The Immediate Effect of Raja-Yoga Group Therapy on the Well-Being of Psychiatric Outpatients - An Exploratory Single-center Retrospective Study
Journal of Psychiatry and Behaviour Therapy July 16, 2018 DOI: 10.29199/2638-9959/pybt-101013 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational comparative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 79 |
| Population | Psychiatric outpatients with DSM IV-R mood, anxiety, and other disorders, with Axis V GAF scores of 55-70 (Raja-yoga group) or 60-70 (controls) |
| Interventions | postures supportive-dynamic group psychotherapy |
| Duration | Raja-yoga group averaged 5.5 sessions; control group averaged 7.7 sessions |
| Measures | subjective Likert scale of well-being |
| Key findings | Raja-yoga group therapy produced an average 34% within-session improvement in self-rated well-being, compared with 8% for supportive-dynamic group psychotherapy. The authors propose that Raja-yoga shows promise as an alternative form of group psychotherapy. |
Abstract
Purpose:To examine the effect of Raja-yoga group therapy on the immediate well-being of psychiatric outpatients compared to a standard method, namely supportive-dynamic group psychotherapy.Methods: Seventy-two psychiatric outpatients, the subjects, with DSM IV-R mood, anxiety and other disorders, underwent group therapy utilizing Raja-yoga treatment.The current Axis V GAF scores of the subjects were between 55 and 70.The principal author, a psychiatrist led the treatment, which consisted of teaching the philosophy of Raja-yoga, its breathing exercises (pranayama), a few of its postures, and meditation.The subjects rated their sense of well-being at the start of and at the end of each session, on a subjective, Likert scale.The same psychiatrist also treated a group of seven private psychiatric outpatients, who served as controls, with supportive-dynamic group psychotherapy.They had DSM IV-R mood and anxiety disorders.The current Axis V GAF scores of the controls were between 60 and 70.Self-reported scores of well-being of the controls were collected in the same manner.The differences in scores in the two groups were compared statistically.Results: Subjects attended an average number of 5.5 sessions.Controls attended an average of 7.7 sessions.Subjects experienced an average improvement in well-being of 34%, whereas controls experienced an average improvement of 8%.Age, gen-der, ethnicity, diagnosis, or the number of treatment sessions did not predict the effectiveness of the Raja-yoga group therapy but a low baseline score of well-being did.There was no predictor revealed for effectiveness in the controls.Interpretation: Raja-yoga group therapy conferred an immediate, substantial improvement on psychiatric outpatients' sense of well-being, much more so than supportive-dynamic psychotherapy.To our knowledge, such data are previously unreported.We propose that Raja-yoga treatment shows promise as an alternative form of group psychotherapy.