Kundalini Yoga Meditation: Techniques Specific for Psychiatric Disorders, Couples Therapy, and Personal Growth
David Shannahoff-Khalsa
Praise for Kundalini Yoga Meditation:
"This book is a valuable and accessible tool for the psychotherapist and yoga teacher. I use it as both reference and inspiration daily."
—LifeForce Yoga News and Research
"[A]s an introduction to the use of Kundalini yoga techniques, and in particular to their potential in the treatmen tof psychiatric disorders by a teacher and therapist of longstanding experience, it presents an intriguing study to anyone interested in the field of mental health care."
—Biodynamic Massage
"In times such as these, when more and more people are being offered medication for the expanding list of psychiatric disorders and general dis-ease with modern living, Kundalini Yoga Meditation is a refreshing, long-awaited complement to such an approach. . . . [E]vidence-based to work where other therapies have failed. . . . [U]seful for anyone seeking to utlize such approaches to treat ill-health and improve well-being and could well interest clinicians working with patients whose conditions have been refractory to other treatments. . . . Shannahoff-Khalsa gives excellent descriptions and many images to support the ease of adopting the techniques."
—The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
"[I]mmediately practical and applicable."
—Keeping in Touch: The United States Association for Body Psychotherapy Newsletter
"Richly illustrated with clinical case histories, this book bridges the tensions between these two world views by offering a detailed repertoire of yogic breathing techniques and postures embedded within controlled treatment outcome trials. Readily practiced within everyday settings, these techniques open the ancient yogic technology of the mind to the reader while remaining grounded in modern neuroscience."
—Frank W. Putnam, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, University of Cincinnati
“This is an outstanding book! Shannahoff-Khalsa does an exemplary job. . . . Applying his remarkable grasp of physiology, psychiatry, scientific method, and ancient yoga techniques, he enlightens the reader with practical guidelines on how to view and use these methods to help patients in distress.”
—Brian Fallon, M.D., MPH, Director, Neuropsychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center
“Shannahoff-Khalsa expertly presents ways that Kundalini yoga can help people overcome an array of symptoms, such as bouts of insomnia, stress, or anxiety from interpersonal problems.” —Benjamin H. Natelson, M.D., Professor of Neurosciences, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School
Overview – Contents
For several decades, yoga has been a popular mainstream approach to health conscious living, and is used by those with medical disorders. Now, following a bevy of recent research studies, yoga has exploded onto the mental health scene, and clinicians and patients alike are embracing the use of yoga to effectively help combat psychiatric disorders.
In Kundalini Yoga Meditation, Shannahoff-Khalsa—researcher, Kundalini yoga teacher for over 30 years, and worldwide authority in the field of alternative therapies for psychiatric disorders—weaves scientific insights, clinical trials, case histories, and disorder-specific techniques to explain how the ancient science of Kundalini yoga can be a useful stand-alone or supplemental treatment for psychiatric disorders.
Written for all those in the mental health profession, the book begins by laying out a number of landmark scientific studies based on Kundalini yoga, all of which have led to a new understanding of mind-body dynamics, physiological states, and ways of noninvasively altering the brain and body. Included are novel yogic concepts on rhythms of the brain, personality structure, models for the mind and consciousness, and other fundamentals to enhance our understanding of health and disease processes.
With this scientific overview in place, Shannahoff-Khalsa goes on to explore, chapter by chapter, how Kundalini yoga can be applied to the treatment of psychiatric disorders— including OCD and other anxiety disorders; major depressive disorders; bipolar disorders; addictive, impulse control, and eating disorders; insomnia and other sleep problems; chronic fatigue syndrome; ADHD and co-morbid disorders (conduct and oppositional defiant disorder); PTSD; and the abused and battered psyche. His work also illuminates the treatment of complex co-morbid disorder patients. Most importantly, each chapter includes the full set of disorder-specific meditation protocols and techniques described in complete detail—64 in total. Photographs help illustrate poses for easy simulation. The final section of the book covers the application of Kundalini yoga for individuals, couples, and groups in therapy, and includes an epilogue that discussed the future of psychiatry.
Mind-body medicine is at the forefront of current mental health research and treatment, and the introduction of this ancient technology of the mind into the equation is a major breakthrough in our understanding of improved treatment for a wide variety of psychiatric disorders. Kundalini Yoga Meditation skillfully introduces this exciting new frontier, and equips psychiatrists, psychotherapists, psychologists, social workers, and other clinicians with the tools and techniques necessary to incorporate yogic meditation into their practices, and bring hope and healing to their clients.
About the Author–
David Shannahoff-Khalsa is the Director of The Research Group for Mind-Body Dynamics, Institute for Nonlinear Science, University of California, San Diego. He has published widely in scientific journals and routinely presents at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meetings. He is a world authority in yogic medicine, a Kundalini Yoga teacher, and a leader in the field of alternative therapies for psychiatric disorders.
ISBN 10: 0-393-70475-0
ISBN 13: 978-0-393-70475-4
2007 / 384 pages / color and black-and-white illustrations / Hardcover
