Yoga Breath Program and Client-Centered Exposure for Relief of PTSD in Tsunami Victims

Controlled Trial of Yoga Breath Based Group Intervention and Client-Centered Exposure Treatment for Relief of Traumatic Stress and Depression in Tsunami Victims

Study hypothesis: that a standardized course of Eastern practices (Breath Water Sound Course -BWS) will significantly relieve PTSD and depression in tsunami victims. Further, that a client-centered exposure treatment (Traumatic Incident Reduction- TIR) would provide additional, significant relief of PTSD and depression in tsunami victims.

180 tsunami victims in Southern India will be divided into three groups: those that only receive BWS course, those that receive the BWS course and TIR and a wait-list control. They will be pretested with the PCL-17 (PTSD scale), the Beck Depression Inventory and the General Health Questionaire. These scales will also be administered post-service as well as five weeks post pre-testing and at three and six month intervals.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Tsunami witness, tsunami victim, and/or lost loved one or property.
2. Ages 18-70
3. Willing to participate for the entire length of this research study.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Drug addiction, notwithstanding alcohol or tobacco.
2. Schizophrenia or other severe pre-existing mental illness
3. Severe physical disability or illness that would prevent study completion.