In trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), stabilization techniques are used before confrontation ones to increase stress/affect tolerance and thus effectiveness of CBT. This study investigated the effects of pranayama, meditative yoga breathing and breath holding techniques, as a complimentary stabilization technique in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Seventy-four PTSD-patients (84% female, 44.2 ± 13 years) were randomized to receive either pranayama at the beginning of each TF-CBT session or TF-CBT alone. …
… In PTSD patients without concurrent somatoform disorders, the integration of pranayama into TF-CBT might reduce post-traumatic symptoms and increase mental quality of life more efficiently than TF-CBT alone. The results remain preliminary until they can be replicated by ITT analyses.
ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT03748121.
