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Mindfulness and Present Centered Therapies for PTSD: Efficacy and Mechanisms

NCT01347749 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 65

Last updated 2019-11-06

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

This project will study whether a new therapy that includes the practice of forms of meditation is helpful for combat veterans returning from deployments in Iraq or Afghanistan suffering with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). "Mindfulness meditation" cultivates present-focused, non-judgmental attention to ones body, emotions, and thoughts, and is proposed to lead to a greater sense of well-being and acceptance and better tolerance of painful and distressing emotions. "Compassion" and "loving-kindness" meditations help stabilize positive emotions like love and compassion, and may also be helpful for chronic pain, and possibly depression and PTSD.

This study will compare a 16 week psychotherapy group for PTSD involving Mindfulness and Self-compassion meditation, with a more standard form of group psychotherapy known as "Present-centered group therapy". Both therapies will be conducted at the VA Ann Arbor PTSD clinic by VA psychotherapists. (The study is also approved by the IRB of the VA Ann Arbor). Combat veterans will be randomly assigned to either the Meditation or the standard group psychotherapy. All patients will also receive fMRI brain scans before and after the therapy, as well as assessment interviews before, at 8 weeks, and immediately post-therapy, and at 3 mo and 6 mo follow-ups. Saliva cortisol and measures of attention will also be obtained at each assessment.

Conditions

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Mindfulness & Compassion Meditation-based Exposure Therapy

A 16 week group psychotherapy intervention involving PTSD psychoeducation, breathing exercises and relaxation, and Mindfulness and Self-compassion meditation exercises in session and daily at home, and Mindfulness-based in vivo exposure exercises.

BEHAVIORAL

Present Centered Therapy for PTSD

This 16 week, active group psychotherapy involves PTSD psychoeducation, supportive listening, and focusses on current stressors and PTSD symptoms.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
21 Years
Max Age
50 Years
Sex
MALE
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2011-03-31
Primary Completion
2013-11-30
Completion
2013-11-30

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Entities

Diseases
Companies

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT01347749 on ClinicalTrials.gov