Book Review?: The iRest Program for Healing PTSD By Richard Miller
New Harbinger Publications
One of the cofounders of the International Association of Yoga Therapists and a pioneer in the field of yoga therapy, Miller is a clinical psychologist as well as a yoga and meditation teacher. He is also the innovator behind iRest (Integrative Restoration), a modern-day application of the deep relaxation-based practices of Yoga Nidra. In this highly anticipated and reader-friendly new book, Miller introduces iRest along with thorough research on the technique’s effects on symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Miller states in The iRest Program for Healing PTSD, “No matter your background, situation or circumstance, and no matter how long it’s been since your first encounter with trauma or your first symptoms of PTSD, iRest can help heal your symptoms of trauma, PTSD, and suffering.” Chapters four through twelve are organized into “The Ten Tools of iRest” with practices for addressing post-traumatic stress disorder, including bodysensing. Miller describes this technique as follows, “The practice of bodysensing teaches you how to sense, locate, welcome, and respond to sensory information.”
Although Miller’s program and research focuses predominantly on military veterans, the book is geared toward anyone suffering from psychological and emotional injuries. Exercises throughout the book allow readers to practice on their own with Miller’s step-by-step guidance. Audio recordings of the techniques can be accessed at irest.us/practices.
Buy The iRest Program for Healing PTSD book here.
Amanda Ridder is a U.S. Army Public Affairs Specialist with Technical Support for Information Dominance (IDOM) attached to an Airborne Special Forces unit at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State. She has been practicing yoga for approximately 10 years and loves to take ballroom dance classes.