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Table 2 Example of how the transcripts were analysed to produce explanatory notes and then themes

From: The extended nervous system: affect regulation, somatic and social change processes associated with mindful parenting

 

Transcript

Explanatory Notes

Themes

Diana

So I think it’s really hard to know beforehand. All you can do is explain to people exactly what the class involves and you know let them know that some people have found that it isn’t helpful um. You know, that their anxiety can go sky high um, well, what we would tend to do if it happened in class, is get people to stop doing that meditation and get them to maybe focus on something outside of their body um like an object or sound or something like that rather than focus on their breath or their body which is often the trauma holder. (p.32)

Focus attention outside the body like an object or sound rather than their breathing or their body, which is often the trauma holder

Body

Body as a trauma holder

Diana

And always like recently we had someone who was um, you know persisting with the body scan with a very high trauma background. And um but really … what we got her doing is we got her to stop doing that but she found that the mindful movement um, didn’t aah, she didn’t get overwhelmed in that and actually it kind of deescalated things for her. So um you know you can work with them … I think you have to be very careful and you know respond to each individual. And I mean sometimes you know we might say no to someone joining the class because you know their vulnerability. (p.32)

Mindful movement more helpful than body scan for participants with a trauma background

Body

Role modelling self- care

Some participants are not allowed to join because of their vulnerability

Diana

Yeah so it varies … what some people report is that um they have noticed that if they are more present with the baby, say when breastfeeding something like that baby seems to be … you know the feeding process seems to go perhaps better for the baby. … … … she noticed that when she was sort of doing the breathing space or just a mindful breathing so she was not shallow breathing. And she noticed her baby’s breathing came in rhythm with hers as well. (p.45)

Being present, mindful breathing influenced the baby

Breath, body

Interviewer

Tell me about the 3 min breathing space. What does it entail?

  

Bella

Well that’s the … That’s the meditation short practice, that’s introduced in uh, class three. Uh and it’s a 3 min check in, I guess with your internal state. So it, it’s asking the question, what’s going on right now, in my thoughts, feelings and bodily sensation. And it’s asking that question also with no judgment and with acceptance. Um, then this is a short, uh focus on the breaths of bringing the attention to breath again, um allowing the breath to open up to how it feels in the body and the third part of it. So this is generally 1 min each.

Three minute breathing space likened to an hour glass

Attention, breath and body

The third part is bringing your attention focus into the whole of the body with the breath. So, they say it’s shaped like an hour glass, it starts wide with your attention, narrow down and then widens out again. (p.10–11)

Cara

The training is in Melbourne and is called Somatic Experiencing and it’s a trauma resolution mode. Uh you know, trauma can be attachment, it can be car accidents, it can be emotional abuse, it could be physical abuse, sexual abuse. And it, it really is basically using mindfulness in the body to help regulate people so that those patterns that keep people acting over and over again in the same way, it just, it just unravels. It’s really beautiful. Very effective and direct. (p.30)

Using mindfulness in the body to regulate unhelpful patterns.

Body