Trauma-sensitive yoga receptivity, motivators, barriers, and preferences from U.S. adults with PTSD symptoms

18/05/2026

AI Summary

TSY rated acceptable and appropriate; 96% interest despite 90.6% never having heard of trauma-sensitive yoga.
Top motivators were mental health support and curiosity; main barriers were cost, time, and lack of programme awareness.
Preferred virtual asynchronous groups with education and facilitator check-ins; average programme 7 weeks, three 45-minute sessions weekly; women showed greater interest.

Psychol Trauma. 2026 May 18. doi: 10.1037/tra0002216. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Document trauma-sensitive yoga (TSY) acceptability, appropriateness, interest, motivators, barriers, and preferences in U.S. adults with posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and conduct gender comparisons as a preimplementation study for TSY program planning and to advance research-to-practice integration.

METHOD: Quota sampling was used to recruit men (n = 63) and women (n = 65) via a crowdsourcing platform for an online mixed-method survey. Descriptives and independent samples t tests, chi-square tests, and effect sizes were calculated.

RESULTS: TSY was rated as acceptable and appropriate for trauma care. Most participants had never heard of TSY (90.62%) and indicated interest in it (96.09%). Top barriers were cost, time, and lack of awareness of programs. Top motivators were mental health support and curiosity. Program preferences were for virtual asynchronous groups open for any trauma survivors. Participants reported wanting programs with education about yoga and trauma and check-ins with the facilitator. Average preferences were for 7-week programs with 3, 45-min sessions a week with optional home practice. Women reported significantly more interest and weeks compared to men. Preference differences emerged for making up missed sessions and recording homework.

CONCLUSIONS: U.S. adults with posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and limited TSY experience rated TSY as acceptable and appropriate for trauma care. Most participants were interested in TSY programs and TSY integrated with psychotherapy, yet awareness of programs was a barrier. TSY facilitators and mental health providers can collaborate to increase awareness of TSY as an empirically supported adjunctive posttraumatic stress disorder intervention and design programs based on preferences. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

PMID:42149469 | DOI:10.1037/tra0002216

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