Boxing and Mindfulness Therapy (BAM-T) for Trauma Healing: Findings of an Interpretative Phenomenological Study

Background and Purpose:
Although evidence-based trauma treatments have advanced in recent decades, they remain insufficient for some survivors whose needs are not fully addressed by traditional and talk-based models of care (Keyan et al., 2024; Lewis et al., 2020). These limitations highlight the importance of studying alternative, culturally responsive, and somatically informed interventions that broaden access to healing and improve responsiveness to diverse trauma experiences. Advancing the common good requires rigorous inquiry into healing approaches that are meaningful to those for whom traditional services may feel insufficient or misaligned. Although non-contact boxing shows emerging promise for mental health outcomes (Bozdarov et al., 2023) and mindfulness-based boxing programs have demonstrated feasibility and acceptability in early clinical research (Bozdarov et al., 2025), less is known about how clients experience integrated boxing-plus-mindfulness approaches within psychotherapy. This paper helps fill the gap by reporting findings from an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) of Boxing and Mindfulness Therapy (BAM-T), a veteran-developed, trauma-responsive intervention integrating boxing, mindfulness, and somatic processing. The study examines participant’s lived experiences of BAM-T as an approach designed to promote healing and resilience among trauma survivors.

Methods:
This qualitative study used IPA to explore how participants (n=10) understood and made meaning of BAM-T. BAM-T was developed by a retired combat veteran/licensed clinical social worker and integrates structured boxing sequences with mindfulness and somatic processing. The approach is informed by bilateral stimulation as used within EMDR frameworks and somatic processing (de Jongh et al., 2024; Levine, 2010; Shapiro, 1989). During sessions, the therapist wears protective gear and serves as a controlled target for punches, allowing intensity to be safely titrated and paused as needed. Semi-structured interviews focused on participants’ experiences of BAM-T in relation to trauma, healing, and cultural memory. Interviews were transcribes and analyzed using IPA to identify recurring patterns of meaning across cases. Two coders reviewed transcripts and engaged in an iterative process to determine salient themes.

Results:
Five themes emerged. First, participants described reclaiming agency through the body, including discipline, containment, and a sense of safety. Second, they reported mindful presence amid intensity, including grounding, affect tracking, and tolerating discomfort. Third, participants emphasized re-storying cultural memory, describing movement from inherited survival scripts toward intentional meaning-making. Fourth, they highlighted relational resilience, including witnessing, support, and accountability. Fifth, they described grappling with the meaning and embodiment of aggression in their daily lives. Across interviews, participants described the integration of physical expression and mindfulness through BAM-T as uniquely accessible, particularly when traditional talk-based approaches had felt inadequate or culturally incongruent. Participants overwhelming describe experiences of unprecedented growth and progress through their time in BAM-T while also offering suggestions to modify and enhance the approach

Conclusions and Implications:
These findings suggest that BAM-T offers a promising approach to trauma healing. This study contributes to social work research in service of democracy by elevating participant perspectives, examining a community-informed intervention, and generating practice knowledge for inclusive, responsive systems of care. Implications include expanding trauma treatment approaches, strengthening relational approaches in clinical practice, and supporting inquiry into unique interventions that work.