The goal of this project is to refine an existing compassion meditation protocol for individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), to examine the safety and feasibility of this approach and to collect data to make initial estimates of efficacy.
There is considerable public and professional interest in complementary and alternative approaches, including meditation, for managing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but there is little empirical support to guide their use. Multiple meditative techniques can be applied to the amelioration of this disorder, and the literature suggests that they operate by different mechanisms. Compassion meditation is a meditative practice focused on the wish that others and the self may be free of suffering. Because this particular form of meditation has been shown to elicit positive emotion and feelings of connection with other people, it is uniquely well suited to addressing PTSD, which is characterized by strong negative affect, deficits in positive emotion and social connectedness. Compassion meditation has not been evaluated for use with PTSD patients; therefore, the goal of this project is to refine an existing compassion meditation protocol for individuals with PTSD, to examine the safety and feasibility of this approach and to collect data to make initial estimates of efficacy. The proposed project will be completed in two phases. In phase one, the compassion meditation protocol will be executed with individuals with PTSD and iteratively refined based on therapist and participant feedback. In addition, a relaxation protocol that was used in a previous PTSD trial will be modified to match the length and format of the meditative practice. In phase two, the investigators will complete a pilot study to examine the feasibility of conducting a randomized trial comparing these interventions and to provide information that will allow us to better design future projects. Ultimately, the research informed by this project may provide an additional option for treatment of PTSD, which would be an important contribution because existing treatment approaches are not universally acceptable or effective.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
37
Compassion meditation is a meditative practice focused on the wish that others and the self may be free of suffering. Because this particular form of meditation has been shown to elicit positive emotion and feelings of connection with other people, it is uniquely well suited to addressing PTSD, which is characterized by strong negative affect, deficits in positive emotion and social connectedness.
Relaxation Training is selected as the control condition because it is a good match for nonspecific aspects of the meditative practice (e.g., attention, support, contact with a mental health provider) and it is structurally similar to meditation (e.g., restful, in session and at home exercises).
VA San Diego Healthcare System
San Diego, California, United States
Clinician Administered PTSD Scale -5 (CAPS-5) PTSD Severity
Clinical interview that quantifies PTSD symptomatology according to DSM-5, generating a continuous measure of severity (range 0-80) where higher scores indicate more symptomatology
Time frame: Baseline and 10 weeks
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.