5. FINDINGS
The respondents have been divided into the following groups:
Group B = Individuals who work with batterers or both, Female = 7,Male = 4, Total = 11
Group V = Individuals who work with victims, Female = 17, Male = 1, Total = 18
(DV Group Total = 24 Female, 5 Male, Total = 29)
Group M = Meditation teachers, Female = 5, Male = 8, Unknown = 1, Total = 14*
Total Respondents = 43, (Female = 29, Male = 13, Unknown = 1).
The questionnaires are numbered 1-43, so that responses can be tracked and referred back to, and respondents will accordingly be referred to as RB1-11, RV12-29 or RM30-43. Due to the large amount of responses, findings will be summarized and supplemented with quotes. Grammar and typos may be revised. Full text of the original comments can be found in the appendix.
Findings are analyzed separately by groups. If Group B and Group V responses are similar they will be summarized as “DV Group.” At times all groups will be analyzed under “All Groups.” Not all questions apply to Group M. As previously stated, the Group M questionnaires did not always allow respondents to leave comments, therefore responses are based on those who were able to respond and add comments. See the appendix for additional Group M questions.
Titles/positions:**
Group B:
RB1 – Facilitator
RB2 – Office Manager/Trainer/Webmaster/Group Leader
RB3 – Project Program Manager
RB4 – Facilitator
RB5 – Counselor
RB6 – Executive Director
RB7 – Director of 52-session Offender Program
RB8 – Director of Clinical Services
RB9 – unknown
RB10 – Director
RB11 – Bilingual Prevention Campaign Manager, volunteer legal trainer for crisis-line certification
_______________
* RM30, is a psychologist involved in an alternative prison project, (not a meditation teacher) therefore, some of her questions have been omitted; thus at times the group total may be 13. Her questionnaire will be translated from Spanish.
** Some titles have been condensed. Names of agencies have been excluded in titles.
Group V:
RV12 – Former Prevention Program Coordinator and help-line peer counselor
RV13 – Advocate
RV14 - Advocate
RV15 - Advocate
RV16 - Advocate
RV17 – Program Coordinator
RV18 – Contracts Manager
RV19 – Bilingual Advocate
RV20 – Shelter Program Director
RV21 – Advocate and Counselor
RV22 – Community Liaison, previous Counselor, Advocate, and Volunteer Coordinator
RV23 – Advocate/Counselor
RV24 – Counselor
RV25 – Case Manager
RV26 – Program Director
RV27 – Safe House Coordinator
RV28 – Art Therapist and Advocate
RV29 – Youth Program Coordinator
Group M:
RM30 - Psychologist
RM31 – Buddhist Prison Chaplin
RM32 – Facilitator of Prison Ministry
RM33 – Volunteer Chaplain, Department of Criminal Justice
RM34 – Volunteer Chaplain
RM35 – Lama, Spiritual Director, Executive Director
RM36 – Meditation teacher/Project Founder/Certified Religious Advisor with Dept. of Corrections
RM37 – Zen teacher
RM38 – Resident Priest
RM39 – Meditation teacher
RM40 – Clergy Volunteer/Meditation teacher
RM41 – Abbot, Sensei
RM42 – Project founder and Meditation teacher
RM43 - Member, Board of Directors
Group M shared their extensive and diverse experiences teaching meditation in prisons. Here is a testimonial of RM36, a long-time prison meditation teacher, which confirms the hypothesis that meditation is beneficial for people, helping to control reactions and violent behavior,
I began working in the prisons as a volunteer and teaching meditation about 13 years ago. I have been a clinical social worker in private practice for over 30 years. I taught meditation as a healing technique and a spiritual practice, when applicable, to both individuals and group sessions. Many of all spiritual traditions and all backgrounds found meditation very helpful, especially in the area of learning to develop impulse control and to become more aware about their thoughts, words and actions. I worked on death row and in Maximum Security and SuperMax units, along with those in isolation. I also worked with individuals in general population that had murdered others, many had murdered wives, children, or family members, and many were frequently in trouble while in prison for violent acts. All who attended meditation classes regularly or who practiced meditation alone in their cells reported that it was helpful and many were able to begin a journey of emotional and spiritual self discovery that excited them...I KNOW that meditation is a major key in changing the behavior of all violent people if they can just be reached and motivated to learn the skills.
77% of the Group M respondents also use a philosophy and/or moral guidelines along with their meditation teaching. The majority of those who left comments indicated teaching Buddhist/Zen philosophy. RM36 takes verses from the Buddhist Dhammapada and applies them, “in ways that those of any religious tradition might be able to gain insight from them.” She adds, “I think having a way to think about life solutions that is broader than what the [prisoners] often learned at home is helpful to them.”
Q1: “Have you had any experience using meditation with victims, batterers or both?”
Group B: 6O% had no experience using meditation with batterers, though two respondents had used meditation with victims. The comments suggest that the majority of YES/SOME answers speak of meditation in terms of minor grounding or relaxation techniques, and all but one respondent mentioned meditation as part of a program.
Group V: Only three respondents had used meditation with victims, similarly, meditation consisted of relaxation techniques or guided imagery, for a short duration of time, and mainly with children. RV22 and RV12 both found that the children really liked the meditations and, “found it helpful when dealing with troubling or difficult times,” (RV22).
Q2: “Do you have any personal experience with meditation?”
DV Group: Only two Group B respondents had any type of substantial meditation experience, whereas 69% of respondents who worked with victims had some personal experience with meditation. Answers were slightly vague and no one indicated that they practice meditation regularly.
Q3: “Do you think it is possible to rehabilitate batterers?”
Group B: 91% answered positively. Not one respondent answered negatively, though one answered “unsure.” RB11 shared that the word “rehabilitation” may be too “optimistic.” Though she believes that, “some people can learn to decrease how much they hurt and control others, as long as they are ready to do some heavy emotional lifting.” RB2 was unsure, and clarified that,
With a definition of rehabilitation being, 'the physical restoration of a sick or disabled person by therapeutic measures and reeducation to participation in the activities of a normal life within the limitations of the person's physical disability,' it is not true that batterers are rehabilitated, but are HABILITATED. Abusers are not sick or disabled, but are making a choice to harm their partners and family. In a sense, abuser education serves to teach batterers methods of acting respectfully toward a partner. As to the general concept behind your question, Emerge DOES believe that abusers can change, but they have to make a choice and a conscious choice to do so, and it is hard work and many don't want to put forward that effort.
Group V: Only one respondent, RV15, answered negatively, stating that little information is available on this matter, since it would involve following rehabilitated batterers until death to verify if they have really given up choosing to coerce or physically harm intimates. 72% responded that change is possible, though RV17 noted that it was possible, “but not common.” Comments indicated that they believe it can happen only if the batterer is ready to make a conscious choice and is motivated to change, and that it will take years of hard work.
Group M: 75% agreed that it was possible while the remaining 25% remained unsure. RM35 responded, “Yes of course, the Buddhist view is that all of us have minds that are infinitely malleable.” RM34 commented that he/she had heard that it was very difficult, and added, “My own experience with delinquent adolescents, jail and prison inmates leads me to believe that the system itself teaches them to be manipulative and to “talk the talk” and also institutionalizes them and robs them of the ability to stand up so it is doubly difficult to truly change.” Although RM38 responded that she has observed positive change with prisoners she was worked with, she acknowledged that there is, “no guarantee that this change will survive their return to the world 'outside.'”
All Groups: Sex disaggregation of this question tells us that both males and females agree that batterers can be rehabilitated, at 75 and 78 percent, respectively. Notably, the group with the highest rate of agreement was Group B, also the group with the most experience working with batterers.
Q4: “Do you think that meditation would be an effective way to transform batterers?”
Group B: 50% were unsure if meditation would be an effective way to transform batterers, with 20% agreeing or tending to agree, and 30% disagreeing or tending to disagree. This may indicate that there is an absence of awareness about the effectiveness of meditation due primarily to lack of first-hand knowledge and experience. While referring back to Q3 (their personal experience with meditation), 5 respondents with some personal meditation disagreed or tended to disagree, 3 with no meditation experience disagreed or tended to disagree, 4 with some personal meditation experience agreed or tended to agree, 2 with no experience agreed or tended to agree. The “Unsure” category was split into 4/NOs, 5/SOMEs and 2/YES'. This indicates that the field is pretty equally split in their opinions if meditation would or would not be effective, regardless of their own personal meditation experience.
DV Group: Comments suggest that mediation can be a valuable tool if offered as part of a holistic approach, but it would not be effective on it's own, adding that education and pattern— changing are also necessary. A few DV group participants stressed that accountability should be the primary focus, and RB4 commented that, “Meditation doesn't get to the crucial belief system that drives enforcement of control.” Respondents noted that meditation may be a good way of self-care, and healing and calming batterers. RV28 believed that meditation would be ineffective, stating that, “It is easy for batterers to fake sincere interest in trying to change. It's also difficult to prove that they are meditating when they claim to be.” This raises the idea that batterers may abuse meditation to suit their own benefits.
It is no surprise to see, while referring back to DV Group answers to the last question (if they think it is possible to rehabilitate batterers), that all respondents who were unsure if batterers could be rehabilitated, were also unsure, or tended to disagree, that meditation would be effective.
Group M: 12 out of 13 agreed or tended to agree that meditation would be an effective transformative tool for batterers, while one was unsure. Comments by RM37 unveiled that even some meditation teachers think that, “Meditation alone is not enough,” and that peer group anger management and counseling are needed. RM38 suggested that meditation may be, “a useful addition to a broad program of rehabilitation for batterers.
Q5: “Do you know of any organization that is using meditation as a form of batterers' intervention?”
DV Group: When further explained, RB2, who answered positively, explained that meditation was talked about as a part of self-care, but no actual training in mediation was given to abusers. Thus, out of the 26 DV respondents, only one knew of a BIP program that incorporated meditation. This was RV20, who mentioned that the SFSD's program, “Resolve to Stop the Violence,” may use meditation with batterers.
Group M: The only positive response was from RM42, who responded, “IPP” [Insight Prison Project].
Q6: “Do you think anything else would be needed to complement meditation in order to rehabilitate batterers to not engage in partner violence?”
DV Group: 85% indicated that something else was necessary in addition to meditation, while the remaining 15% were unsure. Comments stressed batterer accountability, group or individual counseling, education (parenting education and psychoeducation such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy), anger management, and pattern changing, while awareness, respectful communication, defining harmful behaviors, cultivating empathy for victims and learning a model of equality for healthy relationships, were also suggested. RB11 proposed that, since battering is a way to get their needs met, batterers would need, “A soul-searching and practical set of workshops which require that batterers recognize their reasons for battering.” Other respondents emphasized: the need for a swift arrest and consequences for violation of probation; self-esteem, rules allowing for open expression; and a safe place for both batterers and counselors. RB12 suggested travel overseas to Buddhist countries, stating that, “Traveling works wonders to open a person up to his/her positive potential as a human being.” RB27 added that meditation could be, “part of comprehensive advocacy and tailored to fit the need of the individual.”
Group M: 90% agreed that something else would be needed to complement meditation, and comments suggested Self-Inquiry, creating a non-judgmental, loving and supportive spirit of cooperation within the group, the power of witnessing or being witnessed, (confession), study and discussion of the psychological causes of battering, medical evaluation, group and individual therapy, and anger management. RM36 relayed that, “If the individual has a good diagnostic picture of what has affected his behaviors, he can tackle each aspect of his situation with emotional, spiritual, and meditation tools and all of this will increase his or her chances of successfully changing violent patterns.”
Q7: “Is there anything that you have found or that you predict might inhibit meditation from being an effective tool of transforming batterers (such as cultural barriers)?”
DV Group: 54% indicated that something may inhibit meditation from being effective. Several participants responded that there is societal resistance to meditation, as it is seen as, “new agey,” “airy-fairy,” and “touchy-feely,” and has religious connotations, all of which may also be cultural barriers. Again, comments pointed out that acceptance of personal responsibility is essential, and that men need a belief system change. Comments emphasized that anyone who is not genuinely motivated to change will resist meditation. RB11 added, “Meditation only works when people truly want to change. People will only want to change if they have a reason to.” RV12 explained, “What is really needed is a willing batterer. No unwilling batterer is going to take any type of therapy or meditation seriously.”
RV23's proposed solution to the religious/spirituality barrier is “Education,” and “Experiential Instruction.” Although there are numerous non-sectarian styles of mediation, RV12 commented that, “Vipassana, I feel, would be the best type of meditation to use because it doesn't have a spiritual base...” Furthermore, RV27's stated that culture may actually be a benefit to encouraging meditation, since, “In many different cultures there are attributes that might allow for an individual to be more open to meditation and embrace it as a healing tool.”
Group M: 60% indicated that they have found or predicted something that might inhibit meditation from being an effective tool, however the questionnaire did not allow comments. RM37 was able to respond that the arising of past traumatic material during mediation might hinder effectiveness. This is similar to RB9's comment that batterers may suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder flashbacks while meditating.
Q8: “Do you think meditation should become an integral part of batterers' intervention programs? If yes, what do you think would be needed for this to happen (legally, socially, etc.)?”
DV Group: The DV Group was equally split on whether meditation should be become an integral part of BIPs, with 5 YES and 5 NO responses. The remaining 16 participants were unsure. Referring back to Q3 (personal meditation experience) the 5 NO responses consisted of 2 individuals with no meditation experience, 2 with some experience and 1 with self-identified meditation experience. Again, these findings may imply a lack of knowledge or experience regarding meditation as a tool for rehabilitation.
RV22 commented that a standardized program would have to happen first. RV12, however, shared,
I think we need to stop worrying about what “the system” will think if we step out of the box and begin to try different things. Today I don't believe that DV/SA agencies are effective because they work to be accepted by a system which works to keep imbalances of power and violence alive, the issues these agencies are working so hard to eradicate. I believe that if we spend much time and energy trying to get our ideas accepted by those working in the system, we will lose all of our momentum. We must take some chances and risk change at a small, individual level.
Group M: 100% of those who responded believed that meditation should become an integral part of BIPs. Unfortunately the questionnaire did not allow for comments.
All Groups: Through examining the responses by groups we see that the group with the most experience using meditation as a form of rehabilitation with people who use violence is also the biggest proponents of it, unanimously responding that it should become an integral part of BIPs. The group that was the most doubtful about the idea was Group B, with 70% unsure and 20% in disagreement. This suggests that an additional challenge to implementing meditation in BIPs may be convincing the staff that it is worthwhile to pursue.
Q9: “In your opinion, what is the most important aspect for batterers to focus on in order for them to stop engaging in partner violence?”
Nine respondents in the DV Group answered “accountability,” making it the #1 response. Accountability also means taking responsibility for their behavior, with some adding that the batterer must recognize, acknowledge, and admit his abusive behavior. The #2 most popular answer was release of “power and control” issues. Following at #3 is the need to recognize their reasons for battering, i.e. understand the root of their violent behavior, as well as to identify feelings of insecurity and anxiety. Close behind at #4 was the faulty male-role belief system resulting from societal messages.
Other responses included: self nurturing; deficient coping, social, and life skills; sobriety; themselves; work with a psychologist or medical assistance; mandatory training, adverse childhood experiences; the need to teach them alternative, healthy ways of dealing with conflict in relationships; and to use a combination of things, as everyone is different.
Moreover, RV28 explains that, “In this patriarchal society, men are given the power. As long as there is institutional endorsement of this power imbalance, there will always be domestic violence committed against women.” He goes on to add that, “In therapy, the most important aspect is for the batterer to take accountability for his/her own actions. Part of rehabilitation is getting clear, strong messages from society that violence is wrong, that nobody deserves to be raped or abused.”
Limitations of Mediation as a form of Batterer Intervention:
In addition to the idea that meditation may be viewed as too “new-agey” (by both batterers and counselors of BIPs), other limitations of meditation were cited. One of which is the probability that some batterers may manipulate the circumstances to, as RV14 fears, “assist some batterers in appearing less dangerous than they are.” RV28 proposes that, “Batterers may not be motivated to change...if they do meditate, they may meditate on goals such as, “how do I avoid getting caught next time.” Moreover, as RB11 brings up, “There is no way to know if someone who is using meditation as their only form of rehabilitation is actually going to be less violent. While they must ultimately be accountable to themselves, they would need to check in with an authority figure to mark their progress or lack thereof.” RV17 commented,
Depending on how it's presented, focusing on meditation could imply that what batterers need is primarily to take care of themselves and focus on their own experiences and their own healing. While that is one part of what is needed for batterers, I think they need to be encouraged to focus less on their own needs (since that's what they've generally been doing in their relationships with their partners, and what they've been demanding their partners to do) and more on how their actions affect others.
Furthermore, RV14 shares,
While meditation may be an effective tool for some batterers, like anger management it does not address the root cause of the problem. Anger does not cause battering, for example. Anger is caused by the faulty thinking of the batterer which says he is entitled to control his partner. Similarly, meditation alone won't change this sense of entitlement.
A possible response to the two previous statements could be RV29's comment, “I think anyone who uses power and control over other people as a means to have control of their own lives needs to first be able to see why they are doing that. They really have to focus on the internal feelings that come up when they have the urge to hit or use any other form of abuse. I believe that is the only way to really make a change, to acknowledge the internal feelings.” I find RV29's words to be in conjunction with the philosophy behind types of meditation such as Vipassana, where the emphasis is to recognize internal feelings and sensations in order to gain control over our reactions.
Additional Comments & Conclusions:
Additional comments in Group B concluded that meditation could be a useful supplement to a BIP. However, some participants seemed hesitant and would like to know more specific information or have a better definition of “meditation.” RB3 explained, “We have so little time already with the men in the group room that I'd need to have a lot of faith in something to add it into our program or replace something in what we're already doing.”
RB11 added that since meditation will only work if batterers are willing to change, that, “Meditation might be most effective among batterers who self-refer to BIPs. Maybe also good for people who have been in violence “remission,” but then found themselves being violent again after the dry spell...” RB9 suggested to, “...explain alternatives to “sitting” meditation such as walking, eating, or even yoga-embodied meditation.”
Group V had many insightful additional comments. RV17 shared her view that,
...The most effective batterers' intervention programs I'm aware of do provide a space to address the batterers' victimization, but they keep it very separate from addressing the abusive behavior and insist on batterers' accepting responsibility for their abusive behavior regardless of what's happened to them. I think that work of accountability cannot be accomplished by meditation or any other technique that focuses on the healing of the batterer. Once they've accepted responsibility, meditation may be a tool for helping them remain committed to not being violent, but I think they first need to be confronted with their behavior and its consequences.
RV19 notes, “there are other things that are just as important to treat, psychological disorders and drug and alcohol abuse, family history...” She goes on to observe that in some Latino populations a learned behavior, “such as the so called 'machismo'...is passed on from generation to generation...even though it really has no established pattern of abuse or control.” She goes on to say that a lot of pre-screening is involved before techniques such as meditation can be utilized. RV26 also added the need to stop using culture as an excuse, “and accept the fact that the other person has rights. Control and coercion is not dictated by any culture, but is learned behavior.” And RV24 insists, “They have control over their own actions - violence is a choice.”
RV18 stresses the importance of recognizing that rehabilitation for batterers is an individual experience, and that no single approach will work for all batterers. She asserts, “It is most beneficial to offer a variety of tools that batterers can use in various circumstances to increase the chance of actually using a healthy, alternative response to violence.” Adding that, “Applying one blanket method of transforming violent behavior would be a disservice to batterers, their victims, and the community”
RM38 explains that in Soto Zen Buddhism, meditation,
is a matter of sitting silently and allowing the mind to function freely, but without grasping after thoughts, emotions, etc. and just letting them flow through. This allows the meditator to observe what comes up from the mind in a safe and nonviolent way and thus learns a good deal about one's inner workings. It also functions as a way to let go of the tension to “perform” and thus just do one simple thing – sitting. In fact, the Japanese work for this form is “shikantaza” or “just sitting.” This means wholehearted engagement with sitting. As one sits, the hard shell of mental barriers between self and other begins to soften and it becomes easier to regard others as oneself.
And RM36 conveys her confidence in meditation and her wish for it to become more recognized as an effective tool for healing,
Meditation helps people learn about themselves and to rest in non-judgment and observation of all that is. In this way, one can come to terms with all that arises from their darkest recesses and they can watch without the need to act. This is an incredible tool for one who has lived their lives in such great fear that violence was their only option...I want prisons everywhere to see the great benefit of offering meditation courses for their inmates. And of course, I'd love to see batterers and other violence-prone people get such training before there is the necessity to send them to prison.
Lastly, RV12 suggested that victims and survivors, as well as batterers, could benefit from meditation.
It is obvious from the responses that both individuals working in the DV field with batterers and/or victims believe that batterers can change and feel that something else would be necessary in addition to meditation, for successful rehabilitation. The fact that Group M respondents feel the same, rules out the notion that the DV group feels that meditation is not sufficient because they do not have substantial knowledge or experience with meditation. Many people did feel that meditation would be a very beneficial tool to use along with education, accountability, social change, and teaching healthy communication and models for healthy relationships.
Since meditation has been found to alter the brain, decrease criminal propensity, reduce recidivism, cultivate compassion, etc., as RV12 stated,
Not to consider meditation, which is a wonderful tool and has helped millions of people around the world transform their lives, because of a stigma it has to some western minds, would be foolish. The more possibilities for rehabilitation a program offers, the more effective it will be. The more options a person has to find something that w