Citation

West J, Liang B, Spinazzola J. Int. J. Stress Manag. 2017; 24(2): 173-195.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037/str0000040

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Research on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic childhood abuse has revealed that traditional trauma treatments often fail to fully address the complicated symptom presentation, including somatic complaints, loss of awareness of one's emotional and physical being in the present moment, and overall lack of integration between the self and the body. The mindfulness-based intervention of hatha yoga shows promise as a complementary treatment, and focuses on personal growth in addition to symptom reduction. This qualitative study explored the experiences of 31 adult women with PTSD related to chronic childhood trauma who participated in a 10-week Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TSY) class, specifically examining perceived changes in symptoms and personal growth. Five themes were identified that reflect participants' feelings of gratitude and compassion, relatedness, acceptance, centeredness, and empowerment.

RESULTS and implications for research and clinical work are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

Language: en