https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27286363

A somatic symptom disorder is a category of mental disorder characterised by physical symptoms that suggest physical illness or injury which cannot be explained fully by a general medical condition or by the direct effect of a substance, and are not attributable to another mental disorder. Typically, medical test results are normal in people with this diagnosis or fail to adequately explain the person's symptoms. Moreover, the person is generally excessively worried about their symptoms and in order to obtain a diagnosis this intense worry must have been present for at least six months.

In the linked study here, a yoga-based intervention was explored with patients with a diagnosis of somatoform disorder. This study is particularly important given that the use of yoga in treatment of somatoform disorders is minimal. Consenting patients were offered a specific yoga module (1 hour per day) as a treatment. Assessments included the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) and others, which were carried out at baseline and after 2, 6, and 12 weeks. Sixty-four subjects were included in the study and 34 completed 12 weeks follow-up. Significant improvement was noted in pain severity from baseline to 12 weeks after regular yoga sessions. Worst and average pain score also dropped. Results of the study suggest that yoga-based intervention can be one of the non-pharmacological treatment options in somatoform disorders. Very heartening indeed.