A Mindful Approach to PTSD

“The wound is the place where the light enters you.” -Rumi

This website is the result of a faculty grant funded by the Department of Graduate Studies & Research of American Public University and American Military University (APUS), completed in 2021. The goal was to create a website offering therapies in the form of mindfulness & yoga and writing practices known to help those suffering from PTSD, regardless of the individual experience or cause. The website is organized into two main sections, one focused on mindfulness and yoga therapy and the other on writing therapy, each offering helpful information and activities for practitioners to explore on their own. These therapies are not intended to either diagnose or cure one’s PTSD, but only to offer practitioners the tools to help heal themselves. Practitioners new to these therapies are advised to use caution and to consult a qualified therapist for guidance and support. You and your mental health professional can discuss what type of therapy or combination of therapies may best meet your needs.

What is PTSD?

Trauma, the Greek word for “wound”, is something more people than ever deal with today. There are many kinds of trauma, and we all respond differently to it. Some of us have what are called “healthy negative emotions” (Mintie and Staples 1) in response to trauma that help us to respond and recover from these painful experiences. Depending on the severity of the trauma, there are many who struggle with more difficult and ongoing emotions which result in “a secondary form of suffering”, and which results in pain that’s a reaction to the pain of the injury itself. This experience is commonly known as PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), which 7% of the population suffers from (Mintie & Staples 2). Mintie and Staples define PTSD as “a state of ongoing uneasiness expressed in our bodies, emotions, sense of worth, sleep patterns, and relationships with others. Unhealthy negative emotions—bitterness, rage, despair, feelings of worthlessness—characterize PTSD. And while an initial trauma may last but a few seconds, these unhealthy negative emotions can continue for years (2). The good news is there are tools you can use to treat yourself, offered in the pages of this website.

Jill Wingerter, Ph.D
Associate Professor of English, APUS

Dr. Wingerter earned her Ph.D. in Literature and Criticism with a concentration in Diversity and Women’s Studies from Indiana University of PA in 2003 and has been teaching college-level English courses since 1999. First hired at APUS in 2011, she was promoted to Associate Professor of English in 2013. She has been practicing yoga since her mother signed her up for classes as an alternative treatment to medication prescribed for a diagnosis of “hyperactivity” as a child. Jill earned her yoga teacher certification in 2004 and has been teaching classes ever since. She is also the owner of Sunflower Yoga & Fitness, which she opened in 2008, and the recipient of several certificates specializing in a variety of yoga styles, including the primary series of Ashtanga Yoga with David Swenson in 2011, which informs much of her teaching. In addition, she has studied with a number of meditation teachers, including Thich Nhat Hanh, Pema Chodron and Sharon Salzberg and in 2018 completed a training with TCTSY, the Trauma Center for Trauma Sensitive Yoga. It is Dr. Wingerter’s intention to share her background in teaching writing and the transformational benefits of yoga and mindfulness practices to bring healing and freedom to all.