1 113 113 A PILOT STUDY OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION FOR PTSD SYMPTOMS IN WOMEN. POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) IS A DEBILITATING CONDITION THAT AFFECTS APPROXIMATELY 10% OF WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES. ALTHOUGH EFFECTIVE PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC TREATMENTS FOR PTSD EXIST, CLIENTS WITH PTSD REPORT ADDITIONAL BENEFITS OF COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES SUCH AS YOGA. IN PARTICULAR, YOGA MAY DOWNREGULATE THE STRESS RESPONSE AND POSITIVELY IMPACT PTSD AND COMORBID DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY SYMPTOMS. WE CONDUCTED A PILOT STUDY OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING A 12-SESSION KRIPALU-BASED YOGA INTERVENTION WITH AN ASSESSMENT CONTROL GROUP. PARTICIPANTS INCLUDED 38 WOMEN WITH CURRENT FULL OR SUBTHRESHOLD PTSD SYMPTOMS. DURING THE INTERVENTION, YOGA PARTICIPANTS SHOWED DECREASES IN REEXPERIENCING AND HYPERAROUSAL SYMPTOMS. THE ASSESSMENT CONTROL GROUP, HOWEVER, SHOWED DECREASES IN REEXPERIENCING AND ANXIETY SYMPTOMS AS WELL, WHICH MAY BE A RESULT OF THE POSITIVE EFFECT OF SELF-MONITORING ON PTSD AND ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS. BETWEEN-GROUPS EFFECT SIZES WERE SMALL TO MODERATE (0.08-0.31). ALTHOUGH MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED, YOGA MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT FOR PTSD. PARTICIPANTS RESPONDED POSITIVELY TO THE INTERVENTION, SUGGESTING THAT IT WAS TOLERABLE FOR THIS SAMPLE. FINDINGS UNDERSCORE THE NEED FOR FUTURE RESEARCH INVESTIGATING MECHANISMS BY WHICH YOGA MAY IMPACT MENTAL HEALTH SYMPTOMS, GENDER COMPARISONS, AND THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA PRACTICE. 2014 2 1193 48 EXAMINING MECHANISMS OF CHANGE IN A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR WOMEN: THE INFLUENCE OF MINDFULNESS, PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY, AND EMOTION REGULATION ON PTSD SYMPTOMS. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY EXPLORED POSSIBLE MECHANISMS THROUGH WHICH SYMPTOMS OF POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) WERE REDUCED IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING THE EFFECT OF A YOGA INTERVENTION WITH AN ASSESSMENT CONTROL. METHOD: WE EXAMINED WHETHER CHANGES IN PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY, MINDFULNESS, AND EMOTION REGULATION STRATEGIES (EXPRESSIVE SUPPRESSION AND REAPPRAISAL) WERE ASSOCIATED WITH POSTTREATMENT PTSD SYMPTOMS FOR 38 WOMEN WITH DIAGNOSTIC AND STATISTICAL MANUAL OF MENTAL DISORDERS FOURTH EDITION FULL OR SUBTHRESHOLD PTSD. RESULTS: HIERARCHICAL LINEAR REGRESSION MODELS REVEALED THAT EXPRESSIVE SUPPRESSION SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED FOR THE YOGA GROUP RELATIVE TO THE ASSESSMENT CONTROL. PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY FOR THE CONTROL BUT NOT YOGA GROUP. HOWEVER, INCREASES IN PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY WERE ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASES IN PTSD SYMPTOMS FOR THE YOGA BUT NOT CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: PRELIMINARY FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA MAY REDUCE EXPRESSIVE SUPPRESSION AND MAY IMPROVE PTSD SYMPTOMS BY INCREASING PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY. MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO REPLICATE AND EXTEND THESE FINDINGS. 2014 3 246 55 A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS: A PRELIMINARY RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL. YOGA MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN THE REDUCTION OF PTSD SYMPTOMOLOGY. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF A KUNDALINI YOGA (KY) TREATMENT ON PTSD SYMPTOMS AND OVERALL WELLBEING. TO SUPPLEMENT THE CURRENT FIELD OF INQUIRY, A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL (RCT) WAS CONDUCTED COMPARING AN 8-SESSION KY INTERVENTION WITH A WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP. 80 INDIVIDUALS WITH CURRENT PTSD SYMPTOMS PARTICIPATED. BOTH GROUPS DEMONSTRATED CHANGES IN PTSD SYMPTOMOLOGY BUT YOGA PARTICIPANTS SHOWED GREATER CHANGES IN MEASURES OF SLEEP, POSITIVE AFFECT, PERCEIVED STRESS, ANXIETY, STRESS, AND RESILIENCE. BETWEEN-GROUPS EFFECT SIZES WERE SMALL TO MODERATE (0.09-0.25). KY MAY BE AN ADJUNCTIVE OR ALTERNATIVE INTERVENTION FOR PTSD. FINDINGS INDICATE THE NEED FOR FURTHER YOGA RESEARCH TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE MECHANISM OF YOGA IN RELATION TO MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH, GENDER AND ETHNIC COMPARISONS, AND SHORT- AND LONG-TERM YOGA PRACTICE FOR PSYCHIATRIC CONDITIONS. 2015 4 905 37 EFFECTIVENESS OF AN EXTENDED YOGA TREATMENT FOR WOMEN WITH CHRONIC POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER. BACKGROUND: YOGA HAS BEEN FOUND TO BE AN EFFECTIVE POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) TREATMENT FOR A VARIETY OF TRAUMA SURVIVORS, INCLUDING FEMALES WITH CHRONIC PTSD. AIM/PURPOSE: THE CURRENT STUDY BUILDS ON EXTANT RESEARCH BY EXAMINING AN EXTENDED TRAUMA-SENSITIVE YOGA TREATMENT FOR WOMEN WITH CHRONIC PTSD. THE STUDY SOUGHT TO OPTIMIZE THE RESULTS OF A TREATMENT PROTOCOL EXAMINED IN A RECENT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WITH A SHORTER DURATION AND WITHOUT ASSIGNMENT OR MONITORING OF HOME PRACTICE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE AUTHORS EXAMINED A 20-WEEK TRAUMA-SENSITIVE YOGA TREATMENT IN A NON-RANDOMIZED SINGLE-GROUP TREATMENT FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR WOMEN WITH CHRONIC TREATMENT-RESISTANT PTSD (N = 9). THE AUTHORS EXAMINED PTSD AND DISSOCIATION SYMPTOM REDUCTION OVER SEVERAL ASSESSMENT PERIODS. RESULTS: THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT PARTICIPANTS EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN PTSD AND DISSOCIATIVE SYMPTOMATOLOGY ABOVE AND BEYOND SIMILAR TREATMENTS OF A SHORTER DURATION. CONCLUSIONS: THE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT MORE INTENSIVE TRAUMA-SENSITIVE YOGA TREATMENT CHARACTERIZED BY LONGER DURATION AND INTENTIONAL ASSIGNMENT AND MONITORING OF HOME PRACTICE MAY BE MORE ADVANTAGEOUS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH SEVERE AND CHRONIC PTSD. THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS FOR THE POTENTIALLY MORE SUBSTANTIAL ROLE OF YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION FOR A SUBSET OF ADULTS WITH CHRONIC TREATMENT-RESISTANT PTSD ARE DISCUSSED. 2017 5 252 31 A YOGA PROGRAM FOR THE SYMPTOMS OF POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER IN VETERANS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PILOT STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF A YOGA PROGRAM AS AN ADJUNCTIVE THERAPY FOR IMPROVING POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) SYMPTOMS IN VETERANS WITH MILITARY-RELATED PTSD. VETERANS (N = 12) PARTICIPATED IN A 6 WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION HELD TWICE A WEEK. THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN PTSD HYPERAROUSAL SYMPTOMS AND OVERALL SLEEP QUALITY AS WELL AS DAYTIME DYSFUNCTION RELATED TO SLEEP. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TOTAL PTSD, ANGER, OR QUALITY OF LIFE OUTCOME SCORES. THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT THIS YOGA PROGRAM MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE ADJUNCTIVE THERAPY FOR IMPROVING HYPERAROUSAL SYMPTOMS OF PTSD INCLUDING SLEEP QUALITY. THIS STUDY DEMONSTRATES THAT THE YOGA PROGRAM IS ACCEPTABLE, FEASIBLE, AND THAT THERE IS GOOD ADHERENCE IN A VETERAN POPULATION. 2013 6 1770 47 POTENTIAL LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF A MIND-BODY INTERVENTION FOR WOMEN WITH MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER: SUSTAINED MENTAL HEALTH IMPROVEMENTS WITH A PILOT YOGA INTERVENTION. DESPITE PHARMACOLOGIC AND PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC ADVANCES OVER THE PAST DECADES, MANY INDIVIDUALS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER (MDD) EXPERIENCE RECURRENT DEPRESSIVE EPISODES AND PERSISTENT DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS DESPITE TREATMENT WITH THE USUAL CARE. YOGA IS A MIND-BODY THERAPEUTIC MODALITY THAT HAS RECEIVED ATTENTION IN BOTH THE LAY AND RESEARCH LITERATURE AS A POSSIBLE ADJUNCTIVE THERAPY FOR DEPRESSION. ALTHOUGH PROMISING, RECENT FINDINGS ABOUT THE POSITIVE MENTAL HEALTH EFFECTS OF YOGA ARE LIMITED BECAUSE FEW STUDIES HAVE USED STANDARDIZED OUTCOME MEASURES AND NONE OF THEM HAVE INVOLVED LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP BEYOND A FEW MONTHS AFTER THE INTERVENTION PERIOD. THE GOAL OF OUR RESEARCH STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY, ACCEPTABILITY, AND EFFECTS OF A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR WOMEN WITH MDD USING STANDARDIZED OUTCOME MEASURES AND A LONG FOLLOW-UP PERIOD (1YEAR AFTER THE INTERVENTION). THE KEY FINDING IS THAT PREVIOUS YOGA PRACTICE HAS LONG-TERM POSITIVE EFFECTS, AS REVEALED IN BOTH QUALITATIVE REPORTS OF PARTICIPANTS' EXPERIENCES AND IN THE QUANTITATIVE DATA ABOUT DEPRESSION AND RUMINATION SCORES OVER TIME. ALTHOUGH GENERALIZABILITY OF THE STUDY FINDINGS IS LIMITED BECAUSE OF A VERY SMALL SAMPLE SIZE AT THE 1-YEAR FOLLOW-UP ASSESSMENT, THE TRENDS IN THE DATA SUGGEST THAT EXPOSURE TO YOGA MAY CONVEY A SUSTAINED POSITIVE EFFECT ON DEPRESSION, RUMINATIONS, STRESS, ANXIETY, AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE. WHETHER AN INDIVIDUAL CONTINUES WITH YOGA PRACTICE, SIMPLE EXPOSURE TO A YOGA INTERVENTION APPEARS TO PROVIDE SUSTAINED BENEFITS TO THE INDIVIDUAL. THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT IS RARE THAT ANY INTERVENTION, PHARMACOLOGIC OR NON-PHARMACOLOGIC, FOR DEPRESSION CONVEYS SUCH SUSTAINED EFFECTS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH MDD, PARTICULARLY AFTER THE TREATMENT IS DISCONTINUED. 2014 7 1254 43 FEASIBILITY, ACCEPTABILITY, AND EFFECTS OF GENTLE HATHA YOGA FOR WOMEN WITH MAJOR DEPRESSION: FINDINGS FROM A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED MIXED-METHODS STUDY. MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER (MDD) IS A COMMON, DEBILITATING CHRONIC CONDITION IN THE UNITED STATES AND WORLDWIDE. PARTICULARLY IN WOMEN, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS ARE OFTEN ACCOMPANIED BY HIGH LEVELS OF STRESS AND RUMINATIONS, OR REPETITIVE SELF-CRITICAL NEGATIVE THINKING. THERE IS A RESEARCH AND CLINICAL IMPERATIVE TO EVALUATE COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES THAT ARE ACCEPTABLE AND FEASIBLE FOR WOMEN WITH DEPRESSION AND THAT TARGET SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF DEPRESSION IN WOMEN, SUCH AS RUMINATIONS. TO BEGIN TO ADDRESS THIS NEED, WE CONDUCTED A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, MIXED-METHODS COMMUNITY-BASED STUDY COMPARING AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION WITH AN ATTENTION-CONTROL ACTIVITY IN 27 WOMEN WITH MDD. AFTER CONTROLLING FOR BASELINE STRESS, THERE WAS A DECREASE IN DEPRESSION OVER TIME IN BOTH THE YOGA GROUP AND THE ATTENTION-CONTROL GROUP, WITH THE YOGA GROUP HAVING A UNIQUE TREND IN DECREASED RUMINATIONS. PARTICIPANTS IN THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED EXPERIENCING INCREASED CONNECTEDNESS AND GAINING A COPING STRATEGY THROUGH YOGA. THE FINDINGS PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR FUTURE LARGE SCALE RESEARCH TO EXPLORE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA FOR DEPRESSED WOMEN AND THE UNIQUE ROLE OF YOGA IN DECREASING RUMINATION. 2013 8 2640 34 YOGA FOR VETERANS WITH PTSD: COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING, MENTAL HEALTH, AND SALIVARY CORTISOL. OBJECTIVE: RESEARCH INDICATES THAT COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING IS NEGATIVELY IMPACTED BY EXPOSURE TO CHRONIC STRESS DUE TO OVERACTIVATION OF THE STRESS RESPONSE. YOGA HAS DEMONSTRATED BENEFITS WHEN PRACTICED BY INDIVIDUALS DIAGNOSED WITH POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD). THIS QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL PILOT STUDY EXAMINED THE IMPACT OF A YOGA INTERVENTION ON COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING, SYMPTOMS OF PTSD, AND THE BIOLOGICAL STRESS RESPONSE IN VETERANS DIAGNOSED WITH PTSD. METHOD: COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING, SELF-REPORT MEASURES OF MENTAL HEALTH SYMPTOMS, AND SALIVARY CORTISOL WERE MEASURED WITHIN TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO BEGINNING AND FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF A 10-WEEK YOGA PROTOCOL. VETERANS WITH PTSD PARTICIPATED IN GENDER-SPECIFIC GROUPS OF THE YOGA INTERVENTION. PAIRED T TESTS AND CORRELATIONAL ANALYSES WERE USED TO ANALYZE QUANTITATIVE DATA. RESULTS: STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE OBSERVED BETWEEN BASELINE AND POSTINTERVENTION SCORES ON MEASURES OF RESPONSE INHIBITION, PTSD, DEPRESSION, SLEEP, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND SUBJECTIVE NEUROCOGNITIVE COMPLAINTS. POSITIVE CORRELATIONS WERE FOUND BETWEEN BASELINE AND POSTINTERVENTION CHANGES IN SLEEP AND DEPRESSION, AND BETWEEN CHANGE IN CORTISOL OUTPUT AND A MEASURE OF LIFE SATISFACTION. STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES (BASELINE TO POSTINTERVENTION) FOR OTHER OBJECTIVE MEASURES OF COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE AND CORTISOL WERE NOT DETECTED. CONCLUSIONS: RESULTS PROVIDE PRELIMINARY SUPPORT FOR THE PRACTICE OF YOGA TO IMPROVE COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING (RESPONSE INHIBITION) RELATED TO SYMPTOMS OF PTSD WHILE ALSO IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH SYMPTOMS, SLEEP, AND QUALITY OF LIFE. POSITIVE CORRELATIONS AFFIRM THE ROLE OF SLEEP IN MOOD SYMPTOMS AND INDICATE THE NEED FOR FURTHER EXAMINATION OF THE ROLE OF CORTISOL IN LIFE SATISFACTION. (PSYCINFO DATABASE RECORD (C) 2020 APA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED). 2020 9 1373 39 IMPACT OF A YOGA INTERVENTION ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, SELF-EFFICACY, AND MOTIVATION IN WOMEN WITH PTSD SYMPTOMS. BACKGROUND: STUDIES USING YOGA HAVE DEMONSTRATED INITIAL EFFICACY FOR TREATING SYMPTOMS ACROSS ANXIETY DISORDERS, INCLUDING POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER. OBJECTIVE: UNDERSTANDING HOW INTERVENTIONS INFLUENCE PARTICIPANTS' PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND WHAT DETERMINANTS AFFECT CONTINUED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY BEHAVIOR CHANGE IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE MAINTENANCE OF THE BEHAVIOR MAY BE CRITICAL TO CONTINUED MENTAL HEALTH GAINS AND SYMPTOM REDUCTION. METHODS: THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED CHANGE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND POSSIBLE PSYCHOLOGICAL MECHANISMS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY BEHAVIOR CHANGE, INCLUDING SELF-EFFICACY AND REGULATORY MOTIVATION, IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA FOR WOMEN WITH POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER SYMPTOMS (N=38). RESULTS: GROWTH CURVE MODELING RESULTS SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OR SELF-EFFICACY FOR EITHER GROUP, WHEREAS EXTERNAL MOTIVATION DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE YOGA GROUP BUT NOT IN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: INVESTIGATORS OF FUTURE YOGA INTERVENTIONS MAY WANT TO FOCUS ON INCREASING SELF-EFFICACY AND INTERNAL REGULATORY MOTIVATION, SO THAT PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND RESULTANT SYMPTOM RELIEF CAN BE MAINTAINED. 2015 10 2538 50 YOGA FOR ADULT WOMEN WITH CHRONIC PTSD: A LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP STUDY. INTRODUCTION: YOGA-THE INTEGRATIVE PRACTICE OF PHYSICAL POSTURES AND MOVEMENT, BREATH EXERCISES, AND MINDFULNESS-MAY SERVE AS A USEFUL ADJUNCTIVE COMPONENT OF TRAUMA-FOCUSED TREATMENT TO BUILD SKILLS IN TOLERATING AND MODULATING PHYSIOLOGIC AND AFFECTIVE STATES THAT HAVE BECOME DYSREGULATED BY TRAUMA EXPOSURE. A PREVIOUS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY WAS CARRIED OUT AMONG 60 WOMEN WITH CHRONIC, TREATMENT-RESISTANT POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) AND ASSOCIATED MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS STEMMING FROM PROLONGED OR MULTIPLE TRAUMA EXPOSURES. AFTER 10 SESSIONS OF YOGA, PARTICIPANTS EXHIBITED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN PTSD SYMPTOM SEVERITY AND GREATER LIKELIHOOD OF LOSS OF PTSD DIAGNOSIS, SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN ENGAGEMENT IN NEGATIVE TENSION REDUCTION ACTIVITIES (E.G., SELF-INJURY), AND GREATER REDUCTIONS IN DISSOCIATIVE AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS WHEN COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL (A SEMINAR IN WOMEN'S HEALTH). THE CURRENT STUDY IS A LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP ASSESSMENT OF PARTICIPANTS WHO COMPLETED THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS FROM THE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WERE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP ASSESSMENTS APPROXIMATELY 1.5 YEARS AFTER STUDY COMPLETION TO ASSESS WHETHER THE INITIAL INTERVENTION AND/OR YOGA PRACTICE AFTER TREATMENT WAS ASSOCIATED WITH ADDITIONAL CHANGES. FORTY-NINE WOMEN COMPLETED THE LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP INTERVIEWS. HIERARCHICAL REGRESSION ANALYSIS WAS USED TO EXAMINE WHETHER TREATMENT GROUP STATUS IN THE ORIGINAL STUDY AND FREQUENCY OF YOGA PRACTICE AFTER THE STUDY PREDICTED GREATER CHANGES IN SYMPTOMS AND PTSD DIAGNOSIS. RESULTS: GROUP ASSIGNMENT IN THE ORIGINAL RANDOMIZED STUDY WAS NOT A SIGNIFICANT PREDICTOR OF LONGER-TERM OUTCOMES. HOWEVER, FREQUENCY OF CONTINUING YOGA PRACTICE SIGNIFICANTLY PREDICTED GREATER DECREASES IN PTSD SYMPTOM SEVERITY AND DEPRESSION SYMPTOM SEVERITY, AS WELL AS A GREATER LIKELIHOOD OF A LOSS OF PTSD DIAGNOSIS. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA APPEARS TO BE A USEFUL TREATMENT MODALITY; THE GREATEST LONG-TERM BENEFITS ARE DERIVED FROM MORE FREQUENT YOGA PRACTICE. 2016 11 115 30 A PILOT STUDY OF A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR THE TREATMENT OF ANXIETY IN YOUNG PEOPLE WITH EARLY PSYCHOSIS. BACKGROUND: ANXIETY IS COMMON IN YOUNG PEOPLE WITH EARLY PSYCHOSIS AND TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR THIS CO-MORBIDITY REMAIN LIMITED. YOGA IS A PROMISING ADJUNCT INTERVENTION THAT HAS BEEN SHOWN TO REDUCE ANXIETY FOR ADULTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA, THEREFORE THIS PILOT STUDY EVALUATED THE ACCEPTABILITY AND POTENTIAL EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR ANXIETY IN EARLY PSYCHOSIS. METHODS: A PROSPECTIVE SINGLE ARM PILOT STUDY OF A YOGA INTERVENTION WAS CONDUCTED WITHIN AN EARLY INTERVENTION FOR PSYCHOSIS SERVICE. RATES OF ATTENDANCE, AS WELL AS SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY PRE AND POST YOGA SESSION WERE MEASURED. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 14 YOUNG PEOPLE PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY AND OVER 70% ATTENDED HALF OR MORE OF THE YOGA SESSIONS OFFERED. SIGNIFICANT TRANSIENT REDUCTION IN STATE ANXIETY AFTER A SINGLE SESSION OF YOGA WAS OBSERVED (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA WAS FOUND TO BE AN ACCEPTABLE AND POTENTIALLY EFFECTIVE ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT FOR ANXIETY IN EARLY PSYCHOSIS AND THE RESULTS WARRANT FURTHER CLINICAL TRIALS. 2022 12 1541 41 KRIPALU YOGA FOR MILITARY VETERANS WITH PTSD: A RANDOMIZED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA FOR MILITARY VETERANS AND ACTIVE DUTY PERSONNEL WITH POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) EVALUATED THE EFFICACY OF A 10-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION ON PTSD. METHOD: FIFTY-ONE PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO YOGA OR NO-TREATMENT ASSESSMENT-ONLY CONTROL GROUPS. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED QUESTIONNAIRES AND THE CLINICIAN ADMINISTERED PTSD SCALE. RESULTS: BOTH YOGA (N = 9) AND CONTROL (N = 6) PARTICIPANTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN REEXPERIENCING SYMPTOMS, WITH NO SIGNIFICANT BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES. SECONDARY WITHIN-GROUP ANALYSES OF A SELF-SELECTED WAIT-LIST YOGA GROUP (N = 7) SHOWED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN PTSD SYMPTOMS AFTER YOGA PARTICIPATION, IN CONTRAST TO THEIR CONTROL GROUP PARTICIPATION. CONSISTENT WITH CURRENT LITERATURE REGARDING HIGH RATES OF PTSD TREATMENT DROPOUT FOR VETERANS, THIS STUDY FACED CHALLENGES RETAINING PARTICIPANTS ACROSS CONDITIONS. CONCLUSION: THESE RESULTS ARE CONSISTENT WITH RECENT LITERATURE INDICATING THAT YOGA MAY HAVE POTENTIAL AS A PTSD THERAPY IN A VETERAN OR MILITARY POPULATION. HOWEVER, ADDITIONAL LARGER SAMPLE SIZE TRIALS ARE NECESSARY TO CONFIRM THIS CONCLUSION. 2018 13 1 44 "A FEELING OF CONNECTEDNESS": PERSPECTIVES ON A GENTLE YOGA INTERVENTION FOR WOMEN WITH MAJOR DEPRESSION. MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER (MDD) IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON AND DEBILITATING HEALTH CONDITIONS IN WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES AND WORLDWIDE. MANY WOMEN WITH MDD SEEK OUT COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES FOR THEIR DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, EITHER AS AN ADJUNCT OR ALTERNATIVE TO THE USUAL CARE. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY IS TO UNDERSTAND THE EXPERIENCES OF WOMEN WHO PARTICIPATED IN A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR THEIR DEPRESSION. THE FINDINGS FROM THIS INTERPRETIVE PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY ARE DERIVED FROM INTERVIEWS WITH AND DAILY LOGS BY 12 WOMEN WITH MDD WHO TOOK PART IN AN 8-WEEK GENTLE YOGA INTERVENTION AS PART OF A LARGER PARENT RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL. RESULTS SHOW THAT THE WOMEN'S EXPERIENCE OF DEPRESSION INVOLVED STRESS, RUMINATIONS, AND ISOLATION. IN ADDITION, THEIR EXPERIENCES OF YOGA WERE THAT IT SERVED AS A SELF-CARE TECHNIQUE FOR THE STRESS AND RUMINATIVE ASPECTS OF DEPRESSION AND THAT IT SERVED AS A RELATIONAL TECHNIQUE, FACILITATING CONNECTEDNESS AND SHARED EXPERIENCES IN A SAFE ENVIRONMENT. FUTURE LONG-TERM RESEARCH IS WARRANTED TO EVALUATE THESE CONCEPTS AS POTENTIAL MECHANISMS FOR THE EFFECTS OF YOGA FOR DEPRESSION. 2013 14 2074 49 THE EFFECT OF A YOGA INTERVENTION ON ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE RISK IN VETERAN AND CIVILIAN WOMEN WITH POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER. BACKGROUND: INDIVIDUALS WITH POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) OFTEN EXHIBIT HIGH-RISK SUBSTANCE USE BEHAVIORS. COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES ARE INCREASINGLY USED FOR MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS, ALTHOUGH EVIDENCE IS SPARSE. OBJECTIVES: INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF A YOGA INTERVENTION ON ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE BEHAVIORS IN WOMEN WITH PTSD. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDE CHANGES IN PTSD SYMPTOM PERCEPTION AND MANAGEMENT AND INITIATION OF EVIDENCE-BASED THERAPIES. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE CURRENT INVESTIGATION ANALYZED DATA FROM A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING A 12-SESSION YOGA INTERVENTION WITH AN ASSESSMENT CONTROL FOR WOMEN AGE 18 TO 65 YEARS WITH PTSD. THE ALCOHOL USE DISORDER IDENTIFICATION TEST (AUDIT) AND DRUG USE DISORDER IDENTIFICATION TEST (DUDIT) WERE ADMINISTERED AT BASELINE, AFTER THE INTERVENTION, AND A 1-MONTH FOLLOW-UP. LINEAR MIXED MODELS WERE USED TO TEST THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CHANGE IN AUDIT AND DUDIT SCORES OVER TIME. TREATMENT-SEEKING QUESTIONS WERE COMPARED BY USING FISHER EXACT TESTS. RESULTS: THE MEAN AUDIT AND DUDIT SCORES DECREASED IN THE YOGA GROUP; IN THE CONTROL GROUP, MEAN AUDIT SCORE INCREASED WHILE MEAN DUDIT SCORE REMAINED STABLE. IN THE LINEAR MIXED MODELS, THE CHANGE IN AUDIT AND DUDIT SCORES OVER TIME DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY BY GROUP. MOST YOGA GROUP PARTICIPANTS REPORTED A REDUCTION IN SYMPTOMS AND IMPROVED SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT. ALL PARTICIPANTS EXPRESSED INTEREST IN PSYCHOTHERAPY FOR PTSD, ALTHOUGH ONLY TWO PARTICIPANTS, BOTH IN THE YOGA GROUP, INITIATED THERAPY. CONCLUSIONS: RESULTS FROM THIS PILOT STUDY SUGGEST THAT A SPECIALIZED YOGA THERAPY MAY PLAY A ROLE IN ATTENUATING THE SYMPTOMS OF PTSD, REDUCING RISK OF ALCOHOL AND DRUG USE, AND PROMOTING INTEREST IN EVIDENCE-BASED PSYCHOTHERAPY. FURTHER RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO CONFIRM AND EVALUATE THE STRENGTH OF THESE EFFECTS. 2014 15 181 42 A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA VS NONAEROBIC EXERCISE FOR VETERANS WITH PTSD: UNDERSTANDING EFFICACY, MECHANISMS OF CHANGE, AND MODE OF DELIVERY. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) IS A CHRONIC, DISABLING, AND PREVALENT MENTAL HEALTH DISORDER AMONG VETERANS. DESPITE THE AVAILABILITY OF EMPIRICALLY SUPPORTED PSYCHOTHERAPIES, MANY VETERANS REMAIN SYMPTOMATIC AFTER TREATMENT AND/OR PREFER TO SEEK COMPLEMENTARY AND INTEGRATIVE HEALTH APPROACHES, INCLUDING YOGA, TO MANAGE PTSD. THE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT) DESCRIBED HEREIN WILL EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF A MANUALIZED YOGA PROGRAM AS COMPARED TO NONAEROBIC EXERCISE IN REDUCING PTSD SEVERITY AMONG VETERANS. A SECONDARY AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE MECHANISMS OF CHANGE. METHODS: VETERANS (N = 192) WITH PTSD WILL BE RANDOMIZED TO HATHA YOGA OR NONAEROBIC PHYSICAL ACTIVITY CONTROL; BOTH GROUPS CONSIST OF 12 WEEKLY, 60-MIN GROUP OR ONLINE TRAINING SESSIONS WITH 15-20 MIN OF DAILY AT-HOME PRACTICE. OUTCOME MEASURES WILL BE ADMINISTERED AT BASELINE, MID-TREATMENT, POSTTREATMENT, AND 12-WEEK FOLLOW-UP. PROJECTED OUTCOMES: THIS STUDY WILL EVALUATE CHANGES IN PTSD SEVERITY (PRIMARY OUTCOME) AS WELL AS DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, ANGER, SLEEP PROBLEMS, AND PSYCHOSOCIAL DISABILITY (SECONDARY OUTCOMES). WE WILL ALSO USE MULTIPLE MEDIATION TO EXAMINE TWO POTENTIAL MODELS OF THE MECHANISMS OF CLINICAL EFFECT: THE ATTENTION MODEL (I.E., YOGA INCREASES ATTENTIONAL CONTROL, WHICH REDUCES PTSD SYMPTOMS), THE COPING MODEL (I.E., YOGA INCREASES DISTRESS TOLERANCE, WHICH IMPROVES COPING, WHICH REDUCES PTSD SYMPTOMS), AND THE COMBINATION OF THESE MODELS. THIS ASPECT OF THE STUDY IS INNOVATIVE AND IMPORTANT GIVEN THE ABSENCE OF AN EXISTING, COMPREHENSIVE MODEL FOR UNDERSTANDING YOGA'S IMPACT ON PTSD. ULTIMATELY, WE HOPE TO DEVELOP GUIDELINES FOR APPLICATION OF YOGA TO PTSD RECOVERY. 2021 16 1469 33 INNOVATIONS IN THE TREATMENT OF PERINATAL DEPRESSION: THE ROLE OF YOGA AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY INTERVENTIONS DURING PREGNANCY AND POSTPARTUM. PURPOSE OF REVIEW: WE REVIEW EVIDENCE FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND YOGA AS INTERVENTIONS FOR DEPRESSED PREGNANT AND POSTPARTUM WOMEN. RECENT FINDINGS: RESULTS FROM EXISTING TRIALS HAVE GENERALLY INDICATED THAT PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND YOGA INTERVENTIONS ARE ACCEPTABLE TO WOMEN DURING THE PERINATAL PERIOD, AND THAT THESE INTERVENTIONS CAN BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING DEPRESSION. HOWEVER, SOME STUDIES HAVE NOT FOUND SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN INTERVENTION AND CONTROL CONDITIONS. IN ADDITION, SYMPTOM IMPROVEMENTS WERE NOT ALWAYS MAINTAINED. THE AVAILABLE RESEARCH ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND YOGA AS INTERVENTIONS FOR PERINATAL DEPRESSION IS ENCOURAGING WITH REGARD TO FEASIBILITY, ACCEPTABILITY, PATIENT SAFETY, AND PRELIMINARY EFFICACY. THESE INTERVENTIONS HAVE THE ABILITY TO REACH A LARGE NUMBER OF WOMEN WHO MAY NOT ENGAGE IN TRADITIONAL TREATMENT. ADDITIONAL HIGH QUALITY, RIGOROUS, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS ARE NEEDED. FUTURE RESEARCH IS ALSO NEEDED TO EXAMINE THE OPTIMAL DOSE OF THESE INTERVENTIONS AND HOW TO BEST INCREASE SUSTAINED ENGAGEMENT. 2019 17 1701 41 PARTICIPATION IN A YOGA STUDY DECREASES STRESS AND DEPRESSION SCORES FOR INCARCERATED WOMEN. INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS EXHIBIT A HIGH INCIDENCE OF STRESS-RELATED DISORDERS, INCLUDING ADDICTION AND POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD), AS WELL AS THE ADDED STRESS OF CAPTIVITY. ACCESS TO STRESS-REDUCTION TOOLS IS LIMITED FOR THESE INDIVIDUALS. ONE POSSIBLE APPROACH MAY BE REGULAR STRUCTURED YOGA CLASSES. USING TWO APPROACHES, WE TESTED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A BRIEF, INTENSIVE YOGA INTERVENTION IN A POPULATION OF INCARCERATED WOMEN IN A COUNTY JAIL. THE FIRST APPROACH WAS AN EXAMINATION OF ARCHIVAL DATA COLLECTED AS PART OF A PROGRAM ANALYSIS. INDIVIDUALS SHOWED CONSIDERABLE REDUCTION IN SELF-REPORTED STRESS FOLLOWING A SINGLE YOGA SESSION. THE SECOND APPROACH WAS AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY USING A WEEK-LONG YOGA INTERVENTION. THIRTY-FOUR PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSIGNED TO EITHER THE YOGA OR CONTROL GROUP FOR THE FIRST WEEK. IN THE SECOND WEEK, THE CONDITIONS WERE REVERSED. PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED WEEKLY, BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION. BASELINE SCORES REVEALED HIGH RATES OF DEPRESSION, STRESS, AND EXPOSURE TO TRAUMATIC LIFE EVENTS COMPARED TO NORMATIVE DATA. STRESS AND DEPRESSION WERE ASSESSED USING THE PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE AND BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY, RESPECTIVELY. COMPARED TO CONTROLS, PARTICIPANTS REPORTED LESS DEPRESSION AFTER A WEEK OF DAILY YOGA SESSIONS. PERCEIVED STRESS DECLINED UNDER BOTH CONTROL AND YOGA CONDITIONS. DUE TO THE TRANSIENT NATURE OF THE JAIL INSTITUTION, IT IS IMPORTANT TO EXAMINE INTERVENTIONS THAT CAN BE PROVIDED ON A SHORT-TERM BASIS. ALTHOUGH THERE WERE LIMITATIONS IN THIS STUDY, THE RESULTS SUPPORT THE CONCLUSION THAT THE BRIEF YOGA INTERVENTION HAD A POSITIVE EFFECT ON PARTICIPANTS' WELL-BEING. 2021 18 1239 35 FEASIBILITY OF A MANUALIZED MINDFUL YOGA INTERVENTION FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC MOOD DISORDERS. CHRONIC MOOD DISORDERS POSE AN IMPORTANT MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEM. INDIVIDUALS WITH THESE DISORDERS EXPERIENCE A SIGNIFICANT IMPAIRMENT, OFTEN FAIL TO SEEK HELP, AND THEIR ILLNESSES FREQUENTLY DO NOT RESPOND TO TREATMENT. IT IS THEREFORE IMPORTANT TO DEVELOP INNOVATIVE AND ATTRACTIVE TREATMENTS FOR THESE DISORDERS. MINDFUL YOGA REPRESENTS A PROMISING TREATMENT APPROACH. THIS PILOT STUDY TESTED THE FEASIBILITY OF A 9-WEEK MANUALIZED MINDFUL YOGA INTERVENTION FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC MOOD DISORDERS. ELEVEN PATIENTS RECEIVING STANDARD TREATMENT WERE RECRUITED TO COMPLETE A 9-WEEK MINDFUL YOGA INTERVENTION. QUALITATIVE METHODS WERE USED TO ASSESS PATIENTS' EXPERIENCES OF THE INTERVENTION AND QUANTITATIVE METHODS WERE USED TO ASSESS PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AND MECHANISMS THAT PLAY A ROLE IN CHRONIC MOOD DISORDERS. EIGHT PATIENTS COMPLETED THE INTERVENTION AND RATED THE OVERALL QUALITY OF THE INTERVENTION WITH A MEAN SCORE OF 8.8 (RANGE OF 8 TO 9, USING A SCALE OF 1 TO 10). ALL PARTICIPANTS REPORTED A REDUCTION IN PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AND NO ADVERSE EVENTS. AMONG THE MECHANISMS THAT PLAY A ROLE IN CHRONIC MOOD DISORDERS, THE MOST POTENTIALLY PROMISING EFFECTS FROM THE INTERVENTION WERE FOUND FOR WORRY, FEAR OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, RUMINATION, AND AREAS RELATED TO BODY AWARENESS, SUCH AS TRUSTING BODILY EXPERIENCES AND NOT DISTRACTING FROM SENSATIONS OF DISCOMFORT. A 9-WEEK MINDFUL YOGA INTERVENTION APPEARS TO BE A FEASIBLE AND ATTRACTIVE TREATMENT WHEN ADDED TO TREATMENT AS USUAL FOR A GROUP OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC MOOD DISORDERS. A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL TO STUDY THE EFFECTS OF MINDFUL YOGA IS RECOMMENDED. 2021 19 1684 32 OPEN TRIAL OF VINYASA YOGA FOR PERSISTENTLY DEPRESSED INDIVIDUALS: EVIDENCE OF FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE ACCEPTABILITY AND FEASIBILITY OF VINYASA YOGA AS AN ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT FOR DEPRESSED PATIENTS WHO WERE NOT RESPONDING ADEQUATELY TO ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATION. THE AUTHORS ALSO PLANNED TO ASK PARTICIPANTS FOR QUALITATIVE FEEDBACK ON THEIR EXPERIENCE OF THE CLASS AND TO ASSESS CHANGE OVER TIME IN DEPRESSION AND IN POSSIBLE MEDIATING VARIABLES. THE AUTHORS RECRUITED 11 PARTICIPANTS IN 1 MONTH FOR AN 8-WEEK OPEN TRIAL OF YOGA CLASSES. THEY FOUND THAT 10 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED FOLLOW-UP ASSESSMENTS, 9 OF 10 WERE POSITIVE ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE, AND ALL PROVIDED FEEDBACK ABOUT WHAT WAS AND WAS NOT HELPFUL ABOUT YOGA, AS WELL AS BARRIERS TO CLASS ATTENDANCE. OVER THE 2-MONTH PERIOD, PARTICIPANTS EXHIBITED SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS AND SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN AN ASPECT OF MINDFULNESS AND IN BEHAVIOR ACTIVATION. THIS PILOT STUDY PROVIDED SUPPORT FOR CONTINUING TO INVESTIGATE VINYASA YOGA AS AN ADJUNCT TREATMENT FOR DEPRESSION. THE NEXT STEP REQUIRED IS A RIGOROUS RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL. 2010 20 2170 35 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON ANXIETY AND STRESS. STRESS AND ANXIETY HAVE BEEN IMPLICATED AS CONTRIBUTORS TO MANY CHRONIC DISEASES AND TO DECREASED QUALITY OF LIFE, EVEN WITH PHARMACOLOGIC TREATMENT. EFFORTS ARE UNDERWAY TO FIND NON-PHARMACOLOGIC THERAPIES TO RELIEVE STRESS AND ANXIETY, AND YOGA IS ONE OPTION FOR WHICH RESULTS ARE PROMISING. THE FOCUS OF THIS REVIEW IS ON THE RESULTS OF HUMAN TRIALS ASSESSING THE ROLE OF YOGA IN IMPROVING THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF STRESS AND ANXIETY. OF 35 TRIALS ADDRESSING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON ANXIETY AND STRESS, 25 NOTED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN STRESS AND/OR ANXIETY SYMPTOMS WHEN A YOGA REGIMEN WAS IMPLEMENTED; HOWEVER, MANY OF THE STUDIES WERE ALSO HINDERED BY LIMITATIONS, SUCH AS SMALL STUDY POPULATIONS, LACK OF RANDOMIZATION, AND LACK OF A CONTROL GROUP. FOURTEEN OF THE 35 STUDIES REPORTED BIOCHEMICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL MARKERS OF STRESS AND ANXIETY, BUT YIELDED INCONSISTENT SUPPORT OF YOGA FOR RELIEF OF STRESS AND ANXIETY. EVALUATION OF THE CURRENT PRIMARY LITERATURE IS SUGGESTIVE OF BENEFITS OF YOGA IN RELIEVING STRESS AND ANXIETY, BUT FURTHER INVESTIGATION INTO THIS RELATIONSHIP USING LARGE, WELL-DEFINED POPULATIONS, ADEQUATE CONTROLS, RANDOMIZATION AND LONG DURATION SHOULD BE EXPLORED BEFORE RECOMMENDING YOGA AS A TREATMENT OPTION. 2012