Intimate Partner Violence and Yoga as PTSD Treatment
Psychology Department, University of Maryland Global Campus
Domestic violence or intimate partner violence is categorized as abusive behaviors seen
in intimate relationships. These behaviors can be physical, verbal, emotional, financial and
sexual. While men are also victims of domestic violence, women are disproportionately affected
as over one in three women report being abused by an intimate partner (Ong, Cashwell &
Downs, 2019). There are many consequences of such violence, one of which is post-traumatic
stress disorder. Women who have suffered domestic violence are likely to suffer from PTSD
with a myriad of symptoms. Because trauma memory is stored in the body (Ong, Cashwell &
Downs, 2019, p. 20), researchers designed an experiment using trauma-sensitive yoga as a
method to reconnect victims of domestic violence to their bodies and ease their PTSD symptoms.
Trauma-sensitive yoga is a specialized yoga practice that is designed to facilitate trauma healing
(Ong, Cashwell & Downs, 2019). The experiment hypothesized that this specialized yoga would
lead to a reduced PTSD score using a CAPS-5 test.
The trauma-sensitive yoga experiment used offered eight weeks of yoga to three
participants. Each participant met the criteria for mild or full PTSD and reported traumatic
incidents from previous partners (Ong, Cashwell & Downs, 2019). Prior to their selection, the
three women’s PTSD was measured using a CAPS-5 test. Over the course of eight weeks, the
three participants attended one trauma-sensitive course each week. Prior to and after each class,
they took a Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS) to measure the participants’ PTSD
symptoms before and after doing yoga. At the end of the eight weeks, each participant was given
a CAPS-5 test again to measure their PTSD. They were also interviewed by researchers before
and after the eight weeks of yoga. Of the three participants, two showed a significant reduction
in PTSD symptoms following the trauma-sensitive yoga program. The third participant had a
Psychology Department, University of Maryland Global Campus
Domestic violence or intimate partner violence is categorized as abusive behaviors seen
in intimate relationships. These behaviors can be physical, verbal, emotional, financial and
sexual. While men are also victims of domestic violence, women are disproportionately affected
as over one in three women report being abused by an intimate partner (Ong, Cashwell &
Downs, 2019). There are many consequences of such violence, one of which is post-traumatic
stress disorder. Women who have suffered domestic violence are likely to suffer from PTSD
with a myriad of symptoms. Because trauma memory is stored in the body (Ong, Cashwell &
Downs, 2019, p. 20), researchers designed an experiment using trauma-sensitive yoga as a
method to reconnect victims of domestic violence to their bodies and ease their PTSD symptoms.
Trauma-sensitive yoga is a specialized yoga practice that is designed to facilitate trauma healing
(Ong, Cashwell & Downs, 2019). The experiment hypothesized that this specialized yoga would
lead to a reduced PTSD score using a CAPS-5 test.
The trauma-sensitive yoga experiment used offered eight weeks of yoga to three
participants. Each participant met the criteria for mild or full PTSD and reported traumatic
incidents from previous partners (Ong, Cashwell & Downs, 2019). Prior to their selection, the
three women’s PTSD was measured using a CAPS-5 test. Over the course of eight weeks, the
three participants attended one trauma-sensitive course each week. Prior to and after each class,
they took a Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS) to measure the participants’ PTSD
symptoms before and after doing yoga. At the end of the eight weeks, each participant was given
a CAPS-5 test again to measure their PTSD. They were also interviewed by researchers before
and after the eight weeks of yoga. Of the three participants, two showed a significant reduction
in PTSD symptoms following the trauma-sensitive yoga program. The third participant had a
