Regions of the brain affected by PTSD and stress.
Breathing Meditation Techniques are very important in helping Veterans cope with Post Taraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). A recent study conducted by the University of Wisconsin – Madison found that deep breathing and meditation can help people suffering from PTSD. They conducted a one week study.
The aim is to see if meditation, yoga and deep breathing can help veterans with PTSD.
The pilot study in fall 2010, which Low participated in, showed such positive results that researchers scheduled a longer, more in-depth study for this week in Madison. Meditation and yoga are already offered at veterans hospitals, but few studies have researched their effectiveness.
Low, an officer in charge of an Army infantry platoon, said meditation and deep breathing helped him recover from the stress of combat.
“I didn’t notice a change right away (after the study) but my dad did,” said Low, 31, of Madison, who deployed to Iraq in 2005 and ’06. “My dad and I were riding in a car when he said I seemed like myself from three, four years before, and that’s when it struck me that maybe Iraq affected me more than I knew.
“PTSD is a growing problem as veterans from two long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan return home to face emotional demons. An estimated 20% of the 2 million Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress. And suicide rates among male post 9-11 veterans are much higher than the rest of the U.S. population.
Common symptoms of PTSD are hyper-vigilance, which makes veterans jumpy at the slightest sound; intrusive thoughts such as flashbacks and nightmares; and emotional numbness, including the inability to feel love.
Treating PTSD often involves medication and psychotherapy to force patients to grapple with their trauma. But yoga and meditation could be a gentler, less invasive way to treat the effects of combat stress, said Jack Nitschke, one of the lead investigators of the study.
“No one thinks yoga is a panacea,” said Nitschke, a neuroscientist and UW associate professor of psychiatry and psychology. “This would be one more treatment that could be tailored to veterans suffering from PTSD.
“Of the 20 Wisconsin veterans participating in the pilot study, many experienced fewer PTSD symptoms and anxiety problems after learning meditation and deep breathing, said Emma Seppala, the research scientist who initiated the study.
Depression and anxiety levels were measured before and after the meditation and deep breathing course. Startle responses were gauged by measuring the number of eye blinks in response to sudden, loud sounds.
Veterans who experience trauma in war zones tend to have a higher resting pulse rate. Meditation and deep breathing helped the veterans participating in the pilot study lower their heart and breathing rates, sort of like hitting the reset button on their nervous system.
The veterans that stuck with the program have seen positive results. This is good news for yoga practitioners. If it can improve the stress levels in veterans suffering from PTSD, it certainly can help us cope with the stress we face on a daily basis.