Compassion Meditation for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Veterans: A Randomized Proof of Concept Study
Journal of Traumatic Stress March 31, 2019 Ariel J. Lang, Anne L. Malaktaris, Pollyanna Casmar et al. 50 citations
A pilot randomized controlled trial compared compassion meditation (CM) to a relaxation-based program (Veteran.calm) for veterans with PTSD. Both interventions involved ten weekly 90-minute group sessions. Twenty-eight veterans who attended at least one session completed pre- and posttreatment measures. PTSD symptoms reduced more substantially in the CM group than in the comparison group, with a between-group effect size of -0.85. Credibility, attendance, and satisfaction were similar across conditions, demonstrating the feasibility of CM and the appropriateness of the comparison condition. These initial findings support further research on CM for veterans with PTSD.