Support sessions based on meditation and the benefits of herbal teas are to be offered for people affected by domestic abuse or other emotional strains during the pandemic.The workshops will be run by the Centre Against Abuse and Herbgoddess Teas.Kuni Frith, a naturopath and the tea company founder, said: “During this time of unprecedented change due to Covid-19, many individuals are experiencing increased stress and anxiety.“These stressors have affected numerous individuals, particularly those in situations of domestic abuse. “Centre Against Abuse and Herbgoddess Teas have collaborated to provide a meditative tea- tasting healing session for those affected by emotional trauma.”Laurie Shiell, the executive director at the CAA, said the coronavirus pandemic had resulted in a rise in abuse reports.She added: “The quarantine placed several people in closed-off situations with their abusers, which resulted in an increase in incidences of domestic abuse. “As we all know, domestic abuse can result in physical harm. However, any form of abuse can create an emotional trauma within a survivor that produces psychological, physical, cognitive and behavioural reactions. “These reactions can manifest as anxiety, depression, feelings of fragility, memory problems, sleep disorders and helplessness.”Police statistics earlier this year showed that reports of domestic incidents, including verbal attacks, more than doubled during the coronavirus lockdown compared with the previous month.The Bermuda Police Service recorded 81 domestic incidents in April after 35 cases in March.The BPS received 47 domestic abuse reports in January and 52 in February.A police spokesman explained in May: “These figures represent the total of physical and non-physical — verbal — incidents and the parties include all persons who fall under the ‘domestic violence category’ meaning spouse on spouse, sibling on sibling, child on parent and so on.”The island’s shelter-in-place regulations, when only essential workers could leave their homes unless the journey was for food, medicine, petrol or because of a medical emergency, ran from April 4 to May 2.The CAA said then that safe havens were provided for 16 people and their children over about six weeks as the island grappled with the impact of the pandemic.Dr Frith said: “For centuries meditation has been embraced as a therapeutic tool to combat a host of health imbalances, along with mental, spiritual, and environmental stressors. “Studies have shown that meditation can assist a person by decreasing their emotional trauma responses. “The objective of offering these meditative sessions is to explore a non-invasive and safe way to reduce stress and anxiety and learn positive coping mechanisms for those who have experienced emotional trauma. “Herbgoddess will also provide medicinal teas that will enhance the participant’s experience in maintaining balance, while nurturing the nervous system and building immune strength.”• The “intimate” sessions, priced at $25, will also include a question-and-answer session. They will be held at Herbgoddess Teas on the lower level of Washington Mall from 5.30pm to 7pm on September 14, 21 and 28. To register, call the CAA on 292-4366 or e-mail info@ centreagainstabuse.bm