Kundalini Yoga Meditation: Techniques Specific for Psychiatric Disorders, Couples Therapy, and Personal Growth

By David S. Shannahoff-Khalsa

Book Overview

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.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393704750
• ISBN13: 9780393704754
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 404 Pages
• Weight: 1.84 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

cedar Mcdaniels (layperson)

I found a copy of this book on the shelf in Barnes and Nobles. I was so impressed by the scientific research supporting the practices and also by the testimonals that I begin doing the protocol on my own almost immediately. I have had amazing results. I have tried countless healing modalities from conventional to alternative and I have not found any treatment that offers lasting results. I have been doing the PTSD protocol for 3 months now and my life has transformed. For the first time in my life I am enjoying myself. Anyone who suffers from chronic psychological problems should read this book and try the protocol that fits their particular situation. There is absolutely nothing to lose and a lot to gain!!!!!!!

This actually works, to my surprise

I tried this method as a self-treatment for OCD, from which I had suffered for quite a few years (about 26 years, actually), and which was getting worse. The breathing method prescribed is quite arduous and I was not sure that it would work for me. Actually, to be blunt, I was quite skeptical that it would work for anyone, as I am not a believer in any Eastern religion (or other religion) and am generally inclined to believe that the benefits of meditation, yoga, and like practices are overblown, even when significant. However, I was desperate, and I had read Mr. Shannahoff-Khalsa's scientific articles, which appeared to have been conducted according to sound scientific protocols and to give significant support to the hypothesis that certain kinds of breathing methods can treat OCD. I actually found that the method worked -- my obsessions diminished and eventually went away. I do not take any prescription medications, and I actually do not even practice the method anymore (I don't need to). Of course, I am simply one person, and it is possible that things would have changed for me, anyway, with or without this method. However, nothing had worked before this except, to some extent, Saint John's Wort, which I do still take but which had never cured (merely alleviated) my obsessions. I also worked on psychological techniques I learned from Steven Phillipson's website, which I also highly recommend. Perhaps my recovery was a consequence of one of these or a combination, not of the pranayama breathing; perhaps it was merely something that would have happened by itself. But I don't think so, and I would urge anyone who is suffering as I did to try this. You have very little to lose and a lot to gain. I myself saw results right away.

Each nostril experiences the world differently

This astonishing insight and the fact that the amount of air flowing through each nostril shifts several times daily (an ultradian rhythm) was made thousands of years ago by yogic practitioners, particularly those who practiced Kundalini yoga. Over 30 years ago, David Shannahof-Khalsa studied the techniques that arose from these insights, including forced nasal-cycle breathing, and has devoted his life to the study of how nasal cycle breathing and other yogic techniques can be used to cope with some of the most recalcitrant mental health and medical problems, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD,) addictive behaviors, chronic anxiety, insomnia, chronic fatigue syndrome (CSF) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD,) among many others. The present book is the culmination of Shannahoff-Khalsa's studies and discoveries and is must reading for all mental health practitioners, as well as primary care physicians and intelligent laypeople. Shannahoff-Khalsa has performed an outstanding and valuable job in bridging Eastern wisdom with Western science in a book that is well written and loaded with practical and important advice.

Magnificent Tool for Healing and Understanding

As a patient diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, Shannahoff-Khalsa's book has offered me a fantastic means to improve strength, clarity, and resiliency. His emphasis on technique and careful documentation provide yoga practitioners of all levels with a smooth and steady introduction to increasing one's powers of healing while also expanding consciousness. It would be wonderful if all health professionals and counselors utilized these methods to complement their work -- or even as a primary method of healing and prevention. Shannahoff-Khalsa has worked with researchers and practitioners to share the Kundalini practice with insight and compassion. If you're involved in the world of healing in any capacity -- whether as a patient, psychology professional, medical student, or friend/family of a loved one -- it is incredibly worthwhile to share the knowledge of this book. It has helped me make enormous progress, and I trust it can do so for others.

a valuable text for yoga therapy

Sat Nam. This book provides a very useful bridge between classical Kundalini yoga and the emerging field of yoga therapy. For students of Kundalini yoga, the book will provide insight into how meditations, asanas, and kriyas are of value in terms of mental health care. For psychologists and mental health providers, the book underscores the value of the traditions of Kundalini yoga in the care of persons suffering from OCD, anxiety, and psychosomatic problems. David has spent the past three decades as a practitioner and scholar in defining the link between the traditions of Kundalini yoga and mental health. His book is a deliverance of his work and practice. As a practicing psychologist and yoga teacher, I find his work to have a great deal of value in working with people irrespective of their prior exposure or interest in yoga. His treatment protocol for OCD is very beneficial for persons with this and related anxiety disorders. I have even found "off-label" value in some of his techniques for insomnia and panic. There are a lot of tools provided in his work and not unimportantly, he considers the role of Kundalini yoga for the fields of neuroscience and behavioral medicine. David provides many useful observations concerning the clinical utility of Kundalini yoga meditation. No matter if you are on the couch, the mat, or in the laboratory, this is a valuable text to have.