As healthcare debates rage on leading up to Election 2012, new research findings are appearing that may help lessen the need for reliance on big pharma when it comes to the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD, which is characterized by states of hypo and hyper arousal, affects about 8% of the population in the United States, with more prevalence amongst women than men. However, PTSD may actually affect people at much higher rates than believed, due to the fact it is sometimes misdiagnosed as bipolar disorder (BPD), and over the years, the rates of diagnosis for BPD has skyrocketed, especially amongst children.
PTSD was first observed amongst combat veterans and rape survivors; as both the experience of combat and rape increase likelihood of developing PTSD. It was a controversial diagnosis at first due to the suggestion that the onset was caused by an external force (the trauma) as opposed to flaws or weakness within the individual (neurosis). It is this very premise that helps yoga to restore a sense of self to those affected by PTSD.
Even without meeting the criteria to be diagnosed with PTSD, many of us in today's fast paced world can still experience PTSD like symptoms, which is something I have recognized in several of my clients. As the rates of exposure to violent crime, child abuse, domestic violence, and other societal ills rise, so does the likelihood of becoming traumatized by one of these events. In fact, one doesn't even have to experience an act of violence to trigger an onset of PTSD-- a divorce, a car accident, or a chronic illness…anything which causes a strong emotional reaction, including being exposed to other people's trauma, can create PTSD.
PTSD then becomes a defense mechanism for the individual to protect one's self against a perceived threat. The body becomes dysregulated, and individuals fluctuate between states of emotional and physical unresponsiveness (the dissociative or "freeze" response), characterized by being unaware of body sensations and emotional numbness, to states of hyperarousal, where the body is constantly in fight or flight mode, at which points symptoms like anxiety and insomnia manifest. Living in the body becomes emotionally and physically unbearable and the body becomes the enemy, especially for those who experience invasive thoughts and flashbacks. The brain continues to relive the past trauma as if it were occurring right now.
Mindfulness practices, including yoga, are beneficial because they are mind-body therapies that focus on the present moment. The intrinsic focus of yoga is able to help bring the body back into balance by teaching practitioners to learn to self regulate, bringing awareness back to the breath and the body & its various sensations. Many of us, myself included, may not realize how often we walk around holding our breath or holding tension in parts of our body until we take our first few yoga classes. For example, I invite you to pause for a moment right now and concentrate on your body, observing each part from your head to your toes. Do you notice any areas that are especially tense? What about your jaws? Neck? In between your shoulder blades?
As a therapist, these efforts are invaluable not only because of their immediate benefits, but because they allow the client to be in control of the experience-- it is empowering for them and helps them to learn that they are safe in their own bodies.
Because of the relatively low success that talk therapy and psychopharmacology offer individuals living with PTSD, and the high rates of combat veterans experiencing PTSD, the U.S. Department of Defense invested $600,000 in a study on yoga therapy, led by an assistant professor from Harvard Medical; this study demonstrated a significant improvement after just 10 weeks of yoga classes.
A second phase of another study being carried out by the University of Wisconsin-Madison just started this month.
Published by April Dawn Ricchuito, D.D. & MSW - Featured Contributor in Health & Wellness April Ricchuito, D.D., MSW is a writer and integrative practitioner who brings a unique voice to the field of health and wellness by combining traditional evidence-based techniques with ancient practices suc...
PTSD was first observed amongst combat veterans and rape survivors; as both the experience of combat and rape increase likelihood of developing PTSD. It was a controversial diagnosis at first due to the suggestion that the onset was caused by an external force (the trauma) as opposed to flaws or weakness within the individual (neurosis). It is this very premise that helps yoga to restore a sense of self to those affected by PTSD.
Even without meeting the criteria to be diagnosed with PTSD, many of us in today's fast paced world can still experience PTSD like symptoms, which is something I have recognized in several of my clients. As the rates of exposure to violent crime, child abuse, domestic violence, and other societal ills rise, so does the likelihood of becoming traumatized by one of these events. In fact, one doesn't even have to experience an act of violence to trigger an onset of PTSD-- a divorce, a car accident, or a chronic illness…anything which causes a strong emotional reaction, including being exposed to other people's trauma, can create PTSD.
PTSD then becomes a defense mechanism for the individual to protect one's self against a perceived threat. The body becomes dysregulated, and individuals fluctuate between states of emotional and physical unresponsiveness (the dissociative or "freeze" response), characterized by being unaware of body sensations and emotional numbness, to states of hyperarousal, where the body is constantly in fight or flight mode, at which points symptoms like anxiety and insomnia manifest. Living in the body becomes emotionally and physically unbearable and the body becomes the enemy, especially for those who experience invasive thoughts and flashbacks. The brain continues to relive the past trauma as if it were occurring right now.
Mindfulness practices, including yoga, are beneficial because they are mind-body therapies that focus on the present moment. The intrinsic focus of yoga is able to help bring the body back into balance by teaching practitioners to learn to self regulate, bringing awareness back to the breath and the body & its various sensations. Many of us, myself included, may not realize how often we walk around holding our breath or holding tension in parts of our body until we take our first few yoga classes. For example, I invite you to pause for a moment right now and concentrate on your body, observing each part from your head to your toes. Do you notice any areas that are especially tense? What about your jaws? Neck? In between your shoulder blades?
As a therapist, these efforts are invaluable not only because of their immediate benefits, but because they allow the client to be in control of the experience-- it is empowering for them and helps them to learn that they are safe in their own bodies.
Because of the relatively low success that talk therapy and psychopharmacology offer individuals living with PTSD, and the high rates of combat veterans experiencing PTSD, the U.S. Department of Defense invested $600,000 in a study on yoga therapy, led by an assistant professor from Harvard Medical; this study demonstrated a significant improvement after just 10 weeks of yoga classes.
A second phase of another study being carried out by the University of Wisconsin-Madison just started this month.
Published by April Dawn Ricchuito, D.D. & MSW - Featured Contributor in Health & Wellness April Ricchuito, D.D., MSW is a writer and integrative practitioner who brings a unique voice to the field of health and wellness by combining traditional evidence-based techniques with ancient practices suc...
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