on and create direct change in the community where we serve. After all, it is the water that holds the lotus. 

As you explore the lab's work below, we welcome any thoughts and feedback on this representation.

The following select publications provide information on completed projects and their overlapping domains:

For information regarding select ongoing projects, please see the Lab tab. 

* = undergraduate/postbaccalaureate co-author | ^ = graduate student/postdoctoral co-author | italics = corresponding author role

YouTube Video — Fedaa (5 min: 0 sec): "This micro-documentary introduces us to Fedaa, one of the Community Leaders (TCTSY-CL) we are collaborating with in Lebanon, to help offer trauma-sensitive yoga to the children in her community."

Mind + Body | Yoga, Movement, & Embodiment

For downloadable access to select articles above, see the Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga research page. 

I also want to acknowledge that I strive to honor, rather than appropriate, the histories of yoga and mindful, meditative movement that stem from Hinduism and Buddhism. This is a continual practice of understanding and humility, in which I kindly ask for grace. 

Mind + Body | Mental & Physical Health

† = authors contributed equally

YouTube video — 4 signs of emotional abuse (4 min: 36 sec): "Emotional abuse can be incredibly damaging, increasing a person’s chances of developing depression and anxiety. But these behaviors can be subtle and difficult to spot, both from within and outside a relationship. It also often makes people doubt their perceptions of their own mistreatment. How can we recognize these patterns in real life? Viann Nguyen-Feng shares common signs of emotional abuse."

Trauma | Emotional Abuse

Trauma | Additional Forms of Interpersonal Violence

Access to Care | Inclusivity Through Technology

Access to Care | Inclusivity Through Community


... and others in preparation.