We propose a research study that partners with community leaders to give a platform to racial/ethnic minorities to speak about their experience with contemplative and healing practices such as meditation, prayer, movement, storytelling, and others. This will be community-based participatory qualitative research and is motivated by 1) the underrepresentation of racial/ethnic minority people in existing contemplation/healing research and spaces; 2) the importance of embodiment and the potential of this work to be a healing process to empower these populations. The work will give voice to the variety of important contemplative/healing practices for ten racial/ethnic minority communities, the experience of marginalization in existing contemplative/healing spaces, and how practices and spaces impact and involve the body and body-based healing. These questions and others shaped by the community partners will be explored in focus groups and individual interviews with community members. The focus group and interview transcripts will be analyzed collaboratively with community partners, and advised by a community expert, to describe important themes and guide future resources and research to support what is important to these communities. Informed by community partners, a summary of the findings and communities will be available on a website that can support a continued dialogue.
Richa Gawande, PhD
Cambridge Health Alliance
Grantee, Reviewer
Richa Gawande, PhD (she/her) is a Research Scientist at the Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) Center for Mindfulness and Compassion, where she serves as Co-Director of the Mindfulness Training for Primary … MORE
