SOURCE: Polusny MA, et al. Mindfulness-based stress reduction for post-traumatic stress disorder among veterans: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA 2015;314:456-465.
PTSD among veterans deployed in recent years to Afghanistan and Iraq is commonplace and potentially debilitating. Unfortunately, 30-50% of PTSD sufferers who receive treatment with traditional psychological interventions do not enjoy significant improvement.
Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) might be most simply described as “emotionally detached self-observation.” PTSD patients might be instructed to view the symptoms they are experiencing as a dispassionate external observer might, and instead of responding to their symptoms, simply take note of their symptoms in a non-judgmental fashion. Instead of continued focus on troubling or emotionally labile thoughts, patients can be taught to focus on breathing, muscle tone, and stretching.
In this clinical trial (n = 116), MBSR was compared with present-centered group therapy, an intervention already demonstrated to provide positive outcomes in PTSD patients. Outcomes were measured at 3, 6, 9, and 17 weeks.
MBSR provided better symptom improvement than present-centered group therapy. On the other hand, the number of persons who no longer fulfilled diagnostic criteria for PTSD 2 months after conclusion (i.e., “remission” of PTSD) of the interventions was comparable in both groups.
MBSR shows promise as a valuable intervention for PTSD patients. Of course, PTSD may ultimately require combinations of psychological and/or lifestyle interventions, as well as pharmacotherapy.
Mindfulness-based stress reduction shows promise as a valuable intervention for PTSD patients.
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