For veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), group loving-kindness meditation works about as well as group cognitive processing therapy. In a randomized clinical trial with 184 veterans, the reductions in PTSD and depression symptoms from the start of treatment to six months later were very similar for both groups, and the small differences fell within a range considered not meaningfully different. More veterans attended the loving-kindness meditation sessions than the cognitive processing therapy sessions. These results suggest that meditation-based interventions that do not specifically focus on trauma can produce outcomes comparable to trauma-focused therapies.
Mindfulness-based interventions are superior to no treatment, minimal treatment, non-specific active controls, and specific active controls for reducing disorder-specific symptoms in clinical populations at post-treatment, with effect sizes ranging from d=0.23 to d=0.55. At follow-up, mindfulness-based interventions remain superior to no treatment, non-specific active controls, and specific active controls (d=0.29 to d=0.52). They do not differ from evidence-based treatments at either post-treatment or follow-up. The most consistent evidence supports mindfulness for depression, pain conditions, smoking, and addictive disorders. These findings suggest mindfulness-based interventions are effective evidence-based treatments.