Dissertation: The lived experience of transformation in CAM providers trained in trauma-informed care

Public and professional awareness of the nature and consequences of psychological trauma has resulted in a greater interest in becoming trauma-informed. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) providers have begun to incorporate trauma-informed care in their practices. However, there is a lack of research exploring how training in trauma-informed care (TIC) personally and professionally transforms CAM providers. This descriptive phenomenological study explored the lived experience of transformation in CAM providers who participated in TIC training. Transformative learning theory (TLT) was used as the conceptual framework. Nine participants were interviewed, and their experiences of personal and professional transformation were analyzed using Giorgi’s analytic strategy. While the reasons for participating in TIC training varied, the shared experience included the recognition of behaviors of self and others as expressions of trauma, the importance of uncovering personal experiences of trauma, and acknowledgement of the need for change in how they worked with clients and patients. They described seeing new ways to address physical symptoms and the connections of symptoms to unresolved trauma. They also shared greater understanding of the boundary between retraumatizing and healing, for themselves and those they treat. Opportunities for positive social change include increasing awareness of the value of TIC training and the resulting personal and professional transformative consequences. The more understanding about the impact of trauma on health and well-being in all professions, the greater the chance of enhanced clinical health outcomes, lessening of provider burnout, and positive change in society