Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy
March 1, 2026
Jessica O'Connell, Michelle H Lim, Ilias Kamitsis et al.
Past research has identified links between experiences of trauma and the content of hallucinations. There has not been an investigation of differences between those with trauma who do and do not have hallucinations with trauma-related content. This study explored the phenomenology and clinical correlates of hallucinations that contain matching sensory-perceptual elements to trauma. 64 young...
Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy
July 1, 2025
Joseph Wielgosz, Robyn D. Walser, Eric Kuhn et al.
8 citations
Mindfulness training can relieve posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in military veterans and others but is inconsistently accessible. Self-guided mobile apps could improve access but their acceptability, feasibility, and benefits for veterans with PTSD have not been established. We conducted a pilot randomized trial of Mindfulness Coach (MC), a free, publicly available,...
Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy
December 1, 2024
Brandon Weiss, Lê-Anh Dinh-Williams, Nick Beller et al.
16 citations
[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported online in Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy on Jul 25 2024 (see record 2025-07042-001). In the original article, there was an error in the calculations that led to the overstatement of the symptom severity of the veteran sample. Specifically, sum scores for the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom...
Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy
December 1, 2024
Dana Rose Garfin, Alexandra Amador, Jessica Osorio et al.
8 citations
Women experiencing homelessness (WEH) report exceedingly high rates of trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance use disorder (SUD). Mindfulness-based interventions including Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) may help lower traumatic stress-related symptoms and reduce SUD, but have been underexplored in community-based settings serving WEH with symptoms of...
Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy
December 1, 2024
Kathleen Kendall-Tackett
1 citation
Trauma treatment continues to evolve, with a wider range of options than ever before. In recent years, trauma treatments have become more holistic and now include yoga, mindfulness, and the arts. Treatment may also include animals, physical activity, and even psychedelics. The move toward more integrative approaches was largely consumer driven; clients wanted approaches that healed both mind...
Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy
December 1, 2024
correction
Reports an error in "Ayahuasca in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder: Mixed-methods case series evaluation in military combat veterans" by Brandon Weiss, Lê-Anh L. Dinh-Williams, Nick Beller, Ian M. Raugh, Gregory P. Strauss and William K. Campbell (Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, Advanced Online Publication, Dec 07, 2023, np). In the original article,...
Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy
October 31, 2024
Caitlin L Mclean, Ashley Faytol, Gage Chu et al.
1 citation
While mobile delivery can help increase access to evidence-based treatment for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), feasibility and acceptability are of concern with the potential for high attrition rates and limited participation. The Mantram Repetition Program (MRP), a meditation-focused approach with documented efficacy for reducing symptoms of PTSD and insomnia, was adapted...
Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy
November 1, 2020
Divya Mistry, Jenney Zhu, Paul Tremblay et al.
Objective: We investigate the potential therapeutic application of virtual reality (VR) technology as an aid to meditation practice among persons varying in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Method: In this within-group mixed-methods study, 96 young adults practiced both VR- and non-VR-guided meditations and reported on their experience of positive affect (PA), negative affect...
Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy
February 1, 2020
Elizabeth M Walters, Melissa M Jenkins, Carla M Nappi et al.
Insomnia and nightmares are central features of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, often they are inadequately assessed and ineffectively resolved following gold-standard PTSD treatment. Here we: (a) evaluate effects of prolonged exposure (PE) on subjectively measured sleep and (b) present pilot results of an examination of whether adding sleep interventions (imagery rehearsal...
Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy
November 1, 2018
Seung Suk Kang, Christopher R Erbes, Greg J Lamberty et al.
Transcendental Meditation (TM) is a mental technique using a mantra to facilitate meditation. TM has a potential for treating symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but its clinical efficacy remains to be clarified. This pilot study evaluated the acceptability, preliminary effectiveness, and neurophysiology of TM for veterans with PTSD. Twenty-nine veterans (20.7% female) were...
Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy
September 1, 2017
Adam W. Hanley, Eric L Garland, Richard G Tedeschi
A growing body of theoretical and empirical work suggests that mindfulness may support more positive posttraumatic outcomes by reducing posttraumatic stress (PTS) and encouraging posttraumatic growth (PTG). Positive reappraisal (PR), a cognitive coping correlate of dispositional mindfulness (DM) has also been linked with greater PTG. However, neither DM nor PR have been modeled in relation to...
Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy
July 1, 2017
Lara Hilton, Alicia Ruelaz Maher, Benjamin Colaiaco et al.
We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis that synthesized evidence from randomized controlled trials of meditation interventions to provide estimates of their efficacy and safety in treating adults diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This review was based on an established protocol (PROSPERO: CRD42015025782) and is reported according to PRISMA guidelines. Outcomes of...
Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy
July 1, 2016
Tobias Hecker, Eva Barnewitz, Hakon Stenmark et al.
27 citations
Spirit possession is a phenomenon frequently occurring in war-torn countries. It has been shown to be an idiom of distress entailing dissociative symptoms. However, its association with trauma exposure and trauma-related disorders remains unclear. This study aimed to explore subjective disease models and the relationship between pathological spirit possession and trauma-related disorders in the...
Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy
May 1, 2016
Vincent R Starnino
28 citations
Studies have identified spirituality to be a helpful resource for dealing with various types of trauma experiences. This coincides with a heightened focus on the role of spirituality within trauma-related theory (e.g., spiritual coping, meaning-making, and posttraumatic growth). Little remains known, however, about the relationship between trauma and spirituality among people with severe...
Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy
May 1, 2016
Kathi L Heffner, Hugh F Crean, Jan E Kemp
Interest in meditation to manage posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms is increasing. Few studies have examined the effectiveness of meditation programs offered to Veterans within Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) mental health services. The current study addresses this gap using data from a multisite VA demonstration project. Evaluation data collected at 6 VA sites (N = 391 Veterans)...