Jessica Nowacki

This study examined a 6-week trauma-sensitive yoga program delivered to Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) treatment court participants. Rather than facing jail time, court-mandated treatment offers convicted offenders of alcohol-related crimes a restorative justice practice to participate in treatment for their substance abuse. Extending usual treatment court procedures, the evaluated DWI Court Treatment adapted a trauma-sensitive yoga program that incorporates a holistic approach to DWI treatment. The present study evaluated the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a mind-body practice in a DWI treatment court. The mind-body aspect of the program was introduced at the beginning of one’s court-mandated treatment. Participants attended a somatics, trauma-sensitive yoga session prior to weekly court hearings. Weekly assessments were given to both the men’s and women’s programs after each yoga session for six weeks. Assessments included the Positive and Negative Affect Scales-Short Form, the Practice Quality Measure, and self-report of at-home practice frequency. The majority of correlations were significant in the expected direction. For instance, as time increased, practice quality and positive affect increased. Further, practice quality was directly correlated with home practice frequency and positive affect. Negative affect was also inversely correlated with the positive affect and practice quality. Lastly, home practice frequency was significantly and directly correlated with positive affect. Remaining correlations were nonsignificant. These preliminary results showed increases in practice quality, positive affect, and home practice as well as decreases in negative affect. Based on these findings, incorporating trauma-sensitive yoga into this DWI Treatment Court program seemed feasible and effective.