A Study on the Attitudes of Residents of Therapeutic Community toward the Impact of Yoga on their Emotions, Temper and Behavior

1Mazdak Pourjafar

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1Nasrin Hajizadesabegh

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1Islamic Azad University, Roodhen branch, Tehran

 

Abstract

Yoga is a set of physical and mental activities used to improve health and tranquility. They are used all around the world to help substance abusers. The present paper aims at studying the attitude of residents toward the impacts of yoga by distributing questionnaires among TC residents. The sample included 20 TC reside. The obtained results revealed that TC residents have positive attitude toward yoga practices.

Keywords: substance dependency, therapeutic community, yoga

Introduction

Yoga is a set of physical and mental practices that are used in order to achieve well-being and serenity. Yoga teachings date back to ancient times. Archeological studies in India subcontinent and discoveringearthenware with pictures of ancient yogis indicate that yoga practices date back to more than 5000 years. Yoga and its various benefits were frequently mentioned in ancient India texts including Upanishads.These practices were considered useful for health and tranquility.

European scholars have always considered physiological and psychological impacts of yoga. For example, Jung has mentioned the benefits and results of yoga practices. “While working on unconsciousness, sometimes I was so fatigue that I did yoga practices in order to conquer my own feelings. Since I wanted to figure out what is happening inside me, I kept doing these practices until I was calm and could keep working on unconsciousness” (Jung, 1992, p. 158).

According to Jung, physical practices of yoga result into better physiological health compared to other sport practices (Jung, 2009).

Yoga practices are used in treating substance abusers in the detox stage and stages that happen after that. Also, based on UNDCP global report, yoga and other traditional remedies including homeopathy and acupuncture were used by European physicians.

Literature review

Various studies have been done regarding yoga and its therapeutic impacts. Here we discuss two of them.

The Clevel and Foundation conducted a research on 70 people aged more than 55 who suffered from weak to average anxiety. The obtained results revealed effects of yoga on psychological variables. The participants were randomly separated into two different groups. For 12 weeks,a group did sport practices accompanied with musictwo times a week. The other group spent the same time doing simple yoga practices. Sleeping disease, fatigue, anxiety, depressionand anger of these people was studied before and after doing exercises as well as 12 weeks later. The results displayed that the group which did simple yoga practices were better in all the items mentioned above compared to the other group.

In the Older Americans Act, a research was completed in Florida. The participants included more than a hundred old women. The gained results showed that yoga can reduce anxiety and anger and can add to self-esteem of people. In this research participants were randomly divided into experimental and control group. Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale and state trait anxiety inventory were used in this research.

A review of emotional and behavioral problems of TC residents

TC residents have problems regarding experiencing and adapting themselves with emotions. These problems are very common among substance abusers. Also, they usually have improper emotional reactions. A reason of self-destructing behaviors in substance abusers is lack of emotional maturity. For some of them, the only way to express themselves is violence. Lack of emotions is another common problem among substance abusers.

A fundamentalpresumption of TCs is that treatment will not last long unless the individual understands the relation between emotional matters and substance abuse, and learns how to experience feelings including fear, frustration, sorrow, delight and guilt without abusing substances, and how to display these emotions in a way that is acknowledged by the society.

According to TCs, residents have an active role in the cure of themselves and other substance abusers. They usually have difficulties in facing, dealing, and adjusting with sentiments. They usually cannot resist emotional matters, have limited emotional relationships, and displayunfitting emotional reactions just as abusing substances (De Leon, 2002).

Due to above-mentioned problems of substance users, it is significant to come up with solutions in order to help the substance abusers control their emotions and overcome mental strains.

Methodology

In the present research, the researcher taught yoga practices to TC residents and studied the attitude of residents toward the impacts of yoga by distributing questionnaires among TC residents.

The questionnaire was a Likert scale questionnaire and included 20 questions regarding the impacts of yoga practices on manner, anxiety, mental strain and insomnia. The mean of attitude is measured as follows.

M =   

K=20

It should be mentioned that participantsincluded thirty one people who all participated in yoga practice sessions. Two questionnaires were not fully answered; therefore, 29 questionnaires were analyzed.

Discussion and results

Anxiety

Sixteen people totally agreed that yoga practices reduce anxiety. Nine people agreed. Three people had no idea and one person totally disagreed. Generally, 82/2% agreed while 3/4% disagreed.

Tranquility

Twenty one people totally agreed that after yoga practices they feel tranquil. Seven people agreed. One person disagreed. Generally, 69/5% agreed while 3/4% disagreed.

Exhilaration

Fifteen one people totally agreed that after yoga practices they feel exhilarated. Ten people agreed. Four people had no idea. Generally86/24% agreed.

Aggression

Ten people totally agreed that after yoga practices aggression is reduced. Eleven people agreed. Seven people had no idea and one person disagreed. Generally, 72/4% agreed while 3/4% disagreed.

Insomnia

Ten people totally agreed that after yoga practices insomnia is reduced. Eight people agreed. Five people had no idea and six people disagreed. Generally, 62/06% agreed while 20/7% disagreed.

Mental strain

Thirteen people totally agreed that after yoga practices mental strain is reduced. Ten people agreed. Four people had no idea and two people disagreed. Generally, 79/3% agreed while 6/9% disagreed.

Temptation

Five people totally agreed that after yoga practices temptation is reduced. Three people agreed. Twenty people had no idea and one person disagreed. Generally, 70% agreed while 4/3% disagreed.

Anger

Twelve people totally agreed that after yoga practices anger is reduced. Nine people agreed. Three people had no idea and two people disagreed. Generally, 82/75% agreed while 10/34% disagreed.

Conclusion

Studying the obtained results revealed that all the residents had a score above the mean and had a positive attitude toward yoga practices. Yoga is highly effective in increasing tranquility and exhilaration in TC residents. Also, yoga practices result into decrease in anxiety, aggression, insomnia, mental strain, temptation and anger.

References

Jung, C. G. (1992). Memories, dreams, reflections (P. Faramarzi, Trans.).Tehran: QodsRazavi publication.

Jung, C. G. (2009). Yoga (collection of articles) (J. Satari, Trans.).Tehran: Mitra.

Hewitt, J. (1998). Yoga (O. Eqtedari, Trans.). Tehran: Qoqnus.

www.associationyogaamerican.org

De Leon, G. (2002).The therapeutic community (A. A. Ebrahimi, Trans.). Isfahan: Kankash.