2011 • NYS Psychologist - New York State Psychological Association

Yoga Therapy: Road to Resiliency
Helping Women, Men, and Children Heal in the
Wake of Terrorist Attacks—Revisited
Mercedes A. McCormick, PhD, RYT and Oksana Ostrovskaya, MA
Pace University, New York City, New York
Today psychologists are being encouraged to practice clinically
using an integrative health model. An integrative health model
incorporates traditional and alternative health tools and techniques
to reduce psychological discomfort. This is the tenth year
anniversary of the most horrific terrorist attack in our nation's history-
9/11 -The World Trade Center Attack. The purpose of this
article is to fold: first, to revisit interventions used to help 9-11 victims
heal shortly after the 9/11 attack; and second, to discuss and
demonstrate the integrative alternative technique- Yoga Therapy.
A decade ago Yoga Therapy was implemented as an effective
stress-reducing tool to help people heal and recover from the 9/11
traumatic event. Post-traumatic symptoms in adults and children
are described. Consultative, experiential, and practical use of Yoga
therapy techniques for traumatized women, men and children
are given. Participants were mental health practitioners, educators,
mothers, fathers, and children in the New York–New Jersey
Metro Area who were affected by the 9/11 attacks. Yoga therapy
techniques were reported by participants to help to reduce anxiety
and depressive symptoms and to increase positive thoughts and
behaviors in a safe, supportive environment. Thus Yoga therapy is
experienced as an effective stress-reducing vehicle that provides
time and structure for individuals to improve psychological integration
and adaptation.
Keywords: Post-traumatic symptoms, Yoga therapy, Stress reduction
The horrific events of the terrorist attacks of 9/11 awakened
the entire country to the uncertainty and fragility of human life and
the tentative safety of our existence. In the aftermath of this calamity,
many people are experiencing frustration in their healing
process.
The yogic perspective recognizes that each individual’s response
to traumatic stress is unique. On the Yoga path individuals
become aware of normal responses to abnormal events, and Yoga
is the vehicle that brings awareness of disharmony between
body and mind. Individuals recognize negative thoughts, feelings,
and behaviors that are detours on the road to wholeness. They
become resilient in dealing with stress and restore balance between
body and mind as they move toward the destination of experiencing
their true nature (Epstein, 1998).
Meditation, Breathwork, and Movement are the fuels to bring
relief from intense body sensations and strong emotional feelings.
Meditation helps to clear the mind of distractions and to bring a
person into the present moment. Breathwork enables the individual
to become open and recognize body sensations. Movement
through âsanas (yoga postures) releases emotional tension in the
body and mind; this process supports the individual in becoming
flexible in handling trauma. This threefold practice of Yoga thus
transports practitioners into the direct experience of personal
wholeness.
A decade ago I provided information, structure, and support
to help people become more aware and resilient in dealing with
their unique responses to terrorism and trauma. Within this context
I will describe my consultative, experiential, and practical efforts
as a psychologist in implementing Yoga therapy techniques
for mental health practitioners, women, men, children, and families.
An adult's reaction to traumatic events is different than a
child’s. An adult’s reaction is based on his or her physical and
mental health and how he or she has negotiated other losses and
traumas in life. When an adult witnesses an event such as 9/11
the immediate normal protective reactions are shock and denial.
Other reactions may include extreme behaviors, feelings of anxiety,
nightmares, and flashbacks immediately following the event.
As the initial shock subsides, reactions vary from one person to
another (Van der Kolk, McFarlene, & Weisaeth, 1996).
The symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder may be
displayed over time. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, (1994) an adult’s reactions
are divided into three categories: re-experiencing (via intrusive
thoughts or nightmares of the event), avoidance (through
efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings, activities, people, or places
reminiscent of the event), and increased arousal (characterized by
difficulty sleeping, irritability, exaggerated feelings of not being
safe, or being startled) (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders, 1994).
A youth’s physical and emotional responses to trauma interact
with variables such as age, life experiences, temperament,
family, and other individuals. Being younger, being female, having
a family member exposed to the World Trade Center attack, having
personal physical exposure to 9/11, and having prior exposure
to trauma were factors found to increase negative reactions to
trauma (New York State Psychiatric Institute, 2002).
Young people who undergo traumatic events often experience
fears, sleep problems including nightmares, increased physical
complaints or illness, avoidance, anger, increased aggression,
shame, anxious attachment, problems in attention and concen —
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Mercedes A. McCormick, PhD, is a licensed psychologist in New York
State. She received her doctorate degree in Family and Marriage Therapy
from Seton Hall University in NJ and MS in School Psychology at Pace
University, NYC. She is certified as a school psychologist in the states of
New York and New Jersey. She work as a school psychologist for twentyeight
years in an urban school district in NJ. She is trained in yoga therapy
and mindfulness mediation. In addition, she is the MA Coordinator of the
MA program in Psychology at Pace University and teaches in the Pace
Department Psychology Department. Mercedes is the Chapter Adviser for
Psi Chi. She is a recent Past-Chair of the Psychology Section of the New
York Academy of Sciences as well as serving as President of NYSPA
Division of Women's Issues (2012). She is currently the VP of Eastern
Region of Psi Chi, International Honor Society of Psychology and is the
President -elect of APA Div. 52 International Psychology. She has received
distinguished awards and recently APA Division 1 status as a Fellow.
She has written about alternative techniques in helping others heal
after traumatic events and creativity. She is a mentor that continues to
strive to teach and mentor others to learn and solve life challenges presented
to them. She currently writes about time management, mentoring
and shared leadership for students.
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Vol. XXIII No. 2 • Fall 2011 • NYS Psychologist