Eight weeks of mindfulness meditation training reduced right amygdala activation in healthy adults when viewing positive emotional images, even when they were not actively meditating. A compassion-based meditation program showed a trend toward increased right amygdala response to negative images, which correlated with lower depression scores. No changes occurred in a control group. The results suggest meditation training can alter emotional processing in the brain during ordinary, non-meditative states, indicating that such training may produce lasting, process-specific changes in mental function rather than only task-specific effects.
A pilot randomized controlled trial compared compassion meditation (CM) to a relaxation-based program (Veteran.calm) for veterans with PTSD. Both interventions involved ten weekly 90-minute group sessions. Twenty-eight veterans who attended at least one session completed pre- and posttreatment measures. PTSD symptoms reduced more substantially in the CM group than in the comparison group, with a between-group effect size of -0.85. Credibility, attendance, and satisfaction were similar across conditions, demonstrating the feasibility of CM and the appropriateness of the comparison condition. These initial findings support further research on CM for veterans with PTSD.
Modern neuroscience uses objective, quantitative methods to measure how mental events correspond to brain activity, while ancient contemplative traditions have relied on first-person introspective practices to understand the mind. Combining these approaches could be mutually enriching and synergistic. The scientific study of the mind would benefit greatly from including expert contemplative practitioners not only as study participants but as full co-investigators.
Compassion meditation, specifically a manualized protocol called Cognitively Based Compassion Training for Veterans (CBCT-Vet), appears acceptable to Veterans with PTSD. In an open trial with 36 Veterans across four groups, participation in 8-10 sessions of CBCT-Vet was associated with reductions in PTSD symptoms and depression, though causality cannot be inferred due to the nonrandomized design. No changes were observed in positive emotion or social connectedness. These preliminary results support further exploration of compassion meditation as part of recovery for Veterans with PTSD.
A training program called cognitively-based compassion training (CBCT) can increase compassion and reduce loneliness and depression in second-year medical students. Students who received CBCT reported greater compassion compared to those on a wait-list, and the boost in compassion was strongest among those who began with high levels of depression, suggesting the training may help break the connection between personal distress and reduced compassion for others.