Integrative mind-body practices: concept proposal for the field of Traditional and Complementary Medicine

The Brazilian National Policy on Integrative and Complementary Practices (PNPIC) was published in 2006. Integrative mind-body practices are part of that policy and they are offered in Brazilian health care services. The concept of Integrative Mind-Body Practices is not consolidated in the literature and its use in government documents is imprecise. The article aimed at proposing a definition for that concept based on the experience of groups of Integrative Mind-Body Practices in Primary Health Care in Florianópolis, Brazil, as well as offering an alternative to the problems of registration and monitoring of the PNPIC. The methodology adopted was Grounded Theory (GT) in its interpretative and constructivist perspective, upon which a formal theory was developed. The data were produced through observations of the activities, conversations with professionals, and interviews with users of groups of Yoga, Lian Gong, Qi Gong, and Circular Dances. The data were coded, validated, and analyzed according to GT steps. The process of devising the concept resulted from the interconnection of the meanings ascribed by participants in contrast to the literature. This analysis enabled us to outline the phenomenon and propose a designation aligned with the PNPIC.