Crochet as PTSD therapy?

Knit one, heal two?

Crochet is hardly the most macho hobby in the world, but maybe that's why it can actually be a good activity for people with PTSD. An article on Crochet Concupiscence calls crochet "a form of self-kindness," saying its slow pace can help put you into a meditative state that will in turn reduce anxiety and the severity of flashbacks.

Read on:

Crochet Is Healing … Even for People With PTSD

Aromatherapy, Yoga & PTSD

In addition to therapy and medications, there are numerous things people can do to help ease the symptoms from their PTSD. Learning to relax is vitally important, and two ways to help you relax are yoga and aromatherapy.

Over at the site SelfGrowth.com, certified aromatherapist Robin Barnette offers a few ideas on using aromatherapy to relax and reduce anxiety.

Smell has been said to be a tremendous gateway to memory and the right aromas really can help you get to a good place in your head. Check out here recommendations here.

How have aromatherapy, yoga or other techniques helped you? Feel free to share them in the comments.

David Lynch, Transcendental Meditation & PTSD

Famed filmmaker David Lynch is about to launch a new project called Operation Warrior Wellness, which will aim to teach Transcendental Meditation to 10,000 veterans to help combat their PTSD. There's no real information about it online yet, but it officially launches on December 13 with a fundraiser featuring Lynch, Clint Eastwood, George Lucas, Dr. Oz, and others. Tonic (a news site I often write for) has an interview with Lynch about meditation and how it can help PTSD, and the Huffington Post has a much more in-depth article about the entire project and how it began.

From what we've read, Lynch's foundation will be offering scholarships or grants to help people attend the $1,500 workshops for as little as $750 or $375. We'll post more when we hear it.

Read our previous story on Lynch here.

David Lynch Foundation to support soldiers with PTSD

Pioneering filmmaker David Lynch (Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks) is also a long-standing proponent of Transcendental Meditation (TM). Now Lynch wants to teach soldiers with PTSD how to use TM to reduce their stress and transform their lives.

Lynch's foundation, The David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace, is seeking funding for a program to bring TM to veterans.

Will it work? Their site quotes the Journal of Counseling and Development: "Veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress who practiced TM showed significant reductions in depression, anxiety, and family problems after four months, in contrast to veterans randomly assigned to psychotherapy."

You can find out more about the project, and watch a short video, here.