Ashly Longstreth
April 12, 2022
A person will likely experience something traumatic at least once in their lifetime, and trauma can look different for each individual, it does not discredit the situation for that individual. It’s a common understanding in society that being exposed to stressful situations is part of life, and unfortunately, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is becoming more and more common as well. PTSD might have been more previously understood as an occurrence for war veterans, but on the contrary, anyone can develop PTSD, and it’s more common than we’d like to hear. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 12 million adults in the U.S. have PTSD during a given year, about 6 of every 10 men, and 5 of every 10 women experience at least one trauma in their lives (PTSD: National Center for PTSD 2018). Fortunately, PTSD can be treated and there are multiple methods that a person can utilize to help cope and recover. One important method that is easily accessible to everyone is Yoga, a practice that is gaining more spotlight due to scientific studies recently releasing promising results as a treatment for PTSD.
Most physicians that recommend Yoga for stress, anxiety, depression, or PTSD, usually get the response; “isn’t Yoga just stretching?”. It’s a fair question, over a decade ago I was guilty of the same assumption, but research and experience have enlightened us to understand that Yoga is much more complex and profound than that. Yoga helps people connect with themselves, their body, their mind, their soul, and the present moment; a practice that stays with them on and off the mat. So how is Yoga a recommended solution for PTSD? The disorder is formed by a single or continuing occurrence of a shocking event, leaving the person feeling fundamentally changed and not themselves (Schiraldi, 2016). Not only is the person feeling shattered and unlike themselves, but they also worry about triggers that could make them feel like they’re reliving the traumatic experience, and they’re also dealing with the symptoms such as fatigue as a result.
It seems that PTSD causes a person to feel disconnected from themselves, and a victim to responses of outside stimuli, to say the least, but I am providing a nutshell explanation so that we can see that Yoga provides quite the opposite. Yoga helps people become masters of their minds, as just one benefit, but this is key for someone with PTSD. If they can regain that control and regulation of brain activity, then perhaps they can control their responses to stimuli and triggers, and hopefully, feel like themselves again. A recent study wanted to see if an intense five-day treatment using Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and trauma-informed yoga would be effective for individuals with PTSD. Their results had shown that the treatment yielded significant improvements in PTSD symptoms in all the participants that stayed and completed the treatment (Zepeda et al., 2018).
Another study investigated the role of interoceptive awareness, and improved mental health outcomes with Trauma Sensitive Yoga intervention for individuals with PTSD, over the course of eight weeks. Their results also yielded positive results, as the participants experienced a significant increase in their interoceptive awareness, and significant decreases in PTSD symptoms, stress, anxiety, and depression (Neukirch et al., 2018). Studies across the board are showing both qualitative and quantitative results indicating that Yoga can reduce symptoms of PTSD. One study wanted to know why veterans with PTSD are “attracted to and stick with a Yoga practice” (Cushing et al., 2018). They interviewed several participants to find that there were three major themes amongst them after their six-week Trauma Sensitive Yoga intervention. The benefits experienced and identified by the veterans with PTSD were as follows; body awareness, mental stillness, and social connection (Cushing et al., 2018).
Based on this research, it would indicate that Trauma Sensitive Yoga is recommended and has shown to be effective with individuals who have PTSD. The general idea of Yoga, which is to connect the mind, body, and spirit seems to be a great fit for someone with PTSD and the common side effect of feeling disconnected from oneself. Digging a little deeper into the practice of Yoga: the breathwork, meditation, mindfulness, and ultimately achieving joy and calmness, also sounds like a targeted method and goal for someone who is struggling with PTSD symptoms. As someone with PTSD often struggles with their thoughts, emotions, identity, behavior, present awareness, and outside stimuli (Schiraldi, 2016). We can see now why so many individuals with PTSD are not only gravitating toward Yoga but also staying with it as a part of their lifestyle. It helps them regain their sense and control, their awareness, connect with themselves and their body again, and of course, connect with others. The greatest thing about using Yoga as a treatment for PTSD, and it’s not how easily accessible it is, that’s great too. It’s the fact that once you start, you are moving forward in that positive direction, and although it may start on the mat, it stays with you always.
References
Cushing, Braun, K. L., & Alden, S. (2018). A Qualitative Study Exploring Yoga in Veterans with PTSD Symptoms. International Journal of Yoga Therapy, 28(1), 63–70. https://doi.org/10.17761/2018-00020
Neukirch, Reid, S., & Shires, A. (2018). Yoga for PTSD and the role of interoceptive awareness: A preliminary mixed-methods case series study. European Journal of Trauma & Dissociation = Revue Europâeenne Du Trauma et de La Dissociation, 3(1), 7–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejtd.2018.10.003
PTSD: National Center for PTSD. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2018, September 13). Retrieved April 2022, from https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/common/common_adults.asp
Schiraldi, G. R. (2016). Chapter 1: PTSD Basics. In The post-traumatic stress disorder sourcebook: A guide to healing, recovery, and growth (2nd ed., pp. 3–11). McGraw-Hill Education.
Zepeda Méndez, Nijdam, M. J., ter Heide, F. J. J., van der Aa, N., & Olff, M. (2018). A five-day inpatient EMDR treatment programme for PTSD: pilot study. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 9(1), 1425575–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2018.1425575
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