Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and yoga for drug-refractory epilepsy: a randomized controlled trial. Effect of Sahaja yoga practice on seizure control & EEG changes in patients of epilepsy.
There is a need for controlled outcome studies on behavioral treatment of epilepsy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and yoga in the treatment of epilepsy.
                The design consisted of a randomized controlled trial with repeated measures (N=18). All participants had an EEG-verified epilepsy diagnosis with drug-refractory seizures. Participants were randomized into one of two groups: ACT or yoga. Therapeutic effects were measured using seizure index (frequency x duration) and quality of life (Satisfaction with Life Scale, WHOQOL-BREF). The treatment protocols consisted of 12 hours of professional therapy distributed in two individual sessions, two group sessions during a 5-week period, and booster sessions at 6 and 12 months posttreatment. Seizure index was continuously assessed during the 3-month baseline and 12-month follow-up. Quality of life was measured after treatment and at the 6-month and 1-year follow-ups.
                The results indicate that both ACT and yoga significantly reduce seizure index and increase quality of life over time. ACT reduced seizure index significantly more as compared with yoga. Participants in both the ACT and yoga groups improved their quality of life significantly as measured by one of two quality-of-life instruments. The ACT group increased their quality of life significantly as compared with the yoga group as measured by the WHOQOL-BREF, and the yoga group increased their quality of life significantly as compared with the ACT group as measured by the SWLS.
                The results of this study suggest that complementary treatments, such as ACT and yoga, decrease seizure index and increase quality of life. The effect of Sahaja yoga meditation on seizure control and electroencephalographic alterations was assessed in 32 patients of idiopathic epilepsy. The subjects were randomly divided into 3 groups. Group I (n = 10) practised Sahaja yoga for 6 months, Group II (n = 10) practised exercises mimicking Sahaja yoga for 6 months and Group III (n = 12) served as the epileptic control group. Group I subjects reported a 62 per cent decrease in seizure frequency at 3 months and a further decrease of 86 per cent at 6 months of intervention. Power spectral analysis of EEG showed a shift in frequency from 0-8 Hz towards 8-20 Hz. The ratios of EEG powers in delta (D), theta (T), alpha (A) and beta (B) bands i.e., A/D, A/D + T, A/T and A + B/D + T were increased. Per cent D power decreased and per cent A increased. No significant changes in any of the parameters were found in Groups II and III, indicating that Sahaja yoga practice brings about seizure reduction and EEG changes. Sahaja yoga could prove to be beneficial in the management of patients of epilepsy.
No reliable conclusions can be drawn regarding the efficacy of yoga as a treatment for epilepsy. Further studies are needed.