Another Door Opens: New Treatment Approaches for IPV Survivors

By David Beaudouin 

It’s a grim truth borne out by statistical fact — intimate partner violence (IPV) is on the rise in the United States and around the world. In a 2021 report titled “Measuring the Shadow Pandemic: Violence Against Women During COVID-19,” the United Nations reported that violence against women had “intensified” dramatically since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the report, which surveyed 13 countries, 45 percent of women stated that they or a woman they knew had experienced a form of violence since the pandemic began. 

During the same period, an American Journal of Emergency Medicine study indicated that domestic violence cases in certain areas of the U.S. had increased by as much as 20 percent. More recently, the Council on Criminal Justice reported that domestic violence incidents increased by 0.3 percent in 11 cities during the first half of 2023 compared to the first half of 2022.  

These mounting IPV numbers have caused many licensed clinical social workers to re-examine their “toolbox” and consider a range of alternative therapeutic approaches. These novel modalities, applied in tandem with current cognitive behavioral and dialectical behavioral therapies, can more fully address the needs of IPV clients suffering from the effects of trauma. 

During the University of Maryland School of Social Work’s (UMSSW) 2024 Homecoming with the theme “Intimate Partner Violence: Breaking Down Systems of Power, Privilege, and Oppression,” Christina Simmons, LCSW-C, LICSW, addressed this topic during her breakout session “Beginning the Healing Journey: A Mind-Body Approach for Healing from IPV.” 

Simmons, a UMSSW alumna, is a trained trauma therapist with more than 10 years of experience in private practice and other settings, including departments of social services, outpatient mental health centers, and hospitals. She is the owner of a trauma-focused private practice, Revitalizing Inner Self Essence (RISE) LLC, which provides a holistic, person-centered approach to trauma-based mental health and wellness services. Simmons also is pursuing a PhD in mind-body medicine, specializing in integrative mental health, integrative and functional nutrition, and clinical hypnosis.

Simmons provided examples and demonstrations of healing practices that could be used to address the spiritual level of a patient. “I’ll be very honest — I have not met a single IPV survivor that’s been able to move from PTSD to personal growth without spirituality, because you need a sense of faith, a sense of hope,” she said. 

Simmons led the audience in a brief meditation involving the visualization of a white light surrounding the participant. Jyothi Dhyana, Sanskrit for “light meditation,” is a practice dating back to ancient Hindu scriptures. Meditation practitioners affirm that this technique produces enhanced motivation, boosted self-confidence, and more focused thinking, among other benefits. Simmons also said that this practice increases self-awareness while reducing stress and anxiety. 

A second group demonstration involved alternate nostril breathing, called Nadi Shodhana in Sanskrit, a yoga practice that involves breathing through one nostril at a time while keeping the other closed. The practice is said to help clear the body’s energy channels and encourage a sense of inner balance. 

In a final demonstration of sound healing, Simmons employed three crystal “singing bowls” to let session participants experience what is called a meditative “sound bath.” By slowly running a baton around the lip of each bowl in tandem, she produced a series of sustained tones that overlapped and resonated throughout the room. This practice is believed to emit frequencies that synchronize with human brain waves, producing a state of deep relaxation, release of tension, and an overall sense of well-being. 

In her article “The Healing Power of Sound as Meditation,” published Jan. 16, 2024, by Psychology Today, Marlynn Wei, MD, JD, noted, “Sound has an ancient kinship with meditation and healing. Sound healing has ancient roots in cultures all over the world, including Australian aboriginal tribes who used the didgeridoo as a sound healing instrument for over 40,000 years to ancient such as Tibetan or Himalayan singing bowl spiritual ceremonies. Sound meditation is a form of focused awareness type of meditation.” 

In her closing remarks, Simmons again emphasized that by expanding the spectrum of therapeutic modalities available to them, social workers in therapeutic practice can enhance their efficacy in treating IPV clients.  

“Trauma is complex,” she said. “So, there’s no way to talk about healing IPV survivors without talking about it in a multifaceted way. Your approach cannot rely on cookie-cutter interventions, no matter how easy it is. By using a variety of techniques both new and old that are tailored to their individual needs, you can help liberate them from their past.”