Alison Willing, PhD, Professor at the University of South Florida Center of Aging and Brain Repair, Department of Neurosurgery in Tampa, Florida. Allison talks about the benefits of Jiu Jitsu for PTSD.
Interview conducted by Ivanhoe Broadcast News in March 2017.
What is the study about and what are you doing?
Dr. Willing: We’ve been doing this now for about three years and the study originated with the owners of the Jiu Jitsu Yoga Studios. They had an idea that they thought would be very productive for helping returning veterans reintegrate into society. They ended up contacting us at the University and from there we put together first a small study. The first one was looking at whether or not attending Jiu Jitsu training for a period of five months would reduce symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD and other global cycle pathology symptoms. It was a small study to start with and we actually ended it early because the effects were so dramatic.
What were the effects of the study?
Dr. Willing: The effects were such dramatic improvements in their PTSD scores, their general coping abilities and other psychological measures on very standard scales that we thought it was appropriate to then go on to the next step. In the current study we’re again looking at Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The veterans get a ten week course at this time instead of five months because that’s how fast we were seeing our effects the first time. They learn how to do Jiu Jitsu and basically the mindset of this martial art but we’re also comparing it to the same course of treatment of say a yoga regiment which has already been shown to be effective for treating PTSD.
What kind of improvement, like after the ten weeks can you give us an example of how they improve?
Dr. Willing: They’re not having as many intrusive memories, there’s a decrease in anxiety, there’s a decrease in depression, generally things along that line. We’re also looking at sleep and how that’s effective. So we have a number of different measures that we’re looking at and there is a general improvement.
Do they have to continue doing the Jiu Jitsu or they did it after ten weeks and it’s kind of been proven?
Dr. Willing: Antidotally we haven’t done that study yet. That is definitely something we are thinking we will do. What we are finding is that people who finished either this study or the previous study they are incorporating it into their lifestyle and they are continuing to do it. But we haven’t done the measure yet that goes back and says okay, you know if you do it for this long is that enough to maintain the changes long-term. So that is something that we do need to look at for the future.
How significant is this for the people who are suffering from posttraumatic stress?
Dr. Willing: There really are no good therapies out there right now. Your traditional psychotherapies take a long time they are very labor-intensive. You can end up spending thirty plus hours a week just in therapy related tasks. There’s no guarantee that you’re going to feel better coming out the other end for a lot of this. There is a need for alternative therapies that people can incorporate into their lives and help them.
This is amazing what you’re finding.
Dr. Willing: It is absolutely amazing. My collaborator Dr. Kep has been doing PTSD research in the college public health for a number of years, in particular looking at accelerated resolution therapy. They get great results with that. Initially when he saw the results that we were getting on our clinical measures he was astounded that we were getting such significant changes.
What’s accelerated resolution therapy?
Dr. Willing: It’s a different type of therapy used with PTSD and it can be used with other traumatic events, it’s not a traditional therapy. It’s another alternative therapy but it is being found to be fairly useful for the treatment of these disorders. It changes the emotional tone of the memory. You still remember the traumatic events but it is no longer so terrifying, a scary type of thing.
What does the Jiu Jitsu do?
Dr. Willing: That is one of the things that we have to look at. On the physiological level I cannot tell you. On the level of mindfulness and introducing a greater feeling of control, that is probably some of what is going on.
Anything else about like PTSD in general, it can really be debilitating.
Dr. Willing: It is debilitating. A lot of the people that have it cannot function easily when they come back from the war. It interferes with everything and it introduces a whole host of other issues. Some people will turn to alcohol for temporary relief and things like that. It’s a drain, it’s devastating for the person, it’s a drain on society and the fact that we are still engaged in these actions overseas means that’s it’s only going to get worse. The more we can do to investigate better ways to provide a treatment and help the better off we’re going to be in the long run.
Is the focus on veterans or PTSD relating to other life events?
Dr. Willing: Right now we focus on veterans and active service members. But it could also be helpful for other traumatic life events. One thing about a study is you’ve got to start somewhere.
So many studies it could take years to find out did it work.
Dr. Willing: We’re all very excited and enthusiastic about what we’re doing here and what we’re finding.
END OF INTERVIEW
This information is intended for additional research purposes only. It is not to be used as a prescription or advice from Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc. or any medical professional interviewed. Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc. assumes no responsibility for the depth or accuracy of physician statements. Procedures or medicines apply to different people and medical factors; always consult your physician on medical matters.
If you would like more information, please contact:
Alison E. Willing, PhD
813-974-7812
Kevin Kip
813-974-9266
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