A Pilot Study of a Randomized Controlled Trial of Yoga as an Intervention for PTSD Symptoms in Women

Abstract

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition that affects approximately 10% of women in the United States. Although effective psychotherapeutic treatments for PTSD exist, clients with PTSD report additional benefits of complementary and alternative approaches such as yoga. In particular, yoga may downregulate the stress response and positively impact PTSD and comorbid depression and anxiety symptoms. We conducted a pilot study of a randomized controlled trial comparing a 12-session Kripalu-based yoga intervention with an assessment control group. Participants included 38 women with current full or subthreshold PTSD symptoms. During the intervention, yoga participants showed decreases in reexperiencing and hyperarousal symptoms. The assessment control group, however, showed decreases in reexperiencing and anxiety symptoms as well, which may be a result of the positive effect of self-monitoring on PTSD and associated symptoms. Between-groups effect sizes were small to moderate (0.08-0.31). Although more research is needed, yoga may be an effective adjunctive treatment for PTSD. Participants responded positively to the intervention, suggesting that it was tolerable for this sample. Findings underscore the need for future research investigating mechanisms by which yoga may impact mental health symptoms, gender comparisons, and the long-term effects of yoga practice.

Impact of a Yoga Intervention on Physical Activity, Self-Efficacy, and Motivation in Women with PTSD Symptoms

“…Inclusion criteria were age 18-65 years, female sex, and having at least subthreshold PTSD, as indicated by the presence of at least one symptom in each criterion ''cluster,'' or meeting criteria for at least two symptom clusters, 14,32 as measured by the PTSD Symptom Scale-Interview (PSS-I). 33 Participants who had taken a yoga class within the past 6 months, had a substance dependence problem in the past 3 months, had a recent change in psychiatric medication, or indicated a current suicide or homicide risk were excluded.…”

“…Preliminary studies have shown promise for yoga as a treatment for depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and PTSD. [12][13][14][15][16] Hatha yoga, which incorporates breath control, physical postures, and meditation, has improved PTSD symptoms after just eight sessions. 17 Yoga may impart psychological benefits by increasing mindfulness 18 and improving emotion regulation, 19 although research into these mechanisms is preliminary.…”

“…The parent study found that yoga generally improved PTSD symptoms, particularly re-experiencing and hyperarousal, among yoga participants. 14 The purpose of the parent study 14 was to investigate the effect of the yoga intervention on PTSD symptoms and not necessarily to promote continued PA in participants. However, for the reasons outlined above, it is important to examine psychological mechanisms that may partly account for the beneficial effects of PA on mental health symptoms.…”

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“…A growing trend is the use of yoga interventions as part of the PTSD recovery process [6,10,[15][16][17][18]. Studies have also examined yoga interventions for children and adolescents who have experienced various forms of trauma exposure in different regions of the world [19].…”

Yoga as an Exercise in the Professional Life of a Swimmer Leads to Perfection

“…We hope you do. Our sport demands an extensive control of the breath when doing strokes or flipping the body under the water to reach the shore, which in many ways, is just a regulation [25][26][27][28][29]. But, for that too, practicing Pranayama, a part of yoga helped us a lot.…”