The Numbers...There are over 2.3 million American veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Overall 20% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have PTSD and/or Depression. A recent sample of just 600 veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan found:
In any given year, about 4% of the general population has PTSD caused by natural disasters, car accidents, abuse, etc. |
Yoga Helps War
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How Yoga Works on Trauma
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); The name given to the severe condition that develops after a person is exposed to one or more traumatic events. The symptoms associated with this condition range from flashbacks, dissociation, and avoidance to numbing of memories or physical sensations, and hyperarousal (high levels of anxiety). On the physical level, headaches, muscle tension, pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, changes in sex drive, sensitivity to noise and light, nausea, sleep and urinary disorders may be experienced. Psychologically, mood swings, nightmares, restlessness, anxiety, lack of motivation or focus, irritability or anger and depression are common to this condition. Abuse of drugs, alcohol, food or social withdrawal are also behavioral manifestations experienced by those suffering with PTSD.
Susceptibility to PTSD occurs when an event involving violent death, serious injury, a threat to self or others, intense fear, horror and powerlessness are experienced. Victims of torture or violent crime, survivors of natural disasters; military and first responder occupations where the job exposes someone to extreme violence, danger or disaster are also at high risk for developing PTSD. In children PTSD can develop from repeated instances of bullying, being mobbed or abused.
At the core of PTSD is the our nervous system, and most specifically our sympathetic nervous system and the fight or flight response. This response is the neurotransmission that prepares the body to either defend itself and fight or to run and flee from a perceived threat. Once the flight or flight response is engaged, our physical attributes alter. Blood is drawn away from the organs, skin, digestive system and extremities and shunted to the skeletal muscle system. Cortisol stimulates the body to increase blood sugar, sharpens eye-sight and intensifies awareness (hyper vigilance). Breath becomes shallow, heartbeat increases and impulses quicken as the perception of pain diminishes. In extreme environments of repeated traumatic situations, the flight or fight response is not appropriately countered by the para-sympathetic nervous system, which engages our rest and digest response. The body, mind connection remains in a heightened state of stimulation and cannot relax or break free from the strong impressions of the experienced trauma. This phenomenon occurs to a lesser degree to all of us at one time or another throughout our life. However, the severity and dysfunction of a trauma that results in PTSD is as complex and confusing as the debilitating symptoms that present with serious and deeply damaging long term effects.
According to the principles of the system of yoga, the main stressor to our nervous system is the fluctuation of the mind between the past and the future. By using mindfulness tactics and engaging in such things as the simple act of sitting and observing our thoughts, we can see this principle in action. We notice the mind traveling between thoughts about past events or contemplating plans for what the future might hold. These fluctuations are compounded and intensified in cases of PTSD and considering the dramatic effects that follow, it becomes a highly complicated and sensitive disorder with personal manifestations as unique as the individual suffering .
There are several principles that the ancient system of Yoga has to offer which will help demystify and unravel the impact of traumatic experience. What the practice of yoga offers is access to a variety of profound mental, physical and spiritually grounding techniques able to balance the mind, body and spirit and manage the effect of symptoms including those relative to PTSD.
When the mind and body are linked through the breath, awareness shifts to what is happening in the present moment. The results include a reduction of heightened emotion and decrease in the intensity of sensation. Thoughts can now be experienced and observed as the mind becomes more stationary, our senses calm and the body allows painful sensations to pass. This transformative process allows the individual to experience a deeper level of existence and the reconnection between body and mind provides an experience of peace and generates positive thoughts and emotion. With repeated practice and guidance the practice of yoga can alleviate the pain anxiety and emotional suffering associated with PTSD with the potential for long term, permanent relief, a renewed sense of wellbeing, and and fresh perspective on life!
Susceptibility to PTSD occurs when an event involving violent death, serious injury, a threat to self or others, intense fear, horror and powerlessness are experienced. Victims of torture or violent crime, survivors of natural disasters; military and first responder occupations where the job exposes someone to extreme violence, danger or disaster are also at high risk for developing PTSD. In children PTSD can develop from repeated instances of bullying, being mobbed or abused.
At the core of PTSD is the our nervous system, and most specifically our sympathetic nervous system and the fight or flight response. This response is the neurotransmission that prepares the body to either defend itself and fight or to run and flee from a perceived threat. Once the flight or flight response is engaged, our physical attributes alter. Blood is drawn away from the organs, skin, digestive system and extremities and shunted to the skeletal muscle system. Cortisol stimulates the body to increase blood sugar, sharpens eye-sight and intensifies awareness (hyper vigilance). Breath becomes shallow, heartbeat increases and impulses quicken as the perception of pain diminishes. In extreme environments of repeated traumatic situations, the flight or fight response is not appropriately countered by the para-sympathetic nervous system, which engages our rest and digest response. The body, mind connection remains in a heightened state of stimulation and cannot relax or break free from the strong impressions of the experienced trauma. This phenomenon occurs to a lesser degree to all of us at one time or another throughout our life. However, the severity and dysfunction of a trauma that results in PTSD is as complex and confusing as the debilitating symptoms that present with serious and deeply damaging long term effects.
According to the principles of the system of yoga, the main stressor to our nervous system is the fluctuation of the mind between the past and the future. By using mindfulness tactics and engaging in such things as the simple act of sitting and observing our thoughts, we can see this principle in action. We notice the mind traveling between thoughts about past events or contemplating plans for what the future might hold. These fluctuations are compounded and intensified in cases of PTSD and considering the dramatic effects that follow, it becomes a highly complicated and sensitive disorder with personal manifestations as unique as the individual suffering .
There are several principles that the ancient system of Yoga has to offer which will help demystify and unravel the impact of traumatic experience. What the practice of yoga offers is access to a variety of profound mental, physical and spiritually grounding techniques able to balance the mind, body and spirit and manage the effect of symptoms including those relative to PTSD.
When the mind and body are linked through the breath, awareness shifts to what is happening in the present moment. The results include a reduction of heightened emotion and decrease in the intensity of sensation. Thoughts can now be experienced and observed as the mind becomes more stationary, our senses calm and the body allows painful sensations to pass. This transformative process allows the individual to experience a deeper level of existence and the reconnection between body and mind provides an experience of peace and generates positive thoughts and emotion. With repeated practice and guidance the practice of yoga can alleviate the pain anxiety and emotional suffering associated with PTSD with the potential for long term, permanent relief, a renewed sense of wellbeing, and and fresh perspective on life!
Restoration ~ Recovery ~ Reintegration ~ Resiliency
Yoga for TBI & PTS
As a Yoga Educator and Integrative Therapist, I have dedicated the last 12 years to working with retired and active duty veterans, developing the tools and honing the skills necessary to continually improve the protocols, therapies and programs offered to veterans in order to properly aid the process of healing. As a trauma sensitive certified instructor and yoga therapist, my goal is to help alleviate pain, and guide individuals to a greater understanding of how their body moves, performs and reacts in order assess stress and self regulate the emotional experiences that trigger unhealthy reactions. With the help of yoga asana, specific breathing exercises and meditation, those suffering from pain, stress, anxiety and trauma related imbalances will gradually be able to recover and reintegrate back into their bodies and return to a path of inner peace with the goal of achieving a more balanced and homeostatic state of mind, body and spirit.
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