ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00839813.

Since 2003, the Trauma Center Yoga Program at the Justice Resource Institute in Brookline Massachusetts has been providing Yoga to a variety of trauma survivors, including war veterans, rape survivors, at-risk youth, and survivors of chronic childhood abuse and neglect. Pilot study results have demonstrated the benefits of Yoga for individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The Trauma Center Yoga Program also trains Yoga instructors and clinicians in how to offer Yoga to trauma survivors. This paper describes best principles and practices of teaching Yoga to survivors of trauma.

No abstract

This study is a feasibility test of whether incorporating trauma-sensitive yoga into group therapy for female victims of partner violence improves symptoms of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) beyond that achieved with group therapy alone. Seventeen (9 control, 8 intervention) adult female clients seeking group psychotherapy were enrolled. A 12-week trauma-sensitive yoga protocol was administered once weekly for 30–40 min at the end of each group therapy session. The control group received typical group psychotherapy. Feasibility was assessed through recruitment and retention rates as well as participants’ self-reported perceptions of the safety and utility of the study. The study enrolled 85% (17/20) of those screened eligible. Loss to follow-up was 30% (5/17). No one reported emotional or physical harm. All of the respondents reported that the study was personally meaningful and that the results would be useful to others.

The findings suggest that more intensive trauma-sensitive yoga treatment characterized by longer duration and intentional assignment and monitoring of home practice may be more advantageous for individuals with severe and chronic PTSD. The implications of the findings for the potentially more substantial role of yoga as an intervention for a subset of adults with chronic treatment-resistant PTSD are discussed.