Photo Credit: Poike / iStockPhoto.com
7. A Trauma Minimizer
A trauma is a very significant event or situation from the past that elicits a strong, unwanted emotional response in someone. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that is marked by intense fear, avoidance, and intrusive thoughts (like flashbacks) of the event.
Research is showing that yoga is effective in the treatment of PTSD and other issues related to trauma. The treatment is so effective that it is offered to soldiers returning from active duty employment.
Like other benefits of yoga, the mechanism that improves trauma symptoms is mostly unclear, but it is thought to be related to yoga’s ability to calm arousal of the nervous system. Special care should be taken in the use of yoga with trauma to avoid accidentally triggering trauma reminders through specific positions and thoughts.
PTSD is a mental health condition triggered by either experiencing trauma firsthand or witnessing or learning of a terrifying event that happens to others.
