Understanding the Effects of Mindfulness Meditation Combined with Aromatherapy to Enhance the Wellbeing of MCAST Beauty Therapy Students: A Narrative Study

Abstract

This study looks at the effects of the combined practice of mindful meditation and aromatherapy on the wellbeing of MCAST beauty therapy students, potentially providing resources that can help them deal with various stressors. The researchers use a qualitative narrative inquiry approach to draw meaning and understanding emerging from the participants' experiences. Three MCAST beauty therapy students participated in this study. The research design of this study consists of six stages: the discussion and planning stage between researchers to identify the best course for the research process; a pre-session held with the three participants; weekly mindful meditation sessions for six weeks; individual interviews with each participant, followed by a focus group; and, finally, the development of the analysis of narrative and narrative analysis. To examine the data for the emergent themes, the researchers chose to use thematic narrative analysis as it focuses on the told (Riessman 2008). In this case, the told, emerging from the voice of the participants and reflexivity of the researchers, is what helped identify the common patterns found across the narratives. To facilitate the process, MAXQDA software was used.Mindful meditation was found to enhance ones self-awareness and wellbeing, which in turn positively affects the individuals approach towards ones personal and professional realm. Additionally, the findings indicate that through mindfulness it is possible to achieve academic beneficence as well as enhance ones intrapersonal and interpersonal skills, in turn providing students with the highly demanded twenty-first-century skills needed to distinguish ones professional ability.