More people are seeking yoga for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) & Complex (C)-PTSD than ever before. Due to a growing body of research and the pioneering work of leaders within the field of trauma, many clinicians and trauma survivors are beginning to appreciate how therapeutic yoga can support healing. An intricate interplay between cognitive, behavioural, and physiological symptoms often dominates the lives of those suffering from PTSD and C-PTSD, and multidimensional treatment strategies are therefore required to manage both the physical and emotional difficulties that define these conditions. It is for this reason that yoga therapy—an integrative treatment strategy that works with mind, body, and lifestyle—can offer such profound healing for those with PTSD and C-PTSD, and why many yoga professionals are choosing to bolster their skills and training in order to better support these populations.
The complex nature of PTSD makes it a challenging condition to treat. In the UK alone, 1 in 10 people are expected to experience PTSD at some point in their lives, and yet it all too often remains misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and stigmatised. C-PTSD describes the more complex reactions that are typical of individuals exposed to chronic trauma. For many, the additional cluster of symptoms that define C-PTSD (such as relational issues, emotional dysregulation and negative self-affect) masquerade as personality traits, making effective treatment and sustained recovery a challenge.
Although commonly understood to be mental health conditions, PTSD and C-PTSD are in fact well-known to negatively influence an individual’s physiology via the nervous system. Both are characterised by symptoms such as disturbing memories, flashbacks, disconnection from the body, reduced ability to regulate emotions, periods of feeling hyper-aroused and periods where a person may feel frozen and disengaged, all of which are underpinned by dysregulation within the nervous system. Although psychological processing of trauma can be an important aspect of healing for many, the underlying nervous system dysregulation inherent in PTSD and C-PTSD means that sustained recovery requires a treatment approach that addresses the body as well as the mind.
The pivotal role of the body in PTSD and C-PTSD perhaps explains why psychotherapeutic treatment approaches alone are too often ineffective. For example, a review of 55 studies into Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for PTSD found that nonresponse rates could be as high as 50%, suggesting that new treatment paradigms must be explored and approaches addressing body-based symptoms brought to the fore. In 2024, The Minded Institute—a world leading yoga therapy training organisation—conducted a survey in collaboration with PTSD UK charity, in which 85% of respondents with PTSD or C-PTSD found that body-centred approaches to treatment, such as yoga therapy, reduced their symptoms—a significant statistic given that existing gold standard treatments for PTSD such as CBT often fall short.
As a body-centred approach that specifically targets nervous system dysregulation, yoga therapy offers both short-term support in symptom management and long-term opportunities for transformation. Some of the most notable benefits include an increased ability to regulate the nervous system, support in reconnecting with the body in a safe and meaningful way, cultivating personal agency, tolerating difficult emotions, and improving self-regulation. Yoga therapy provides traumatised individuals with an avenue to explore the body in a healthy, grounded and safe way, allowing for the recontextualization of the terrifying sensations associated with PTSD. Through a process of gradual body awareness coupled with self-regulation skills, yoga therapy ultimately offers an opportunity for the body to be perceived as a vehicle of safety and security rather than a source of threat. Research shows that body awareness and self-regulation skills are associated with lesser symptom severity, translating to improved quality of life for those navigating the challenging symptoms of PTSD.
In addition, yoga therapy can be tailored to those with C-PTSD in order to address the unique challenges of complex trauma. When appropriately applied, the deep self-reflection that lies at the heart of yoga therapy can help bring those with C-PTSD to a better understanding of how symptoms that masquerade as personality traits influence their lives, enabling a more nuanced and effective application of the yoga therapy toolbox for PTSD. Yoga and mindfulness practices delivered with sensitivity to complex trauma can help individuals to galvanise emotion regulation, forge safe and trusting connections with others and develop new perspectives on life.
The use of evidence-based techniques from yoga and mindfulness to aid in the recovery of PTSD and C-PTSD is certainly a promising area of yoga therapy, and increasing numbers of yoga professionals are turning toward this field. If you’re looking for a world-class professional training to bring mind-body practices to your work with people who have experienced trauma, consider joining pioneers in yoga for trauma recovery, Heather Mason and Rachel Bilski for their upcoming CPD: Yoga Therapy for PTSD & C-PTSD, open to both yoga and health professionals.
In this unique training—the first of its kind in the world to explore how the distinction between PTSD and C-PTSD should inform the application of yoga therapy—participants will learn from two leading yoga therapy experts. Heather Mason, founder of The Minded Institute is joined by Rachel Bilski, manager of PTSD UK charity, both sharing their expertise as yoga therapists and educators specialising in the use of therapeutic yoga therapy for trauma recovery. For the first time, they will bring together their comprehensive knowledge and lived experience of both PTSD and C-PTSD, providing skills and understanding distinct to each condition.
Learn More About the Training HERE
