The Effect of Trauma Informed Yoga on Women with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Abstract

PTSD is conventionally treated with therapeutic modalities that often ignore the body’s involvement in the treatment process. Trauma Informed Yoga (TIY) is a treatment technique suggested in this paper to lower symptoms of PTSD in women with trauma. The research question explored is: 1) Does practicing TIY in addition to therapy reduce symptoms of PTSD in women? Qualitative studies were used to obtain a greater understanding of how the participants’ experiences shifted through TIY. The quantitative studies allowed for variables to be quantified and measured, it also examined any changes in PTSD symptomology from the TIY. Women shared their unique struggle with PTSD, which went beyond the symptomology described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Themes emerged from the data around increased self-awareness, sense of safety, connectedness with oneself as well as others, and self-compassion due to the TIY session. The quantitative studies found that TIY decreased symptoms of PTSD in the women selected in the study.