06.18.09
The Effects of Qigong and Tai Chi on Survivors of Torture and Refugee Trauma
Researchers at Boston University explored the effects of Qigong and Tai Chi in helping survivors of torture and refugee trauma (Grodin et al., 2008). They surveyed the common effects of torture and refugee trauma, emphasizing post-traumatic stress disorder. They reviewed evidence from the scientific literature on the applications of Qigong and Tai Chi in relieving symptoms in torture survivors.
Their observations from four cases, together with the review of the literature demonstrated the potential value of using Qigong and Tai Chi as a therapeutic intervention for torture and refugee trauma. Further studies are still needed to verify their findings and to find out the mechanisms of the efficacy of such interventions.
Reference:
Grodin, M. A., Piwowarczyk, L., et al. (2008) Treating survivors of torture and refugee trauma: a preliminary case series using qigong and t’ai chi. J Altern Complement Med 14, 801-806.
