Question:
Does anyone have any experience of using non violent martial arts, Tai Chi, Aikido etc as therapy for PTSD sufferers. I have been offered it to deal with confidence/aggression. Any experiences or opinions. Thanks Adam
Response:
I would think it would not only build up your confidence in getting back at someone else who gets in your face when you don’t want them there but it would make you over confident to a point of getting aggressive. I know with my PTSD, I warn people not to put their hands on me or slap me on the back without my knowledge or else, they do it at their own risk. That’s my opinion. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Adam Best wrote in message <351e90eb.111313…@news.globalnet.co.uk>… >Does anyone have any experience of using non violent martial arts, Tai >Chi, Aikido etc as therapy for PTSD sufferers. I have been offered it >to deal with confidence/aggression. >Any experiences or opinions. >Thanks >Adam
Response:
Hi Adam! > Does anyone have any experience of using non violent martial arts, Tai > Chi, Aikido etc as therapy for PTSD sufferers. I have been offered it > to deal with confidence/aggression.
Tai Chi is now required for PTSD in-patients at the local VA hospital. It is called physical meditation. Of course, several patients keep trying to get the instructor to show them the martial arts instead of the Tai Chi movements (as they are related closely), but the instructor will not step over this line. In no way is this like the padded stick stuff in men’s basic and AIT in the 1960s. We are inside (not in an open, dusty field). Gentle music is playing; no sergeant is yelling. The closest thing to conversation is my giggling, the instructor telling us the next moves or someone trying to mess up the count on the one exercise which is done 49 times. While the instructor comes once a week for 90 minutes, a staff person leads the other days of the week in the daily practice sessions. I believe it is helping me ‘feel my body’ in a non-threatening way and in strengthening my body. As an outpatient I am not required to attend. I’ve signed up for the next session which starts in April. The breathing exercises have helped me gain some control of myself during anxiety attacks. Your mileage may vary. Smile and there will be something to smile about! Nancy
Response:
Well, "non-violent" no experience. But I did take Taekwondo for about 2 year before I was diagnosed with PTSD. Back then they thought I had the garden variety of General Anxiety Dissorder and Dysthimic Depression (sound familiar anyone?). I did Taekwondo to get over my fear of confronting people. It managed to build a great deal of confidence in me. I am much less fearful of people in general now. But heck, the sessions would scare the living piss outta me! And the stress of having to go to class 3 times a week and practice every day was not good at all. Benificial? I guess so. But may be I should have taken Tai Chi instead! Oh ya, what about yoga? No, not a martial art though. I did take yoga for a while. That was soooooooo nice! Loved it. -eric —–== Posted via Deja News, The Leader in Internet Discussion ==—– http://www.dejanews.com/ Now offering spam-free web-based newsreading
Response:
Adam, Tai Chi and Yoga have both been recommended to me by several different therapists. Body/Mind oriented therapy has worked real well for me with my PTSD. I took Jiu Jitsu for 4 years up until recently. I took Aikido a long time ago, for a short period of time. I would not recommend anything that involves hitting, choking, kicking or other aggressive lessons to anyone with PTSD. It didn’t help my PTSD. The choke holds and ground fighting in Jiu Jitsu brought back some memories for me, in a non-pleasant way. Judo is the competitive form of Jiu Jitsu. I wouldn’t recommend it to a PTSD sufferer. The discipline and self confidence building of the Martial Arts is very good. The constant violence, however, didn’t help my situation. It took me 4 years of a lot of physical pain to figure that lesson out <grin>. JP
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