Mindfulness and yoga for PTSD
Many people will encounter severe adverse experiences during their lifetime. The research indicates that up to 80% of people will experience traumatic events over the course of their life, such as accidents, environmental disasters and significant interpersonal trauma. Often, people are able to recover independently and return to the life that they were living prior to the traumatic event. However, a significant portion of people develop symptoms consistent with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is characterized by repeated distressing memories of the event, flashbacks, avoidance behaviours, hyperarousal, changes in mood, and repeated negative feelings similar to those experienced during the event. PTSD may develop due to a variety of reasons, such as pre-existing conditions, additional environmental stressors, repeated adverse experiences in childhood, and lack of opportunities to obtain healthy coping skills.
Mindfulness and yoga, moving mindfulness, are two forms of treatment that can assist in decreasing symptoms of PTSD, in addition to regular psychological services. Mindfulness helps to decrease avoidance behaviours and increases one’s ability to tolerate negative feelings by enhancing their ability to focus on the present moment without judgement. Yoga, which includes pranayama (breathing exercises) and asanas (physical poses), helps to regulate the nervous system and decreases hyperarousal caused by an overactive stress response. In addition, the research demonstrates that mindfulness helps to decrease comorbid symptoms, such as symptoms of depression, that can be associated with PTSD. Mindfulness practices can be completed from home independently.
Some examples of mindfulness practices are the following:
Find a comfortable seated or lying position. Take a minute to focus on your breath. Begin to count your inhales and your exhales (to help relax, allow your exhales to be longer than your inhales). Start by inhaling to a count of 3, and exhaling to a count of 4. With practice, your inhales and exhales will become longer.
Take a walk in nature. Bring your attention to the present moment and start to notice. Notice the colours of the leaves, the shape of the branches on the trees, and the trim on the houses, anything that brings your awareness to the present moment.
Mindfulness benefits are enhanced when people have the opportunity to participate in formal mindfulness instruction followed by discussion and mindfulness practices. Please see our Yoga for PTSD group starting in January 2021.
By: Kayla Rubis, Yoga Alliance certified yoga instructor, registered occupational therapist, Master of Counselling student.
References:
American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.). https://dsm-psychiatryonline-org.proxy.cityu.edu/doi/full/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.dsm07#BABJAEHE
Banks, K., Newman, E., & Saleem, J. (2015). An overview of the research on mindfulness-based interventions for treating symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder: A systematic review. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 71(10), 935-963.
Davis, L. W., Schmid, A. A., Daggy, J. K., Yang, Z., O’Connor, C. E., Schalk, N., Do, A. L., Maric, D., Lazarick, D., & Knock, H. (2020). Symptoms improve after a yoga program designed for PTSD in a randomized controlled trial with veterans and civilians. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice and Policy. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tra0000564
Kearney, D. J., McDermott, K., Malte, C., Martinez, M., & Simpson, T. L. (2012). Association of participation in a mindfulness program with measures of PTSD, depression and quality of life in a veteran sample. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 68(1), 101-116.
Lassemo, E., Sandanger, I., Nygård, J.,F., & Sørgaard, K.,W. (2017). The epidemiology of post-traumatic stress disorder in Norway: Trauma characteristics and pre-existing psychiatric disorders. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 52(1), 11-19. http://dx.doi.org.proxy.cityu.edu/10.1007/s00127-016-1295-3
Mitchell, K. S., Dick, A. M., DiMartino, D. M., Smith, B. N., Niles, B., Koenen, K. C., & Street. A. (2014). A pilot study of a randomized controlled trial of yoga as an intervention for PTSD symptoms in women. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 27, 121-128.
Olff, M., Armour, C., Brewin, C., Cloitre, M., Ford, J. D., Herlihy, J., Lanius, R., Rosner, R., Schmidt, U., & Turner, S. (2015). Trauma and PTSD: Setting the research agenda. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 6. http://dx.doi.org.proxy.cityu.edu/10.3402/ejpt.v6.28092
Stanley, I. H., Boffa, J. W., Tran, J. K., Schmidt B., Joiner, T. E., & Vujanovic, A. A. (2019). Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and mindfulness facets in relation to suicide risk among firefighters. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 75, 696-709.