There are many avenues to addressing PTSD — likewise for any heavy emotion or unpleasant experience. I find meditation to be a powerful tool because it's an 'anywhere, anytime' option and, ultimately, it provides you with access to your own best teacher within; a 24/7 personal therapist, if you will. With this comes self-sufficiency, increased self-confidence, and emotional resilience.
While different styles of meditation can offer personal insight and feelings of peace and connection, some have been put through the rigour of scientific testing. One style that shows positive results, specifically as a treatment for PTSD, is Yoga Nidra iRest. Founded by clinical psychologist Dr Richard Miller, the practice is a blend of traditional yogic meditation, modern psychology and neuroscience. One study (1) which provided weekly meditations for war veterans showed that participants experienced “reduced rage, anxiety, and emotional reactivity, and increased feelings of relaxation, peace, self-awareness, and self-efficacy, despite challenges with mental focus, intrusive memories, and other concerns.”
Other studies with older adults experiencing depression (2), or university students experiencing stress (3), all show significant mental and emotional improvements after a regular Yoga Nidra practice.
A key component of the practice includes accessing a sense of safety that can be felt within which remains unaffected by the outside world. I can attest to this being valuable. Initially, it was just another component of the meditation that I would practice each week. I didn't have much need for its application. It was only when I was confronted with emergency lung surgery that I realised its worth. I was able to mentally rest in this place of safety, even though my body was experiencing trauma. (I wrote about some of it here.) And, contrary to the kind of involuntary dissociation which can occur in other types of traumatic events, this was under my control as a voluntary place I could take myself to to gain perspective and find a sense of peace, rather than an avenue of escape or an automatic reaction from a nervous system in survival mode. It was to go to that practiced place of ease and wellbeing, whilst also being present to my precarious physical experience.
Another component of the meditation is providing a safe container in which we can choose to temporarily meet our unpleasant emotions (and the pleasant ones!). We leave their origin story behind and, instead, notice how each feeling is physically experienced in the body. It’s a practice of curiosity and of observing the emotion as if at arm’s length; as if the emotion is its own entity and we are simply observing its behaviour. This practice provides an alternate way of addressing emotions that can otherwise seem overwhelming — some, even debilitating. The emotional freedom that arises from this part of the practice cannot be understated.
Because this is a guided, secular practice, Yoga Nidra iRest is suitable for everybody from seasoned meditators to sceptics. I offer online live-streamed group meditations periodically. Private consultations are available upon request and allow a tailored meditation practice to delve much deeper into any emotion, thought or belief.
Links to studies: