Yoga psychology - therapy on the mat

“My patients laugh, cry, explore and even have revelations on their Yoga mat. For many, perceptions of their attitudes, belief systems and behaviour patterns are challenged in this unknown territory, bringing about gentle and permanent changes as a deeper understanding of the self is discovered.
   I am a Physical Therapist and Yoga Teacher working within an Integrated Therapy Centre alongside psychologists, psychiatrists, counsellors, massage therapists and so on. With experience, we have found over the years that a patient-centred approach to care is the most beneficial way of eliciting life-long changes. We provide a therapeutic forum in which patients can slowly investigate and express deep-seated anxieties born out of distressing events in the past.
   Yoga is a key to therapy. The reasons for this are many, although it does depend most importantly on the relationship between the Yoga therapist and patient. On the mat there are no physical barriers such as a desk or computer as commonly found in other mental health care treatments. There are no distractions and the therapist is more accessible, being on the same physical plane as the patient.
 

the importance of trust
As Dr Nick Read says in his book, 'Sick and Tired: Healing The Illnesses Doctors Cannot Cure', ’The path to recovery is the patient’s journey and the therapist can only help them find their own way’. So it is not necessarily what the therapist says that brings about change, it is more the quality of the relationship that sets the scene for change to take place.
   As we know, the development of trust, communication and understanding takes time between people. Yoga affords a patient such time and space to feel relaxed in the company of the therapist. When trust has been developed, emotional and psychological problems can bubble up at the patient’s own pace. The pace is often set by the subconscious. When the person feels secure enough on a very deep level, defence mechanisms are lowered so that psychological issues begin to surface in a relaxed and supportive environment...”

The article continues to expand on the ways in which Yoga can positively influence and increase the effectiveness of therapy for a range of problems. It is written by Karen Atkinson, who specialises in treating patients with chronic pain, ME and other medical conditions in a holistic way, and sees patients privately and teaches classes and workshops in the South West of the UK.