Yoga Nidra Helps War Vets
cope with stress, anxiety and other symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Thousands of U.S. veterans who served in the Vietnam, Afghanistan or Iraq wars suffer from PTSD. A yoga nidra program at Walter Reed Army Medical Center has brought relief to active duty soldiers suffering with PTSD.
The Study
The feasibility study, funded by the Samueli Foundation, investigated the effectiveness of yoga nidra practice on active duty soldiers with PTSD. Researchers at the Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, DC, administered a 12-week yoga nidra program to to 9 men and women with PTSD after serving in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Daily journals and tests assessing emotional responses were obtained from the participants on the first and last day of the program.
The soldiers participated in 18 yoga nidra sessions. They were also given Yoga Nidra CDs for daily home practice. The protocol, called Integrative Restoration (iREST) Yoga Nidra Training, was created by Dr. Richard Miller, a clinical psychologist and co-founder of the International Association of Yoga Therapists and the Institute for Spirituality and Psychology,
The Results
The researchers found that anxiety decreased and feelings of being in control increased among the participants. Dr. MIller reports that some of the participants' journal comments included, "I now feel more accepting of situations in my life that I cannot control." "It's easier to get to sleep now and I sleep longer."
The Main Point
Due to these positive study results, Walter Reed's Deployment Health Clinical Center (DHCC) now offers the Yoga Nidra program for soldiers receiving treatment in the health clinic. The Samueli Foundation has also funded a 100-subject, multi-site research study using Yoga Nidra with solders from all branches of the military.
Your Thoughts
Are you a practicing yoga to help manage anxiety or chronic stress? Please share with us below.
Sources
Your brain on yoga nidra: Questions for Richard Miller. Winter 2006.
Gavalas, Elaine. The Yoga Minibook for Stress Relief. Simon & Schuster Fireside. elainegavalas.com .
Published by Elaine Gavalas
Elaine's featured on the Today Show, Martha Stewart Living Today and other media. She's an exercise physiologist, nutritionist, yoga therapist and author of Yogi in the Kitchen, Yoga Minibook Series and Secr... View profile
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