First-ever online mindfulness program for brain injury creates resilience and healing!
New study finds LoveYourBrain Mindset is an accessible and effective online rehabilitation model for people with traumatic brain injury.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, May 23rd, 2023
Contact: Dr. Kyla Pearce, Senior Director of Programs & Research Scientist, LoveYourBrain
Email: kyla@loveyourbrain.com
Norwich, VT - The LoveYourBrain Foundation, a national 501(c)3 nonprofit, is proud to announce the publication of the first-ever study on the effectiveness of LoveYourBrain Mindset, a free, six-week, online program designed to benefit people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and their caregivers. This study showed the online delivery of evidence-based mind-body modalities is an effective model for improving health outcomes after TBI and overcoming significant access barriers to quality rehabilitation services.
The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically increased the demand and need for online holistic health services to support well-being and combat social isolation after TBI. TBI is a serious public health concern with both short and long-term impacts for the individual, family, and society. Due to the complex and chronic nature of TBI, rehabilitation with physical, psychological, social, emotional, and motivational components is critical for quality of life. However, access to online holistic services is extremely limited in the United States, leaving millions of people impacted by TBI with ongoing symptoms and barriers to actively participating in their lives.
To address this gap, LoveYourBrain developed the first-ever online, TBI-focused yoga, mindfulness, and psychoeducation program with design features that promote digital accessibility and person-centered care. Participants choose between different types of weekly, interactive gentle yoga and/or group discussion classes on Zoom, and also receive pre-recorded mindfulness tools, including short psychoeducation videos, a gentle yoga class, meditation, and yoga nidra guided relaxation to promote emotional regulation, positive mood, cognitive performance, resilience, and community connection. These classes are specifically adapted to address common TBI symptoms (e.g., headaches, screen sensitivity, sensory overload, difficulty seeing) that can often undermine the benefit of online services. The TBI-centered curriculum focuses on educating participants on how to cultivate a growth mindset, which has been shown to support people in transforming adversity into a catalyst for learning and growth. This framework contrasts the more traditional medical model of focusing on recovery, rather than resilience, and supports healing for the whole person.
In this study, 1,093 people with TBI, caregivers, and clinicians participated in the LoveYourBrain Mindset program. 972 people with TBI ranged in severity of brain injury (from mild to severe), time since injury, gender, and race, indicating LYB Mindset is accessible and inclusive of people with diverse lived experiences. After completing the program, significant improvements were found in multiple health outcomes, including quality of life, resilience, cognition, and positive affect/well-being among TBI survivors, and all participants reported high satisfaction. In addition, offering class options based on different duration & physical activity preferences supported self-management of activity levels to promote meaningful participation.
“LoveYourBrain has helped me navigate through the process of daily life with a brain injury and trauma,” shared Mindset participant, Trish R. “It has educated me on how things have changed in my life and helped me to find the good in a difficult circumstance. I know I am in a better place in this new phase in my life due to this program.”
LoveYourBrain has trained a network of 66 Facilitators to deliver the LoveYourBrain Mindset program, which currently serves over 1,000 people per year. Nearly 50% of LYB Mindset Facilitators have experienced TBI or are a caregiver, which is a core strategy for promoting equity and ensuring the program remains rooted in the TBI perspective. All of LoveYourBrain’s online and in-person programs have now been shown through research to increase resilience and other physical, mental, and social health outcomes. With the innovation of this scalable online program delivery model, LoveYourBrain is now positioned to empower even more people to access necessary holistic health services.
“LYB Mindset's effectiveness plus digital accessibility innovations show strong potential as a new model of resilience-focused rehabilitation services for personal growth and healing after TBI,” shared LoveYourBrain’s Senior Director of Programs and Research Scientist, Dr. Kyla Pearce.
To learn more about LoveYourBrain’s full body of research visit http://www.loveyourbrain.com/research
About LoveYourBrain: The LoveYourBrain Foundation is a national non-profit that improves the quality of life of people impacted by traumatic brain injury (TBI) and raises awareness about the importance of brain health. Guided by their family’s experience, brothers Kevin and Adam Pearce established LoveYourBrain in 2014 following Kevin’s severe TBI from a snowboarding accident before the 2010 Olympics. Kevin’s remarkable resilience was transformed into the award-winning HBO Documentary, “The Crash Reel,” which brought to light the challenges and prevalence of TBI. In response, LoveYourBrain developed programs and resources designed to create community and foster resilience for the TBI community. Now, LoveYourBrain’s research-backed programs are offered at no cost across the globe to empower the TBI community with new tools, resources, and connections. Visit http://www.loveyourbrain.com to learn more.