title: Effects of sensory-enhanced yoga on symptoms of combat stress in deployed military personnel.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We examined the effects of sensory-enhanced hatha yoga on symptoms of combat stress in deployed military personnel, compared their anxiety and sensory processing with that of stateside civilians, and identified any correlations between the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory scales and the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile quadrants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy military personnel who were deployed to Iraq participated in a randomized controlled trial. Thirty-five received 3 wk (≥9 sessions) of sensory-enhanced hatha yoga, and 35 did not receive any form of yoga.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sensory-enhanced hatha yoga was effective in reducing state and trait anxiety, despite normal pretest scores. Treatment participants showed significantly greater improvement than control participants on 16 of 18 mental health and quality-of-life factors. We found positive correlations between all test measures except sensory seeking. Sensory seeking was negatively correlated with all measures except low registration, which was insignificant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results support using sensory-enhanced hatha yoga for proactive combat stress management.
authors.affiliation: Yoga Warriors International, West Boylston, MA, USA. lynnstoller.ot@gmail.com
authors.forename: Carolyn C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Stoller
authors.forename: Joh H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Greuel
authors.forename: Lucy S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Cimini
authors.forename: Mary S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Fowler
authors.forename: Jane A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Koomar
mesh_terms: D001007:Anxiety / Q000628:therapy; D003130:Combat Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000628:therapy; D015013:Yoga / Q000523:psychology*