SKY Resilience: Mental Health Impact & Research

Police Mental Health

Police, like all public safety personnel (PSP), are exposed to stressful and potentially psychologically traumatic events. As a result, research evidence indicates a high prevalence of mental health issues and suicidal behaviour in PSP.

• 52%reported moderate to severe stress
• 88%reported moderate to severe anxiety
• 87%reported moderate to severe depression
• 29%were in the clinical diagnostic range for PTSD

Police are more likely to engage in suicidal behaviours than the general public.

Source: CAMH, Police Mental Health: A Discussion Paper (October 2018).

Canadian SKY Resilience Program

SKY Resilience has been taught at the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) and the London Police Association. A selection of the VPD program metrics is shared below.

Bahia Military Police, Brazil

Preliminary research results from the SKY Resilience Program with over 3,000 officers from the Bahia Military Police in Brazil:

Discover the power of SKY

From reducing stress to getting better rest, these techniques have a demonstrated, measurable impact on quality of life. Over 100 independent studies conducted on four continents and published in peer-reviewed journals have demonstrated a comprehensive range of benefits from practicing SKY Breath Meditation.

Latest Research

Yale University Study

A 2020 randomized controlled study run by Yale University scientists evaluated the effect of SKY and two other programs, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Emotional Intelligence, on well-being as compared to a control group. SKY had the highest results of all the programs, benefiting stress, depression, mental health, mindfulness, positive emotion and social connectedness. (Seppälä et al., 2020)

Harvard University Study

A 2020 randomized controlled study run by Harvard University scientists evaluated the effect of SKY versus a cognitive behavioral intervention. SKY demonstrated greater improvements than the cognitive behavioral intervention in perceived stress, sleep, social connectedness, distress, anxiety, depression, conscientiousness, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. SKY also led to improved sleep and stress reactivity. Results were observed immediately after and 3 months after the workshop, suggesting long-term benefit. (Goldstein et al., 2020)

In other studies, SKY Breath Meditation led to increased psychological resilience (Goldstein et al., 2016; Kjellgren et al., 2007), decreased stress (Subramanian et al., 2012) and reduced impulsive behavior (Ghahremani et al., 2013). SKY has been shown to improve emotion regulation (Gootjes et al., 2011), decrease stress (Agte et al., 2008; Chandra et al., 2017; Kumar et al., 2013), anxiety and depression (Doria et al., 2015; Hamilton-West et al., 2019; Janakiramaiah et al., 2000; Katzman et al., 2012; Sharma et al., 2017; Toschi-Dias et al., 2017; Vedamurthachar et al., 2006), and reduce PTSD (Descilo et al., 2009; Seppälä et al., 2014).

Physical and Mental Health Benefits

Sudarshan Kriya and accompanying breathing practices, referred to collectively as SKY and taught through the Art of Living Foundation worldwide, have been found to enhance brain, hormone, immune and cardiovascular system function. Published research shows that SKY significantly reduces stress, depression, anxiety and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and significantly increases well-being both mentally and physically. Research also demonstrates that the effects of SKY reach all the way down to the molecular level, to our DNA.

Over 100 independent studies conducted on four continents and published in peer-reviewed journals have demonstrated a comprehensive range of benefits from SKY practice. Numbers in brackets refer to the references below.

Mental well-being

1. Restoration and enhancement of vibrant mental health

• Relieves anxiety [1–10] and depression [2, 4, 8–19], PTSD symptoms [3, 15, 16, 20] and stress levels [4, 6, 17, 18, 21–23].
• Significant reductions in anxiety are found in many populations, including a 73% response rate and 41% remission rate in individuals for whom medication and psychotherapy treatments had failed [1].
• Multiple studies demonstrate that depressed patients who learned SKY experienced a 68–73% remission rate within one month.
• Significant reductions in PTSD symptoms were found in 4–6 weeks and were sustained at 6 months [15] and one year, with no follow-up after 1 month [3, 15].
• Reduces impulsivity and addictive behaviors [24, 25].
• Improved emotional regulation [1, 17, 18, 26–28].
• Increased levels of self-esteem, optimism, joviality (e.g. joy, happiness, energy), serenity, life satisfaction and quality of life [4, 5, 15, 18, 28–30].

2. Enhanced brain functioning [13, 14, 22, 31]

• Increased mental focus and heightened awareness [31].
• Faster recovery from stressful stimuli [22].

3. Improved quality of sleep [32]

• Restoration of time spent in deep, restful stages (stages III and IV) of sleep.

Physical well-being

1. Enhanced biochemical status

• Reduced biochemical markers of stress: cortisol [2, 33, 34], corticotrophin [2], blood lactate [35], ACTH [2], and plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) [2, 36, 37].
• For example, blood lactate levels in police cadets who did not learn SKY were 4 times higher than in their classmates who were randomized to learn SKY, suggesting a greatly increased resilience to stress in SKY practitioners.
• Since stressful physiological responses negatively impact the immune, cardiovascular and endocrine systems, as well as mental health, this has significant implications for wellness [16].
• Increased biomarkers of well-being [38]: significant increases (33%) in the well-being hormone prolactin in depressed patients with low prolactin levels, from the very first session.
• Increased levels of antioxidant enzymes (glutathione, catalase, and superoxide dismutase) [6, 35, 39]. Antioxidants protect us from many diseases and rapid aging.

2. Enhanced immune function

• Improved immune cell counts in apparently healthy individuals [21, 25], some documented within three weeks (neutrophils, lymphocytes, platelet count) [21]. Improved immune cell counts in health-compromised individuals were seen in 12 weeks (Natural Killer cells) [25].
• Rapid changes to gene expression [39–41]. SKY induced changes in the expression of genes in white blood cells (our immune cells) within two hours of starting the practice. This was 4-fold more than simple exercise and relaxation used as the control condition in the same study participants [40].
• Long-term effects of SKY on the expression of 11 genes related to oxidative stress, DNA damage, cell cycle control, and cell death suggest that the long-term benefits of SKY may be mediated in part by regulation of gene expression [39].

3. Enhanced cardiovascular and respiratory function

• Reduced heart rate in both healthy and health-compromised individuals [6, 42–44].
• Reduced blood pressure in both healthy and health-compromised individuals [6, 37, 42, 43].
• Improved cholesterol and triglyceride (lipid) profiles [6, 21, 36], sometimes seen as early as 3 weeks, with no change in diet [36].
• Improved respiratory function [3, 43–46]: respiration rate dropped by 5% in 1 week [3] and 15% in 12 weeks [45], with increased lung (vital and forced vital) capacity [43, 44, 46].

In summary

Sudarshan Kriya uses specific cyclical, rhythmic patterns of breath to bring the mind and body into a relaxed, yet energized state. Its effects have been studied in open and randomized trials, both in healthy and health-compromised populations.

Research suggests that SKY reduces depression, anxiety, PTSD and stress. It has also been shown to curb addictive behaviors and substance abuse. It significantly increases feelings of well-being, optimism and mental focus and improves emotion regulation. In addition, SKY is associated with enhanced cardio-respiratory function, antioxidant status and immune system function. The practice has even been shown to impact gene expression in the short and long term, suggesting that the effects of SKY span all levels of the physiology, from the DNA within our cells to organ systems. Viewed together, the wide range of documented benefits suggests that SKY may be an efficient tool for rapidly strengthening the mind-body complex.

SKY and Depression

More than a dozen published studies have documented significant relief from depression in individuals who learned and practiced Sudarshan Kriya and accompanying breathing techniques (SKY). These studies have demonstrated a 67–73% success rate in relief from depression, regardless of the severity of depression.

These results are experienced rapidly, often within 3–4 weeks. And unlike conventional treatments, there is uniform rapid relief from depression with SKY practice, regardless of how long a person has been suffering from clinical depression or the degree to which brain “dysfunction” (e.g. abnormal EEG patterns or hormone levels) is found in the depressed individual.

Further, SKY has been found to significantly stem “the blues,” the non-clinical melancholy that many people commonly experience.

Highlights of research findings

Remission from depression is experienced rapidly

• Substantial relief was experienced in three weeks.
• By one month, individuals were considered to be in remission.
• At three months, the individuals remained asymptomatic and stable, which demonstrates that results persisted and cannot be considered a placebo effect. (Placebo effects in depression wane after 4 weeks.)

SKY produced highly beneficial biological effects on brain and hormone function

• The P300 ERP EEG brainwave pattern and NREM brainwave pattern, which measure electrical brainwave activity and are abnormal in many depressed people, returned to the normal range by ninety days.
• Return to healthier hormone levels: plasma prolactin, a well-being hormone believed to be a key factor in producing depression relief, increased significantly after the very first SKY session.
• Levels of plasma cortisol (the stress hormone) decreased significantly after three weeks.

As effective as anti-depressant medication

In a comparison study, SKY was statistically as effective as conventional anti-depressant medication (Janakiramaiah et al., 2000). Yet, in contrast to the usual treatments for depression, SKY is natural and free of unwanted side effects. It is self-administered and self-empowering. It can greatly reduce doctor and hospital caseloads, making SKY cost-effective and staff-effective as well.

“Sudarshan Kriya is clinically feasible and effective. It has the potential to become a first-line treatment of dysthymic [chronic, mild depression] patients and possibly in mild and moderate forms of major depressive disorder.”

References

Numbered references for the physical and mental health benefits above. For the full library of published studies, see aolresearch.org.