Many years ago, my family members in Thailand were very excited that my brother was going to have a baby. It would be the first baby in the family, and we all hoped for it to be healthy.
When he arrived, I cuddled Moss and noticed he had flat facial features, a small head, a building tongue, poor muscle tone, and eyes that slanted upward. I realized he had Down syndrome. I was tremendously shocked, and I also saw my brother and sister-in-law crying very hard. They seemed not able to accept this unexpected news and blamed themselves. I really wanted to help them.
As a mental health nurse who is passionate about providing care for people with mental health problems as well as growing up in a Buddhist family, I knew that Moss’ parents were experiencing stress and anxiety. As Buddhists, we were taught about the Four Noble Truths, which are the true universal principles of all human beings:
- The truth of suffering
- The truth of the cause of suffering
- The truth of the end of suffering
- The truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering
We cannot avoid suffering; however, we can understand its cause, cessation, and path to the cessation of suffering. I knew mindfulness could be one of the psychological aids to help them calm their minds and be in the present moment. Once they were in the present moment, they could see things more clearly, understand the cause of suffering, and respond to situations more appropriately.
From these standpoints, I visited them regularly, aiming to help them express their emotions. Moreover, using mindful breathing was very helpful to ground them and calm their mind. Once Moss’ parents could stay in the present moment, accept the unexpected situation, not blame themselves, and realize how important early intervention was, they took Moss to see doctors and therapists regularly. Moss has grown up reaching his developmental milestones in his unique way, and he is loved by everyone around him.
Moss’ story inspired me to study more about mindfulness intervention by integrating Western and Eastern cultures in my dissertation. The Eastern mindfulness is a spiritual belief and more consistent with Buddhist doctrine which is normally taught in monasteries. On the other hand, Western mindfulness leans toward more scientific knowledge, a secular practice taught by certified or experienced mindfulness instructors. Integrating both cultures creates a more practical mindfulness intervention that can be applied in several cultures.
Furthermore, mindfulness-based intervention normally takes around eight weeks to complete, which is a substantial amount of time. However, parents and caregivers of children with developmental disabilities are usually busy with their children’s disabilities.
With all this in mind, plus my personal experience, I created a Brief Culturally Tailored Thai Mindfulness intervention (BCTTMi), which integrated Western and Eastern mindfulness perspectives on stress, anxiety, and mindfulness among Thai parents and caregivers of children with developmental disabilities. Taking just two weekends to complete, the findings showed reduced stress and anxiety and increased mindfulness after completing the program.
This study was the first to test culturally tailored and brief mindfulness-based intervention in Thailand. I’m proud that it will contribute to the growing body of evidence supporting mindfulness as a complementary or alternative treatment for parents and caregivers of children with developmental disabilities.
Manika Petcharat, PhD, MSN, RN, is a former faculty member at Naresuan University in Thailand, Florida Atlantic University alumni and a member of Sigma’s Iota Xi at-Large Chapter.