Mind–Body Therapy for Military Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review

Cushing, Robin E; Braun, Kathryn L.

doi:10.1089/acm.2017.0176

Cited by 49 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 41 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…22–26,45–55 However, the results of previous studies were not as dramatic as the results of this study. There are several possible reasons for this large magnitude of change.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 78%

“…In contrast, investigational trials of other mind–body interventions targeting veterans were conducted by academic professionals with no military services experience. 55 Sharing the experience of military service and multiple combat deployments with each other and with the intervention leader may have helped build trust and rapport between the participants and the instructor. As one yoga participant stated after class, “the success or failure of getting veteran recruits hinges on the yoga instructor’s credibility, ability to successfully teach the yoga class, and willingness to modify the activities for the participants.” A strong group rapport was also noted by a participant who told the instructor, “Knowing that other people in the class have a similar background helps a lot, especially that first time trying yoga.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Military-Tailored Yoga for Veterans with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder†

Cushing¹,

Braun

Alden

et al. 2018

Military Medicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction: Among veterans of post-9/11 conflicts, estimates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) range from 9% shortly after returning from deployment to 31% a year after deployment. Clinical and pharmaceutically based treatments are underutilized. This could be due to concerns related to lost duty days, as well as PTSD patients’ fears of stigma of having a mental health condition. Yoga has been shown to reduce PTSD symptoms in the civilian population, but few studies have tested the impact of yoga on veterans of post-9/11 conflicts. The purpose of this study is to test the impact of yoga on post-9/11 veterans diagnosed with PTSD. Materials and Methods: Participants were 18 yr of age or older and veterans of post-9/11 conflicts. They had subthreshold or diagnostic-level PTSD related to their combat military service, as determined by a score of 30 or higher on the PTSD Checklist-Military version (PCL-M). Veterans participated in 60-min weekly yoga sessions for 6 wk taught by a Warriors at Ease-trained yoga instructor who is a, post-9/11 veteran. The yoga sessions incorporated Vinyasa-style yoga and a trauma-sensitive, military-culture informed approach advocated by two separate organizations: Warriors at Ease and Meghan’s Foundation. Data were collected at baseline and again after 7 wk. The primary outcome was PCL-M score. Participants also completed the Patient Health Questionnaire, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale at both time points. Results: Eighteen Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn veterans completed the pre- and post-intervention self-report questionnaires. Age ranged from 26 to 62 yr (median = 43 yr), length of service ranged from 2 to 34 yr (median = 18.8 yr), and 13 (72.2%) had completed college. Decreased PTSD symptomatology was demonstrated in the three-symptom clusters represented in the PCL-M (i.e., hyperarousal, re-experiencing, and avoidance). In addition, the total score on the PCL-M decreased significantly, by both statistical and clinical measures. The participants also demonstrated improved mindfulness scores and reported decreased insomnia, depression, and anxiety symptoms. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that a trauma-sensitive yoga intervention may be effective for veterans with PTSD symptoms, whether as stand-alone or adjunctive therapy. The impressive decrease in PTSD symptomatology may be due to the tailored military-specific nature of this intervention and the fact that it was led by a veteran of post-9/11 conflicts. More research is needed with a larger sample and a more diverse veteran population.

show abstract

“…22–26,45–55 However, the results of previous studies were not as dramatic as the results of this study. There are several possible reasons for this large magnitude of change.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 78%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Military-Tailored Yoga for Veterans with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder†

Cushing¹,

Braun

Alden

et al. 2018

Military Medicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…But the research has made progress in the past few years: a new review on yoga for veterans with PTSD with positive results were published (18); one large study on yoga for veterans with chronic low back pain (LBP) also had the positive results (19), and one study about yoga for LBP in veterans is about to be published (20).…”

Section: In Pressmentioning

confidence: 99%

Whole Health for Life - A Project Aimed At redesigning Health Care for American Veterans

Kubat¹

2020

MMSL

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Veterans Health Administration provides health care for 9 million American armed forces veterans every year. The system is currently undergoing transformation to personalized, proactive and patient-driven health care. One part of this transformation is called Whole Health for Life and is discussed in this article in greater detail with an emphasis on holistic approach and using some complementary and alternative methods, such as for example yoga. It could be inspiring for health care about both the veterans and patients with chronic health conditions in the Czech Republic.

show abstract

“…Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) (Davidson et al, 2003) incorporates mindfulness meditation with body scanning and yoga, whereas Mindfulness and Metta Based Trauma Therapy (MMTT) includes breathing meditation along with compassion mantras (Frewen et al, 2015). Their efficacy for PTSD are supported by clinical trials and meta-analyses (Metcalf et al, 2016;Cushing and Braun, 2017;Gallegos et al, 2017;Hilton et al, 2017). Some approaches focus specifically on the peripheral nervous system.…”

Section: Mind-vs Body-focused Therapies For Traumamentioning

confidence: 99%

MAP Training My Brain™: Meditation Plus Aerobic Exercise Lessens Trauma of Sexual Violence More Than Either Activity Alone

Shors¹,

Chang²,

Millon³

2019

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sexual violence against women often leads to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a mental illness characterized by intrusive thoughts and memories about the traumatic event (Shors and Millon, 2016). These mental processes are obviously generated by the brain but often felt in the body. MAP Training My Brain is a novel clinical intervention that combines mental training of the brain with physical training of the body (Curlik and Shors, 2013; Shors et al., 2014). Each training session begins with 20-min of sitting meditation, followed by 10-min of slow-walking meditation, and ending with 30-min of aerobic exercise at 60–80% of the maximum heart rate (see maptrainmybrain.com). In previous studies, the combination of mental and physical (MAP) training together significantly reduced symptoms of depression and ruminative thoughts, while reducing anxiety (Shors et al., 2014, 2017; Alderman et al., 2016). We also documented positive changes in brain activity during cognitive control and whole-body oxygen consumption in various populations. In the present pilot study, we asked whether the combination of meditation and aerobic exercise during MAP Training would reduce trauma-related thoughts, ruminations, and memories in women and if so, whether the combination would be more effective than either activity alone. To test this hypothesis, interventions were provided to a group of women (n = 105), many of whom had a history of sexual violence (n = 32). Groups were trained with (1) MAP Training, (2) meditation alone, (3) aerobic exercise alone, or (4) not trained. Individuals in training groups completed two sessions a week for at least 6 weeks. MAP Training My Brain significantly reduced post-traumatic cognitions and ruminative thoughts in women with a history of sexual violence, whereas meditation alone, and exercise alone did not. MAP Training significantly enhanced a measure of self-worth, whereas meditation and exercise alone did not. Similar positive effects were observed for all participants, although meditation alone was also effective in reducing trauma-related thoughts. Overall, these data indicate the combination of meditation and exercise is synergistic. As a consequence, MAP Training is preferable and especially so for women who have experienced sexual violence in their past. Simply put, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

show abstract

Mind–Body Therapy for Military Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review

Abstract: Although findings were positive, future studies are needed to evaluate the short- and long-term impact of mind-body therapies on larger samples of post-9/11 veterans and to address research questions related to broadening service member and veteran participation in these therapies.

Cited by 49 publications

References 41 publications

Military-Tailored Yoga for Veterans with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder†

Military-Tailored Yoga for Veterans with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder†

Whole Health for Life - A Project Aimed At redesigning Health Care for American Veterans

MAP Training My Brain™: Meditation Plus Aerobic Exercise Lessens Trauma of Sexual Violence More Than Either Activity Alone

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About