| The purpose of this dissertation is to develop a yoga therapy program for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars with symptoms of PTSD. The program aims to help veterans to use their body as a tool in therapy, to develop self-soothing skills, and to process, organize and integrate their experience though yoga asana, meditation and breathing exercise. Research shows that yoga asana, meditation and breathing exercises are effective in reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTSD. Therapeutic techniques based in yoga asana, meditation and breathing exercises, will be discussed to illustrate the effectiveness of yoga therapy treatment and the utilization of physiological responses common in depression, anxiety and trauma as a means to develop self-soothing techniques and to process and integrate their traumatic memories (both emotional, cognitive, and physiological). A market analysis was conducted to determine the market size, growth, trends and profitability of a yoga therapy program for veterans with symptoms of PTSD. Essential aspects such as yoga practice outlines, talk therapy outlines, clinicians and yoga therapist training, client population, and budget will also be addressed. |
