Reclaiming health: a qualitative, explorative study of long covid recovery journeys involving mind-body approaches
www.medrxiv.org
Objective
This study explored the recovery experiences of individuals who report having (largely) recovered from long covid and who attributed their improvement to mind-body approaches.
Design, setting and participants
We conducted an explorative qualitative study using purposive recruitment through social media and snowball sampling. Eighteen adult women (aged 37-62 years), who self-identified as having had long covid and having substantially recovered through mind-body approaches participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using Saunders’ practical thematic analysis.
Results
Despite variation in personal narratives, a common trajectory emerged: participants moved away from a biomedical explanatory model towards one centred on nervous system dysregulation. This shift, sometimes following initial scepticism, was often described as a turning point, sparking hope and motivation to engage in self-directed strategies. Recovery was not linear but an iterative process, involving cycles of practice, reflection (especially when progress stagnated) and adaptation of mind-body techniques. Over time, participants gained insights into contributing factors and, in many cases, made intentional life changes to support ongoing recovery. These patterns echo findings from previous research on mind-body approaches in chronic pain and chronic fatigue, and align with neuroscientific perspectives on symptom generation.
Most participants navigated this process without formal clinical support, relying instead on online communities and actively avoiding sources of (biomedical) information that conflicted with their new understanding.
Conclusions
While causal inferences cannot be drawn from qualitative data, this study highlights potential mechanisms that may underpin recovery for people with long covid using mind-body approaches. Further research is needed to develop structured interventions, and to evaluate their efficacy and safety.
Future research should also explore how prevailing narratives within healthcare and society influence treatment engagement and recovery trajectories.
Reclaiming health: a qualitative, explorative study of long covid recovery journeys involving mind-body approaches
Objective This study explored the recovery experiences of individuals who report having (largely) recovered from long covid and who attributed their improvement to mind-body approaches. Design, setting and participants We conducted an explorative qualitative study using purposive recruitment...
www.medrxiv.org
Objective
This study explored the recovery experiences of individuals who report having (largely) recovered from long covid and who attributed their improvement to mind-body approaches.
Design, setting and participants
We conducted an explorative qualitative study using purposive recruitment through social media and snowball sampling. Eighteen adult women (aged 37-62 years), who self-identified as having had long covid and having substantially recovered through mind-body approaches participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using Saunders’ practical thematic analysis.
Results
Despite variation in personal narratives, a common trajectory emerged: participants moved away from a biomedical explanatory model towards one centred on nervous system dysregulation. This shift, sometimes following initial scepticism, was often described as a turning point, sparking hope and motivation to engage in self-directed strategies. Recovery was not linear but an iterative process, involving cycles of practice, reflection (especially when progress stagnated) and adaptation of mind-body techniques. Over time, participants gained insights into contributing factors and, in many cases, made intentional life changes to support ongoing recovery. These patterns echo findings from previous research on mind-body approaches in chronic pain and chronic fatigue, and align with neuroscientific perspectives on symptom generation.
Most participants navigated this process without formal clinical support, relying instead on online communities and actively avoiding sources of (biomedical) information that conflicted with their new understanding.
Conclusions
While causal inferences cannot be drawn from qualitative data, this study highlights potential mechanisms that may underpin recovery for people with long covid using mind-body approaches. Further research is needed to develop structured interventions, and to evaluate their efficacy and safety.
Future research should also explore how prevailing narratives within healthcare and society influence treatment engagement and recovery trajectories.
