New Study Shows Potential Benefits Of Meditation For Veterans Coping With Ptsd

[drnormanrosenthal]

In the June 11 issue of academic journal Military Medicine, a new study entitled "Effects of Transcendental Meditation in Veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom With Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Pilot Study" was published. It details a recently-completed pilot study in which 5 veterans of the Iraq/Afghanistan wars practiced transcendental meditation techniques over a period of 8 weeks. After those 8 weeks, the study participants reported a 50% reduction in symptoms including stress and depression as well as an increase in overall quality of life and relationships. The following link has more information about the study and where to access it: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-06/muom-vsa053111.php

 

[wife of]

Surely a study using only five subjects is not enough....

 

[diggin]

No, but there are no side effects, and no financial gain by big pharma. Thus, larger studies will be all but impossible to find funding.

 

[anthony]

I was lost at 5 in the study, and all where able to meditate... considering meditation is extremely hard to achieve and not that many can actually do it... yet 5 out of 5 for this study happened to do it.

Here is the problem... unless the actual core is dealt with, anything else is a bandaid solution, which simply means, give the person a few months, they will be right back to where they were... or one stressful event, will bring it all back up again and no amount of meditation will stop it.

Bandaids are not solutions, pharmaceuticals are not solutions... good old fashioned hard work at digging in your trauma is the ultimate, long term solution for the treatment of PTSD. It is proven time and time already... everyone trying to constantly make names for themselves stop at that point... its not in the sufferers best interest alone.

 

[diggin]

There are different types of meditation, Anthony. I don't think the study was looking at 'Buddhist monks in a mountain retreat, out-of-body' type meditation, although if I knew more about the topic, I could probably tell you exactly what transcendental meditation is made up of.

I am a science-loving gall, but I have also been made EXTREMELY skeptical of the medical community's agenda and ability. The study size was obviously quite small, however getting any funding for larger studies involving an unconventional and cheap solution to anything (not just PTSD) is unrealistic. So as long as people are willing to put the effort into therapy and possibly medications, does sitting still for a couple of hours a week imagining walking through clouds hurt anything? I think it'd be worth a try, and certainly worth hedging your bets.

 

[anthony]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendental_Meditation_technique