Meditation eases PTSD in veterans
Public Group active 3 years, 1 month agoMeditation eases post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in veterans suffering from flashbacks, nightmares and insomnia, research suggests.Scientists found nearly two thirds of ex-soldiers battling PTSD saw their symptoms improve after just three months of transcendental meditation (TM). In comparison, https://researchave.com/global-tm-group-meditation/ only two in five reported any benefit from traditional prolonged exposure (PE) therapy, which involves recalling traumatic events and confronting distressing memories.TM on the other hand involves thinking of a mantra or sound that settles the mind, which may allow veterans to gradually release painful memories. Meditation eases PTSD in veterans suffering from flashbacks, nightmares and insomnia (stock)Researchers from the US Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington DC, randomly assigned 203 ex-soldiers to receive either TM, PE or PTSD health education, with the latter acting as the control group.All of the participants underwent 12 90-minute sessions of their allocated therapy over as many weeks, as well as being told to practice every day at home.Results showed 61 per cent of those receiving TM had at least a 10-point improvement to their PTSD severity score after three months.This was compared to 42 per cent who underwent PE and 32 per cent who received health education. RELATED ARTICLES
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Severity was measured according to a standard score that takes into account the degree of flashbacks, nightmares and insomnia. The study was published in the journal Lancet Psychiatry. PTSD is difficult to treat, and affects between 10 and 20 per cent of military veterans.In 2013, around 400,000 ex-soldiers in the US were known to be living with PTSD, according to the Veteran Affairs health system.PE is recommended by the Department of Veterans Affairs, however, many PTSD sufferers refuse to try it or drop out, according to lead author and Veterans Affairs psychologist Thomas Rutledge. Transcendental meditation was developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (right).
He was a guru to the Beatles, and is pictured with John Lennon And George Harrison after a public lecture in 1967 in London. He went on to found a university that the study’s authors were affiliated toMr Rutledge believes evidence of TM’s effectiveness ‘allows us to put more options on the table’.He also thinks TM may be more appealing to veterans who might associate mental-health treatment with weakness.
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