| Recipient: | Canadian Women’s Wellness Initiative |
|---|---|
| Project: | Expanding Outreach to Veterans and Families with an Innovative Approach to Well-being |
| Province: | Nova Scotia |
| Period: | 30 September 2021 – 29 September 2023 |
| Funding: | $118,100 |
Overview:
The Canadian Women’s Wellness Initiative (CWWI) utilized money from the Veteran and Family Well-being Fund to offer training in the Transcendental Meditation™ program to Veterans suffering from toxic stress, Occupational Stress Injuries (OSI) or Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) related symptoms. This training was also extended to the Veterans’ spouses and children so the entire family could form stronger relationships and build resiliency towards everyday stress.
Project goals:
The main goal of this initiative was to explore and assess the efficacy of a Transcendental Meditation™ practice on Canadian Veterans and their families.
Project activities:
To achieve this goal, the following activities were completed:
- Participants completed the pre-test measures on stress, relationships, resiliency and anxiety;
- Participants completed the four-day course of instruction and attended follow-up meetings for six months;
- After ten weeks of regular and supported practice, all participated completed the post-test (using same measures of the pre-test); and
- All Transcendental Meditation™ instructors provided reports on their activities and recruitment strategies and collected qualitative feedback from participants upon program completion.
Project results:
Funding from the Veteran and Family Well-being Fund enabled CWWI to successfully train 128 participants in Transcendental Meditation™ practices. Following the ten-week training period, data analyses of the participant pre-tests and post-tests showed a significant positive change in relationship scores and resiliency as well as a negative change in perceived stress and anxiety. Particularly, the findings showed a significant positive trend in the ability to foster relationships and build personal resiliency to help offset the adverse effects of stress and anxiety. The qualitative feedback noted that participants reported a shift in mental well-being with a greater ability to be present in the moment, more stable moods and better focus and clarity.