Researchers at the University of Wisconsin, working in Richard Davidson's lab, have found that Sudarshan Kriya Yoga can help reduce the symptoms of PTSD and allow them to better manage the condition.

The original article is paywalled at the Journal of Traumatic Stress, so here is a summary from the British Psychological Society, followed the abstract of the research article.

Breathing, Meditation, and Helping PTSD

BPS News | 18/09/2014

Servicemen and women with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) could benefit from trying breathing-based meditation, a new study suggests.

Research by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress, found that a practice known as Sudarshan Kriya Yoga can help sufferers better manage the condition.

This, it stated, is because this form of breathing directly affects the autonomic nervous system, which means it can have an effect on symptoms of PTSD such as hyperarousal - when a person constantly feels on guard and jumpy.

Richard Davidson, one of the authors of the study, is keen for additional research to be carried out, so physicians could eventually be able to prescribe treatment based on an individual's "cognitive and emotional style".

"Right now, a large fraction of individuals who are given any one type of therapy are not improving on that therapy," he observed.

Mr Davidson said this means the only way to improve the situation is to determine "which kinds of people will benefit most from different types of treatments"

Our breathing is radically affected by how we are feeling, e.g. short breaths with anger, long sighs with sadness etc, obviously affecting our oxygen supplies to the body and so maybe exacerbating our feelings even more. I would have thought that any regular deep breathing technique would be useful in such situations. However, the breathing technique in this study has previously been found to help with different physical ailments as well as mental health, even DNA and gene expression. It is therefore no surprise that it was found to benefit symptoms of PTSD. As the authors suggest, however, different approaches or even breathing techniques may be more helpful for different individuals. (The sudarshan kriya technique is widely used in India and worldwide through the endeavours of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and his organisation, The Art of Living).

Chartered Psychologist Dr Kate Sparks comments:

"Our breathing is radically affected by how we are feeling - for example, short breaths with anger, long sighs with sadness - obviously affecting our oxygen supplies to the body and so maybe exacerbating our feelings even more.

"I would have thought that any regular deep breathing technique would be useful in such situations. However, the breathing technique in this study has previously been found to help with different physical ailments as well as mental health, even DNA and gene expression. It is therefore no surprise that it was found to benefit symptoms of PTSD.

"As the authors suggest, however, different approaches or even breathing techniques may be more helpful for different individuals. The sudarshan kriya technique is widely used in India and worldwide through the endeavours of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and his organisation, The Art of Living."

* * * * *

Full Citation:
Emma M. Seppälä, EM, Nitschke, JB, Tudorascu, DL, Hayes, A, Goldstein, MR, Nguyen, DTH, Perlman, D, and Davidson, RJ. (2014, Aug 26). Breathing-Based Meditation Decreases Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in U.S. Military Veterans: A Randomized Controlled Longitudinal Study. Journal of Traumatic Stress; 27(4): 397–405. DOI: 10.1002/jts.21936

Breathing-Based Meditation Decreases Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in U.S. Military Veterans: A Randomized Controlled Longitudinal Study

Emma M. Seppälä1, Jack B. Nitschke, Dana L. Tudorascu, Andrea Hayes, Michael R. Goldstein, Dong T. H. Nguyen, David Perlman, and Richard J. Davidson

Abstract

Given the limited success of conventional treatments for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), investigations of alternative approaches are warranted. We examined the effects of a breathing-based meditation intervention, Sudarshan Kriya yoga, on PTSD outcome variables in U.S. male veterans of the Iraq or Afghanistan war. We randomly assigned 21 veterans to an active (n = 11) or waitlist control (n = 10) group. Laboratory measures of eye-blink startle and respiration rate were obtained before and after the intervention, as were self-report symptom measures; the latter were also obtained 1 month and 1 year later. The active group showed reductions in PTSD scores, d = 1.16, 95% CI [0.20, 2.04], anxiety symptoms, and respiration rate, but the control group did not. Reductions in startle correlated with reductions in hyperarousal symptoms immediately postintervention (r = .93, p < .001) and at 1-year follow-up (r = .77, p = .025). This longitudinal intervention study suggests there may be clinical utility for Sudarshan Kriya yoga for PTSD.

Rick Hanson, PhD, Offers Key Points on Letting Go

Rick Hanson, PhD, is the author, most recently, of Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence. Among his other books are Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom and Just One Thing: Developing a Buddha Brain One Simple Practice at a Time This article comes from his blog.

Key Points of Letting Go

Rick Hanson, PhD | posted on: April 18th, 2014

“Let go a little, you’ll have a little happiness. Let go completely, you’ll be completely happy.”

Letting Go of Body Sensations

• Ordinary breathing, focusing on exhalation, intending to let go.
• Diaphragm breathing.
• Breath of fire.
• Heartmath: Breathing evenly through the heart with a positive emotion.
• Scanning the body and releasing tension. Progressive relaxation.
• Using imagery to relax.

Letting Go of Thoughts

• Two fundamental errors of thought:

• Overestimating the bad.
• Underestimating the good.

• Systematically argue against errors of thought, on paper or in your mind.
• Identify “sub-personalities” generating errors of thought; thank them for sharing, ask if they have anything new to say, and then tell them to shut up.

Letting Go of Emotions

• As with any unpleasant experience, have compassion for yourself.
• As you release negative emotions, sense positive feelings replacing them, like security replacing fear, worth replacing shame/guilt, peacefulness replacing anger.
• Name the feeling, own it, and accept it. For bonus points, try to choose it.
• Imagine/sense the emotion leaving on the exhalation, or draining out of the body, or being released to the universe or even to God/the mysterious Divine.
• Use imagery, like standing in a cool mountain stream washing pain away.
• Sense the underlying softer, deeper, younger feelings, and then let them go.
• Venting safely, like writing letters you don’t send, yelling, hitting something SAFE.

Letting Go of Wants

• Same methods as with releasing emotions: Naming and accepting. Draining out of the body.
• Releasing via imagery. Sense the underlying, positive wants, and respond to them.
• Do a cost/benefit analysis, and choose what you really want.
• Reflect on the suffering that is embedded, that’s inevitable, in most desires.

Letting Go of Self

• Perspectives: The more we “self” experience – personalize it, identify with it, cling to it – the more we suffer: “no self, no problem.” The degree of self varies; it’s not an omnipresent fact; it’s continually constructed. When self is minimal or absent, notice that it’s not needed to function in life.
• Observe the activity of self and experiment with reducing it.
• When others are upset, see the ways it’s not about you: They’re on automatic; you’re a bit player in their drama; they are already punishing themselves; you are separate, with good boundaries.
• Each day, take time to sense the fact of your interconnectedness with everything.

In General

• Be the awareness of the experience, not the experience itself.
• Notice that all experiences change.
• Keep evoking positive feelings.

• • • • •

What practices have YOU found to be effective for letting go? I’d enjoy hearing from you in the comments section.



Rick Hanson, Ph.D., is a neuropsychologist and New York Times best-selling author. His books include Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence (in 13 languages), Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom (in 25 languages), Just One Thing: Developing a Buddha Brain One Simple Practice at a Time (in 13 languages), and Mother Nurture: A Mother’s Guide to Health in Body, Mind, and Intimate Relationships. Founder of the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom, and on the Advisory Board of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, he’s been an invited speaker at Oxford, Stanford, and Harvard, and taught in meditation centers worldwide. A summa cum laude graduate of UCLA, his work has been featured on the BBC, NPR, CBC, FoxBusiness, Consumer Reports Health, U.S. News and World Report, and O Magazine and he has several audio programs with Sounds True. His weekly e-newsletter – Just One Thing – has over 100,000 subscribers, and also appears on Huffington Post, Psychology Today, and other major websites. For more information, please see his full profile at www.RickHanson.net.

Christopher Bergland - Mindfulness Made Simple

This is a nice introductory article to mindfulness, including its role in sports and athletics. It comes from the world record holder in the Triple Ironman triathlon (7.2-mile swim, 336-mile bike, followed by a 78.6-mile run done consecutively), Christopher Bergland, in his The Athlete's Way blog at Psychology Today.

Bergland is the author of The Athlete's Way: Sweat and the Biology of Bliss (St. Martin's Press) and The Athlete's Way: Training Your Mind and Body to Experience the Joy of Exercise.

Mindfulness Made Simple

Mindfulness is easy: Stop. Breathe. Think about your thinking.

Published on March 31, 2013 by Christopher Bergland in The Athlete's Way

Mindfulness in a Daffodil

“Mindfulness” has become a buzzword that is often misinterpreted. What is mindfulness? How can it benefit you?

Mindfulness is much more basic than most people realize. In fact, I’ve isolated 3 easy steps to kickstart a state of mindfulness in a few seconds. To kickstart a state of mindfulness all you have to do is: Stop. Breathe. Think about your thinking. Anybody can use this simple mindfulness technique throughout the day to stay calm, focused, optimistic, and kind.

This close-up picture of a daffodil illustrates simple mindfulness training. What part of the image is your attention drawn to first? Is your focus initially drawn to the stamen at the center? Where do your eyes and your attention go from there? Notice how you can hone in on the center or decide to inspect the abstract shapes and different colors in the surrounding. We all have the power to guide our thoughts consciously—to zoom in and zoom out on specific things in our environment and inside our minds. Obviously, you can decide how long you want to look at the daffodil, what parts of the image you want to focus on, and decide when to turn your attention towards something else. This is mindfulness in action.

A recent New York Times Magazine article by Susan Dominus titled ‘Is Giving the Secret To Getting Ahead” offers insights into the power of mindfulness to help people succeed professionally. Although the article doesn’t use the term ‘mindfulness’ specifically, the concepts of mindfulness are represented in the advice given throughout the article.

The Times article profiles Adam Grant, who is a professor in the Management Department at Wharton, and features the ideas from his upcoming book "Give and Take." Grant is an expert in organizational psychology, which is designed to help people enjoy the work they do, and to keep them doing it. Grant is quoted as saying, “The greatest untapped source of motivation is a sense of service to others; focusing on the contribution of our work to other peoples’ lives has the potential to make us more productive than thinking about ourselves." It is interesting that whether the motivation to practice mindfulness comes from a place of capitalistic shrewdness or Buddhist loving-kindness, the benefits for the individual and the collective are still there.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is simply about being mindful of what you’re thinking and deciding where you choose to focus your attention. Ideally, one would choose to focus his or her attention towards compassion, loving-kindness, and optimism. Mindfulness is about deciding to look on the bright side and deciding to be kind to yourself and others. That’s it.

Mindfulness has its roots in Buddhism and the Noble Eightfold Path that Buddha taught over 2,500 years ago as the path to Nirvana or enlightenment. Although William James didn’t use the term “Mindfulness”, he explored the topic extensively in his life's work and in The Principles of Psychology (1890). Mindfulness is not a new age fad. It has been around forever, but in a modern world it’s more important than ever we each begin practicing it.

Some purists and Buddhist teachers aren’t thrilled to see mindfulness being diluted and applied to pop psychology and business. However, most seem to realize that the more people in the world who are practicing some type of mindfulness the better. Unfortunately, several definitions of mindfulness are currently being used in modern psychology and mindfulness training. It’s like the Wild West when it comes to a standardized Western definition of mindfulness...almost anything goes.

I base my definition of mindfulness on the landmark study by Bishop, Lau et al. (2004) from the University of Toronto titled: Mindfulness: A Proposed Operational Definition published by the American Psychological Association. In their consensus on an operational definition of mindfulness Bishop and Lau propose a two-component model of mindfulness:

1.The first component involves the self-regulation of attention so that it is maintained on immediate experience, thereby allowing for increased recognition of mental events in the present moment. 

2. The second component involves adopting a particular orientation toward one’s experiences in the present moment, an orientation that is characterized by curiosity, openness, and acceptance.

The Benefits of Mindfulness

There has been a surge of scientific research on mindfulness since Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn began teaching the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in 1979. In the past decades research has shown that the benefits of mindfulness include: stress reduction, improved concentration, boosts to working memory, reduced rumination, less emotional reactivity, more cognitive flexibility, higher level of relationship satisfaction, etc. The list goes on and on.

Studies on the benefits of mindfulness are currently trending heavily in psychology and medical journals. In the past month alone at least four studies were released on the benefits of mindfulness and mindfulness training. Two of particular interest are: "Mindfulness Training Improves Working Memory Capacity and GRE Performance While Reducing Mind Wandering” by Michael Mrazek and colleagues at UC Santa Barbara and another from Belgium which found that Mindfulness at School Reduces Likelihood of Depression-Related Symptoms in Adolescents.

Mindfulness Training 101

Many people avoid any type of ‘mindfulness training’ because they think that it’s complex, new-agey or fear that they ‘aren’t doing it right.’ Albert Einstein believed, “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.” I realize that my “3 steps to kickstart mindfulness” are very basic. I simplify for a reason: I want to demystify mindfulness so more people will get in the habit of practicing mindfulness regularly throughout the day and benefit from it.

You don’t have to set aside time to sit quietly in the lotus position and burn incense to practice mindfulness. You can do it anytime, anywhere. From staying calm when you’re stuck in a traffic jam; to having a heart-to-heart conversation with a friend; to making scrambled eggs; to taking an exam; or when you're making love with your partner... Being fully present in the moment creates mindfulness no matter what you are doing.

Mindfulness is about being aware of your surroundings, connecting, and then guiding your thoughts in a positive and constructive direction. With practice you'll get better at guiding your thoughts to fine tune a state-of-mind that best fits whatever circumstance you find yourself in.

Mindfulness and Athletics

As an athlete, I never labeled my mindset of being totally focused and 'in the zone' as being a state of ‘mindfulness.’ But it is. Again, this is mostly semantics. Anyone who exercises regularly or competes in sports learns through practice that being distracted (or focusing your attention on the negatives) will cause you to fail. I recently wrote a Psychology Today blog about how-to create flow and superfluidity.

In order to master a sport (or complete a workout) athletes learn through practice how to guide their thoughts towards a positive and optimistic mindset. Everyone who works out regularly is doing a form of mindfulness training within the athletic process. You can bring this skillset back to the work-a-day world and create mindfulness in your daily life. This is the core principle of The Athlete’s Way.

Conclusion: Every Breath You Take

We all get stuck in mental ruts and have patterns of habitual thinking and behavior that can be counterproductive. Mindfulness is a chance to snap out of it, push the reset button and have a fresh start. The next time you find yourself dwelling on something that makes you feel resentful, negative or hopeless. Stop. Breathe. Think about your thinking. And then guide your attention and thoughts towards something positive.

William James wrote: “Why should we think upon things that are lovely? Because thinking determines life. It is a common habit to blame life upon the environment. Environment modifies life but does not govern life. The soul is stronger than its surroundings”

You have the power to focus your attention on positive thoughts that make you feel optimistic and hopeful; or you can think about negative things that make you feel cynical and depressed. You can choose to be mean and hateful, or kind and loving. The choice is yours. Mindfulness puts you in the driver’s seat of your thoughts and actions.

On average, human beings take 20,000 breaths a day. That gives each of us 20,000 chances everyday to kickstart some mindfulness. If you don’t already, try practicing some simple mindfulness today.


~ Christopher Bergland is a world-class endurance athlete, coach, author, and political activist. He has a Guinness World Record for running (153.76-miles in 24 hours on a treadmill) and is the three-time champion of the Triple Ironman, which is a 7.2-mile swim, 336-mile bike, followed by a 78.6-mile run done consecutively. He completed the Triple Ironman–which is the longest non-stop triathlon in the world–in a record-breaking time of 38 hours and 46 minutes.

Christopher is a founding partner of City Coach, a New York City based multi-sport coaching service. (www.citycoach.org). He is the author of The Athlete's Way: Sweat and the Biology of Bliss (St. Martin's Press) and will publish his second book, Origins of Imagination: Exploring the Neuroscience of Creative Thinking in 2012.

Elisha Goldstein - One Minute to a Stress-Less Brain

Psychologist Elisha Goldstein offers a quick meditation practice to reduce stress and calm the mind - it's easy and can be done anywhere. Goldstein is the author of The Now Effect: How a Mindful Moment Can Change the Rest of Your Life and A Mindful Dialogue: A Path Toward Working with Stress, Pain and Difficult Emotions (Kindle only), and co-author of A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook.

One Minute to a Stress-Less Brain 

Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D.

Psychologist; Author, 'The Now Effect'; Co-author, 'A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook' 

Over the course of the recent election many of us have been inundated with a barrage of data that may have added on to the stress we're already feeling in everyday life. Our brains are designed to handle an increasing amount of complex information, and as more information becomes available, our brains adapt. It may adopt a continuous partial attention, and we can't help but live in shallow noisy waters and lack a sense of awareness and depth of what is the most skillful response to daily stress.

The problem is, this is a recipe for an ongoing stress cycle.

Recent neuroscience and personal stories are indicating that we can not only reverse this stress cycle but may even be able to create a stronger and healthier brain. This is real and powerful. We can train our brains to automatically reconnect to what matters, break free from the limiting stories in our minds, incline our minds toward the good in life and even learn how to relate to our difficult feelings differently to realize an emotional freedom from the confines of our habitual thoughts and reactions.

This is what I call changing the way we think before we think, and this is The Now Effect.

I'm going to introduce to a short and simple one-minute practice that will start to train your brain to access that space of awareness where choice, possibility and opportunity lie.

This is what I call the "BE" practice.

Note: First, see if you can set any judgments aside of whether this practice will or will not "work" for you. Engage this just with the goal of being aware of your experience.

Breathe -- Take a few deep breaths and as you breathe in, know that you're breathing in, and as you breathe out know that you breathing out. The instructions are very simple. You can even say to yourself, "in" as you're breathing in and "out" as you're breathing out. This is meant to pop you out of auto-pilot and steady your mind.

Expand -- This is the process of expanding your attention throughout the body and just feeling the body as it is. You may feel warmth or coolness, achiness, itchiness, tension, tightness, heaviness, lightness or a whole host of sensations. Or perhaps you notice no sensation at all in other areas. When you're here also be aware of how emotions are being expressed in the body. Stress may be tension in the chest or shoulders, calm may be looseness in the back or face. Whatever you notice, just practice allowing to be as it is without needing "to do" anything about it.

That's it! It may sound too simple to be impactful, but again, set your judgments aside, treat this as an experiment and let your experience be your teacher.

Where can you practice?

When you're at work, it's easy for your mind to wander off onto various engaging websites or apps. When you notice this you can just "Breathe" and "Expand" attention to the body grounding to the present moment and in that new-found space of awareness turn to what really matters, such as the project you're trying to get done.

Maybe you're about to fire off an angry text to your partner in all caps after coming home to a sink of dishes; instead of taking that impulsive action this may be a good time to just "BE" and then make a conscious choice of what to do next.

Maybe you find your mind telling you stories about all the work you have to do and how you'll never get it done in time; use the "BE" practice.

Or maybe you're driving to work a few minutes late and someone pulls in front of you, slowing you down; "BE" and then respond from a more collected place.

Set the intention to practice being, breathing and expanding into the body in mini moments throughout the day. The way the brain changes is through intentional practice and repetition just like walking, talking, reading, and riding a bike and this is no different.

To help you remember you might consider posting signs in your environment that say "Just BE," knowing that means to engage in the "BE" practice. Or maybe put a note in your digital calendar to pop up a couple times in the day as a reminder.

The benefits are enormous -- it just takes intention and practice.

As always, please share your thoughts, stories and questions below. Your interaction creates a living wisdom that we can all benefit from.

Secular Buddhist Podcast - Episode 105 :: Shyalpa Tenzin Rinpoche :: Living Fully: Finding Joy in Every Breath

Great discussion - Ted Meissner speaks with Shyalpa Tenzin Rinpoche about his new book, Living Fully: Finding Joy in Every Breath.

Quote:

“We should examine and question our preconceptions, and be daring enough to explore new and unfamiliar terrain.” — Shyalpa Tenzin Rinpoche

Episode 105 - Shyalpa Tenzin Rinpoche :: Living Fully: Finding Joy in Every Breath
Feb 24, 2012

The Secular Buddhist Podcast with Ted Meissner
 

Shyalpa Tenzin Rinpoche
Shyalpa Tenzin Rinpoche joins us to speak about his new book, Living Fully: Finding Joy in Every Breath.

Hi, everyone. I’m recording this introduction while attending the Wisdom 2.0 conference in California. This is the second of the “W20″ conferences, next month is the tenth annual International Scientific Conference, April is the inaugural International Symposia for Contemplative Studies, and then of course we’re looking forward to attending the second Buddhist Geeks conference in August. All of these are linked on the calendar on the SecularBuddhism.org website of course, but the point is our practice is growing. It’s finding new and vital ways to change people’s lives outside of traditional settings, opening the door for others who may otherwise not find the same wonder of this practice, that we do.

Buddhism is not just for Buddhists. When we use the term “Buddhism” in this context, we mean the practice, not the religion. This is sometimes a very difficult concept to convey, and sometimes a very difficult concept to accept. There are people in the monastic tradition, however, who not only understand that, but do their very best to share this with others.

Shyalpa Tenzin Rinpoche is the spiritual guide of Shyalpa Monastery in Kathmandu, the founder of the Tibetan Refugee Children’s Fund, and the head of Ranging Yeshe, Inc., a nonprofit that organizes teachings and retreats throughout the United States. Buddhafield, in Millerton, NY, is the future site of the Center for Enlightenment and Rinpoche’s seat in the US. He has lectured at Harvard, Yale, Wesleyan, and the Naropa Institute. He lives in Nepal and New York.

So, sit back, relax, and have a nice Lapsang Souchong tea. Special thanks to Patrick Taggart, one of our listeners who suggested this tea on FaceBook, who wrote, “I always feel that its smokiness resonates perfectly with the feeling of a rainy evening.”

Podcast: Download

:: Discuss this episode ::

Web Links

• Shyalpa Tenzin Rinpoche
• Living Fully
• Wencheng Gongzhu International Foundation

Music for This Episode

Chikuzen Shakuhachi SeriesThe music heard in the middle of the podcast is from the Chikuzen Shakuhachi Series, Volume 1, courtesy of Tai Hei Shakuhachi. The tracks used in this episode are:

• Track 6 :: Esashi Oiwake

~ Ted Meissner is the Executive Director of the Secular Buddhist Association, and host of the SBA's official podcast, The Secular Buddhist. His background is in the Zen and Theravada traditions, he is a regular speaker on interfaith panel discussions, and is interested in examining the evolution of contemplative practice in contemporary culture.