Michael de Manincor joins NICM's 2017 PhD graduates

We are delighted to congratulate NICM PhD candidate, Michael de Manincor on his graduation today. Dr de Manincor’s thesis concentrated on the effects of an individualised yoga intervention in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression.

He investigated the benefits of a six-week yoga-based intervention in the reduction of symptoms of depression and anxiety, and associated increases in wellbeing. His results found that yoga plus regular care was effective in reducing symptoms of depression compared with regular care alone. The yoga intervention and framework was effective for the reduction of psychological distress, improvements in overall mental health, increased frequency of positive experiences, reduced frequency of negative experiences, and increases in measures of flourishing and resilience.

“The evidence supports the whole idea that if people do something that includes movement, breath, mindful attention and relaxation, using the framework of yoga, a little bit each day really does bring about some pretty significant results,” said Dr de Manincor.

Increasing the evidence-base on complementary therapies for mental health, his findings suggest that individualised yoga may be particularly beneficial in mental health care in the broader community. An outstanding achievement, congratulations Dr de Manincor.

In 2018, he plans to further his research in mind-body with NICM.