Mechanistic pathways of mindfulness meditation in combat veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder
Journal of Clinical Psychology January 21, 2016 H. Wahbeh, Elena Goodrich, Elizabeth R. Goy et al.
Combat veterans with PTSD who practiced mindfulness meditation or slow breathing showed modest improvements in their PTSD symptoms, but the improvements were similar across all groups, including those who just sat quietly. The perceived impression of symptom improvement was greater in the meditation groups than in the control group. Physiological measures such as heart rate, heart rate variability, and attention task performance did not change significantly, while self-reported hyperarousal and intrusive thoughts improved in some groups. The findings suggest that the benefits of these practices are mostly subjective rather than reflected in physiological markers.