Healing Yourself with Yoga
> Recovering from Trauma through Yoga
>
> The yoga mat is a good place to turn when talk therapy and antidepressants
> aren’t enough. ~Amy Weintraub
>
> Yoga is quickly becoming a well-recognized treatment for those suffering
> from different types of traumas-most commonly known as Post Traumatic
> Stress Disorder (PTSD). Trauma is considered “an experience that is
> emotionally painful, distressful, or shocking, which often results in
> lasting mental and physical effects.”[1] While many individuals do not
> require therapy or other methods of assistance approximately 7.7 million
> Americans will suffer from PTSD (in any given year) and will require some
> form of therapy.[2] With that said, one method of therapy being explored
> and becoming gaining popularity is yoga. Yoga is not a traditional form of
> therapy but according to Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, an authority on Post
> Traumatic Stress Disorder, is it quickly becoming an accepted practice.
>
> In a recent article for Integral Yoga Magazine (2009)[3] Dr. van der Kolk
> outlines the hows and whys that yoga benefits those individuals suffering
> from trauma. Yoga can be very calming for those who practice and while this
> is a great benefit many of us enjoy from our practice those who have
> suffered from trauma can actually experience negative effects from the
> calming sensations many of us enjoy. So much so that they are terrified by
> the sensations certain poses induce. Individuals who have suffered trauma
> do not feel safe, in their own bodies and do not recognize lapses in time
> the way an individual not suffering from trauma would-they are stuck in the
> past…replaying the traumatic events over and over again. For this
> debilitating aspect of trauma, yoga can provide some relief and put trauma
> patients back on the road to recovery.
>
> In addition to feeling safe, those suffering from trauma need to find
> serenity in their own space through meditation. Meditation “produces a deep
> state of relaxation and a tranquil mind. During meditation, you focus your
> attention and eliminate the stream of jumbled thoughts that may be crowding
> your mind and causing stress. This process results in enhanced physical and
> emotional well-being.”[4] Feeling safe is not just about being able to
> react and protect yourself, in a dangerous situation. For Trauma victims
> have difficulty spending the necessary alone time, with themselves, needed
> to properly heal and recover. According to Dr. van der Kolk, “If we
> meditate regularly, this can modulate the fear center and help us be more
> focused. However if you are traumatized, being in silence is terrifying.
> Memory of trauma is stored, so when you are stilled, demons come out. Those
> with PTSD should first learn to regulate their physiology with breath,
> postures and relaxation and work toward meditation.” With this said,
> meditation is another therapeutic technique that is used in conjunction
> with yoga. Together these two disciplines can greatly benefit individuals
> suffering from any kind of trauma-“[yoga] allows the body to regain its
> natural movement and teaches the use of breath for self-regulation.”[5]
>
> Regardless of your reasons, yoga and meditation have sound benefits for the
> mind, body and soul. Whether it’s a need to stretch or soothe your aching
> body; to find stillness within yourself and/or recover from either a
> physical or mental trauma… yoga will help. Always go back to your yoga.
> Namaste.
>