How Yoga Supports Trauma Recovery
written by: Olivera Petrovich, MA, LMHC, RYT-200; edited by: Nicole Delli Paoli, MA, LMHC, MCAP, QS
Women Empowerment Counseling specializes in trauma recovery and women’s mental health. Part of our holistic approach includes our Mental Wellness Yoga service, presented as a mindfulness-based group.
This blog was written by our yoga teacher and counselor, Olivera, to outline the research behind how the somatic practice of yoga is connected to trauma healing.
Reduces PTSD Symptoms
Research consistently shows a significant decrease in core PTSD symptoms by incorporating yoga in conjunction with other evidence-based trauma therapies.
This study compared outcomes from traditional therapies like Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and trauma-informed yoga and found equivalent outcomes, with also a higher completion rate in the yoga group.
Based on the literature, yoga should be incorporated as an enhancement service to other trauma therapies and not practiced as a sole “cure” for PTSD– here is one of many articles supporting this claim.
Improves Emotional Regulation (and other symptoms)
I’ve read many studies over the years how both meditation and yoga (practiced individually and together) positively change the brain and support optimal mental wellness.
Specifically, mindfulness practices improves concentration and other ADHD-symptoms, decreases levels of anxiety and depression, and improves hyperarousal and sleep quality.
This study concluded that emotional regulation was improved just as effectively as CPT. A 2024 meta-analysis concluded that yoga is an effective complementary intervention for reducing PTSD and depressive symptoms, with no adverse side effects reported. This study also shows how yoga builds interoceptive awareness.
Meditation is also reported to increase concentration, presence, and body awareness by training your mind to return to the breath, which translates to building the skill of staying present in our day-to-day life.
Positive Changes in the Brain
There are numerous parts of the brain that are improved through a consistent yoga practice. Here are a few of many examples based on the literature:
- Prefrontal Cortex: yoga can help thicken this region of the brain, improving our overall cognitive function.
- Hippocampus: multiple yoga studies show an increase in gray-matter volume in this region, resulting in fewer flashback memories.
- Amygdala: fear response; yoga helps soothe our amygdala so that it is less reactive to trauma-perceived threats.
- Anterior Cingulate Cortex: improvements in self-control, decision-making, motivation, and processing painful emotions.
Higher Client Retention
Many studies, like the ones above, show an improvement in treatment compliance when yoga was incorporated in the client’s treatment plan.
One study tested yoga with a group of women with treatment-resistant PTSD and found 52% of participants in the yoga group no longer met criteria compared to 21% of the control group.
Because we also offer yoga and meditation in addition to psychotherapy, this improves follow through with sessions by giving clients options for other activities to do in session beyond talking, as sometimes there isn’t much to talk about depending on where they’re at in their treatment.
This study by the VA tested yoga and PTSD in veterans and found that yoga was just as effective in reducing symptoms as CPT but had a higher rate of treatment completion in the yoga group.
Supportive for Wellness Beyond Diagnostic Labels
In this study researchers tested the effects of yoga vs. walking on mood and anxiety in a group of participants with no mental health diagnosis. The yoga group was found to have higher levels of GABA (associated with better mood and lower anxiety) compared to the walking group, suggesting that yoga can be supportive for anyone at all levels of wellness.
Additional Research / Recommended Reads
In the book, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk, mindfulness techniques and yoga are outlined as key pieces of brain and body healing as part of trauma recovery.
In the book, Overcoming Trauma Through Yoga: Reclaiming Your Body by David Emerson and Elizabeth Hopper, outline what trauma-informed yoga is and how it is used to heal the somatic symptoms in the body.
Next Steps
We invite you to learn more about our Mental Wellness Yoga & Guided Meditation service and how it can serve as an enhancement to support your recovery goals.
