LifeBreath Institute and Compassion Center of Chicago research project Explore the Benefits of Yoga Nidra to Reduce Cumulative Psychological Stress and Prevent Burnout, Moral Injury, and Birth Trauma in Birth Providers, Medical Practitioners, and Allied Professionals, 2024.

Lillian Lennox, MA, LMHC, C-iRest, E-RYT500, Mary Sommers, MPS, LPM, CPM, IBVLC

Issues to be Addressed

The work environment for birth providers, medical practitioners, and allied professionals has become increasingly stressful. Post-pandemic workplace stressors continue to include severe staffing shortages, where staff are required to work overtime to cover. Birth centers are seeing birth workers leaving direct patient care, which contributes to an even greater overstretched, stressed workforce. In addition, healthcare providers suffer the impact of an overstretched healthcare system.

One outcome is that health care system stress and Birth Centers are seeing a significant increase in providers presenting with cumulative psychological stress injury symptoms, including compassion fatigue (1), vicarious trauma (2), and moral injury (3). Research shows that cumulative psychological stress injury (4) will result in burnout (5), where burnout symptoms include significant mind and body illness that has the potential to be a career-ender. Additionally, symptoms that are part of a psychological stress injury diagnostic criteria, including depression, anxiety, fatigue, and sleep disturbance, are also on the increase.

The reality for birth providers, medical practitioners, and allied professionals is that cumulative psychological stress injury, including burnout, is on the rise. These essential workers urgently need to become the recipients of compassionate care and need practical skills and resources to prevent, heal, and integrate these injuries.

Research Project Objectives

1. To reduce the symptoms of compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, moral injury, burnout, and associated symptoms, including anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbance associated with cumulative psychological stress injury in birth workers.

2. Prevent, heal, and integrate symptoms of cumulative psychological stress injury, including compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, burnout, and moral injury in birth workers.

3. Explore the benefits of Yoga Nidra to improve the overall well-being of birth providers, medical practitioners, and allied professionals.

Plans to Disseminate Findings

The goal is to share research findings and healing insight with the birth center community. This research project will benefit the birth center model by providing much-needed CAM practices and resources for those seeking non-pharmaceutical options. The researchers also intend to present at other aligned conferences and podcasts, write a pilot program descriptive brief, and jointly create a publication with one of the research teams exploring this as part of a larger study and discussion.

An additional outcome of this study, should the findings merit it, could be seeing study participants incorporating these findings and practices into their organizations. Further, there could be an opportunity for birth centers to develop a curriculum for their care providers that would become part of the organization's practices and policies.

In addition, the researchers intend to continue to offer practice to postpartum individuals and increase and further develop a curriculum to serve individuals in their perinatal phase.

We are grateful to the American Association of Birth Centers Foundation for supporting this research project.