Other Common Healing Approaches 605Yogaincorporates exercise, static poses, breathing, relax-
ation, and meditation (Jacobs, 1996). The purpose of yoga is
to •centerŽ the person•s mind, body, and spirit. Speci“c hy-
pothesized bene“ts include improving muscular and cardio-
vascular endurance, boosting the immune system, enhancing
circulation, increasing muscular and cognitive ”exibility, and
relaxation. Yoga is often used as complementary therapy for
medical disorders such as asthma, arthritis, HIV/AIDS,
cancer, and coronary artery disease. While there are several
different types of yoga, Hatha yogais most frequently prac-
ticed in the West. Hatha yoga combines stretching, breathing,
relaxation, and meditation (Wanning, 1993).
Research supports positive bene“ts of practicing yoga. Pa-
tients with epilepsy were randomly assigned to true yoga,
sham yoga (i.e., similar but distinct postures), and a nontreat-
ment control group (Panjwani, Gupta, Singh, Selvamurthy, &
Rai, 1995). Decreases in galvanic skin response, as an indi-
cator of sympathetic nervous system activity, were noted in
the true yoga group only. Another study compared yoga,
relaxation (i.e., progressive muscle relaxation), and visual-
ization in a group of healthy adults (Wood, 1993). Partici-
pants practiced for six, 25- to 30-minute sessions over a
two-week period. Following intervention, the yoga group re-
ported increased mental and physical energy, alertness, and
positive mood. These bene“ts were signi“cantly greater than
the other two groups. The relaxation group was more tired
and sluggish compared with yoga, and the visualization
group reported more sluggishness and less contentment com-
pared to those performing yoga. Additionally, yoga has been
integrated into cardiac rehabilitation programs (Ornish et al.,
1998).
Additional movement therapies conjectured to enhance
mind and body health include the Alexander technique and
Feldenkrais. The Alexander techniqueis based on the con-
cept that poor posture produces functional problems in the
mind and body. Those practicing this technique strive to work
with unconscious thoughts and to correct poor postures,
especially centered on the head, neck, and back. One uncon-
trolled study investigated the effects of the Alexander tech-
nique on patients with Parkinson•s disease (Stallibrass,
1997). Following a series of lessons (mean number 12),
participants demonstrated decreased depressive symptoms
and increased functional abilities.
Similarly, Feldenkrais’ functional integrationis based on
the premise that pain and decreased movement are caused by
poor usage patterns. The goal of this movement therapy is to
develop •freedom through awarenessŽ via •re-educatingŽ
motor components by using slow, purposeful movements.
As a result, the body and mind are hypothesized to relax,
permitting ease with movement, thinking, and feeling.
One randomized controlled study investigating Feldenkrais
movement was identi“ed (Johnson, Frederick, Kaufman, &
Mountjoy, 1999). In this study, patients with multiple sclero-
sis participated in true or sham Feldenkrais sessions. Only
those participants in the true Feldenkrais intervention
reported less perceived stress and anxiety.Expressive TherapiesExpressive therapies include techniques designed to in-
crease the person•s awareness and expression of emotions.
Written emotional disclosurerefers to writing about thoughts
and feelings regarding a stressful or traumatic event. This
type of expressive therapy has consistently demonstrated
positive effects on psychological well-being, mood, and
physiological and general functioning (Smyth, 1998). Specif-
ically, written emotional disclosure has resulted in greater
positive mood, less negative mood, decreased anxiety, fewer
somatic complaints, and less frequent physician visits for
both students and unemployed adults (Greenberg & Stone,
1992; Pennebaker, 1993; Pennebaker, Colder, & Sharp,
1990).
With regard to medical populations, patients with rheuma-
toid arthritis (RA) and asthma were randomly assigned to
write about either stressful experiences or a neutral topic
(Smyth, Stone, Hurewitz, & Kaell, 1999). Four months fol-
lowing intervention, those in the former group demonstrated
signi“cant health bene“ts not gleaned from the group writing
about neutral events. Speci“cally, patients with RA demon-
strated improvements in overall disease activity, while those
with asthma demonstrated improved lung function. Further-
more, 47% of those writing about stressful events, compared
to 9% in the other group, demonstrated clinically signi“cant
improvements. Positive mood and enhanced physical func-
tion were also noted in another study in a group of patients
with RA (Kelley, Lumley, & Leisen, 1997). Similar to the
previous study, only participants randomly assigned to dis-
close stressful events (this time via verbal means) gained
psychological and physical bene“ts, while those randomly
assigned to discuss a neutral topic showed no psychological
or physical health bene“ts.
Dance movement therapy(DMT) attempts to promote
expression and reduce tension through movement. It has been
prescribed in the clinical literature to help treat children and
adults with behavior problems or expressive dif“culties.
DMT is believed to help decrease negative effects of stress
(e.g., tension, fatigue) by gaining a sense of control through
(a) the spiritual aspect of dance, (b) moving (e.g., increased