2026
Doctoral research by Merle Kock (KUL). Title: “Maximising benefit, minimising harm. How individual differences impact the effects of mindfulness meditation“. (Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Filip Raes; Co-supervisors: Dr. Katleen Van der Gucht, Prof. Dr. Peter Kuppens, Prof. Dr. Nicholas Van Dam). For a brief summary, see here. For more information: merle.kock@kuleuven.be

2024
TADA is an educational organization in Brussels that supports young people in the development of their personal, social, and academic potential. With support from the Huoshen Foundation, TADA explored psychophysical workshops through three projects. In 2024, TADA first organized a series of martial arts sessions for young people aged 14 to 16 within its homework support program. The workshops combined movement and reflection around personal goals and contributed to increased wellbeing, self‑confidence, and group connectedness among the young participants. In the second and third project, boxing and movement games were included that strengthen wellbeing, self‑confidence, and group dynamics. These initiatives also highlighted limitations in verbalizing emotions and their limited impact on concentration. For more information, consult their website, or contact us.

Dr. Marbella Pérez Peña, under the supervision of Professor Philippot (UCL, IPSY), successfully defended her doctoral thesis entitled “I feel, therefore I am: An investigation on mindfulness, body awareness, and emotion regulation in youth.” Here you can find a summary of the results arising from their experiences with psychocorporal interventions with adolescents.

2022

2021
Research/PhD: On Friday, February 12, 2021, Benjamin Roux, with Pierre Philippot (UCL) as supervisor, presented his doctoral thesis in psychological and educational sciences: “Mindfulness‑Based Interventions Among Adolescents With Behavior Disorders: Feasibility, Efficacy, and Psychological Processes.” A must‑read is the first chapter on Mindfulness‑Based Interventions (MBIs) for the treatment of anxiety and depressive symptomatology. Mindfulness can help adolescents maintain attention on present‑moment experience, even if unpleasant, thereby helping them to identify their emotions and needs, understand the temporary nature of their emotional experience, and ultimately act more consciously with a stance closer to their values. The research results suggest that meditation exercises can help adolescents with behavioral disorders reduce their tendency toward distraction. This finding has several clinical implications that could be tested in future studies. We congratulate Benjamin and are very grateful to him for carrying out this research with insight, creativity, and enthusiasm.

Garant Publications: With support from the Huoshen Foundation, Garant Publishing has released two booklets on the practice of psychophysical work with/for adolescents.

1. Mieke Matthyssen, Jan Naert, Rein Haudenhuyse. A new perspective on body‑oriented work with youth. Series: Psychophysical work with youth, no. 1. 2018.
2. Reinhard Haudenhuyse, Mieke Matthyssen & Jan Naert. Boxing with youth. A new perspective on pedagogical and didactic practice. Series: Psychophysical work with youth, no. 2. 2021. The second booklet explores boxing as a therapeutic and socio‑pedagogical intervention, based on a concrete boxing project in a closed youth facility. It focuses on strengthening the integration perspective of young people, gives extensive voice to both youth and facilitators, links findings to international scientific literature, and presents a developed methodology for pedagogical boxing with a balanced sport‑play approach.

A third edition around Rots and Water is in preparation. See also on the Garant website: https://www.maklu.be/MakluEnGarant/BookDetails.aspx?id=9789044138214

2018
On June 6, 2018, the Foundation organized a study day “Body‑Oriented Work with Youth – Good Practices and Pitfalls” at UGent in collaboration with the Department of Orthopedagogy. For a report on the study day, see here (in Dutch).

Mieke Matthyssen (Department of Orthopedagogy, UGent) conducted research on “The art of balancing effort with release in yoga: A ‘first‑person’ experiential approach.” This study describes the inner processes during the practice of yoga, with a special focus on the inner growth that takes place during a sustained yoga-practice as with yoga teachers. See here for a presentation on this research. For more information, please mail to: mieke.matthyssen@ugent.be.

2016
Research: “The introduction of Rots and Water in Youth Welfare Work” by Jan Naert, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Department of Orthopedagogy, Ghent University, 2015‑2016. This research is a qualitative, interpretative study of the experiences of young people and youth workers during a Rots and Water trajectory. It concerns an implementation in the leisure offerings in youth welfare work. The study concludes with a number of necessary conditions to speak of a successful Rots and Water intervention with vulnerable youth. See also a short Dutch report on this research: Abstract R&W Youth Welfare Work, and an English‑language presentation Huoshen project _Roc&Water. For all questions about this research, please contact: jan.naert@ugent.be.

The team of Exil, center for medical‑psychosocial support for asylum seekers, victims of torture and/or organized violence in Brussels (see http://www.exil.be) has gained extensive experience with body‑oriented activities. The Huoshen Foundation has supported various projects at Exil, including:

• measuring the effect of psychophysical group activities for adolescents, with emphasis on the art of encounter and celebrating togetherness;
• integrating psychophysical activities into specialized training, such as the relationship between young teenage mothers and their babies;
• creating logbooks so that the facilitator team could adapt to needs experienced during sessions;
• encouraging the adolescent support team to take training in psychophysical activities to support their guidance.

2014
Study around “La verbalisation: an effective tool enabling an improvement in self‑esteem? Case analysis among basketball referees” by Martin Van Hoye and Marc Cloes (Movement Sciences, University of Liège). Abstract: Self‑image forms an important dimension of our personality, especially among adolescents who are often driven by a strong need to appear competent in every situation. Our goal was to improve the self‑image of young basketball referees (n = 22) through a post‑game verbalization. We compared results between an experimental group and a control group. At the end of the study, no change was found in the control group. In the experimental group, however, a slight, non‑significant improvement was observed (+1.2/40). Other analyses nevertheless allow us to conclude that the use of verbalization was indeed beneficial for the experimental participants. We assume that these referees would reflect more spontaneously on their own performance. This could help them to make progress, both as referees and as individuals in the strict sense. Indirectly, this would contribute to an increase in their self‑image.

2012
Study (report) by Deccache, A., D. Doumont, F. Feulien, and M. Morsa on “Psychocorporal practices with adolescents from a health promotion perspective” conducted at UCL RESO/VUB (in French) with support from the Foundation. This study comprises a literature review of studies on youth and psychophysical practices in relation to their own interests and health. See also here (in French).