Yoga appears to be a safe and effective complementary intervention for reducing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive symptoms. A systematic review and meta-analysis of 20 randomized controlled trials involving adults with PTSD found that yoga significantly improved self-reported PTSD symptoms and both immediate and long-term depression symptoms compared to control interventions. However, clinician-reported assessments did not show improvement in PTSD symptoms. No serious adverse events were reported across six studies that tracked them. The type of yoga influenced outcomes, and individual studies often had high bias, but overall results suggest yoga is likely beneficial for individuals with PTSD.
Women experiencing homelessness with trauma exposure, PTSD, and substance use disorder found mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) activities—including yoga, meditation, body scans, class discussion, and home practice—highly acceptable and feasible. Between 71% and 89% rated each activity as 'a great deal helpful.' Focus groups with 28 women at a drug treatment site yielded four themes: perceived feasibility and effectiveness of MBSR, strategies for recruitment and retention, and characteristics of the trainer. Recommendations support trauma-sensitive implementation of MBSR in community-based programs for this population.
An 8-week Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, compared to a health promotion attention control, led to greater reductions in depression and anxiety among unstably-housed women in residential substance use disorder treatment. Posttraumatic stress symptoms improved over time in both groups but did not differ between them. Quality of life and perceived stress also improved more with MBSR. The findings suggest MBSR may help address co-occurring mental health symptoms and improve well-being in this population.