Transcendental Meditation in Veterans and First Responders With PTSD

Launched by RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR MENTAL HYGIENE, INC. · Dec 1, 2022

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

PTSD is among the most common and disabling problems for veterans and first responders. Although PTSD from combat-related events is widely known, veterans and first-responders also face traumatic experiences from other events including sexual trauma, accidents, and injuries. Recent findings, for example, indicated that nearly a quarter of female Veterans experienced sexual assault when in the military.

At present, the non-medication therapies for PTSD with the strongest scientific support include Prolonged Exposure (PE), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Eye Movement Desensitization ...

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• General Inclusion Criteria:
• • 1. Prior or current military service OR prior or current work as a first responder (law enforcement, firefighters, and EMS)
• • 2. Active and primary diagnosis of PTSD with symptom duration ≥ 3 months
• • 3. CAPS-5 score ≥ 25 at intake assessment
• • 4. Age 18 - 80
• • 5. Able to give consent, English literate
• General Exclusion Criteria:
• • 1. Previous or current treatment with Transcendental Meditation, Present Centered Therapy, or any current psychotherapy.
• • 2. Current severe alcohol/cannabis use disorder or any other current substance use disorder except nicotine (i.e., nicotine use disorder and mild-moderate alcohol/cannabis use disorder are allowed)
• • 3. History of or present psychiatric diagnosis of psychotic episode, psychotic disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder
• • 4. Current diagnosis of bipolar disorder
• • 5. Active suicidal or homicidal ideation or suicide attempt within two years of study enrollment
• • 6. Psychiatric hospitalization in the past six months
• • 7. Intent to change or begin new psychotherapy or other meditation therapy during 3-month study treatment
• • 8. Intent to enroll in another research study testing an experimental intervention during three-month period of study intervention
• • 9. Recent psychotropic medication dosage change or initiation within the three months prior to study enrollment
• • 10. Intent to change dosage of or initiate new psychotropic medication during the three-month period of study intervention
• • 11. Medical illness that could interfere with assessment of diagnosis, such as organic brain impairment or unstable thyroid disease
• • 12. Current unstable medical illness
• MRI Inclusion Criteria:
• • 1. Prior or current military service OR prior or current work as a first responder (law enforcement, firefighters, and/or EMS)
• • 2. Active and primary diagnosis of PTSD with symptom duration ≥ 3 months
• • 3. CAPS-5 score ≥ 25 at intake assessment
• • 4. Age 18 - 80
• • 5. Able to give consent, English literate
• • 6. Right handed
• MRI Exclusion Criteria:
• • 1. Previous or current treatment with Transcendental Meditation, Present Centered Therapy, or any current psychotherapy.
• • 2. Current severe alcohol/cannabis use disorder or any other current substance use disorder except nicotine (i.e., nicotine use disorder and mild-moderate alcohol/cannabis use disorder are allowed)
• • 3. History of or current psychiatric diagnosis of psychotic episode, psychotic disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder
• • 4. Current diagnosis of bipolar disorder
• • 5. Active suicidal or homicidal ideation or suicide attempt within two years of study enrollment
• • 6. Psychiatric hospitalization in the past six months
• • 7. Intent to change or begin new psychotherapy or other meditation therapy during 3-month study intervention
• • 8. Intent to enroll in another research study testing an experimental intervention during three-month period of study intervention
• • 9. Recent psychotropic medication dosage change or initiation within the three months prior to study enrollment
• • 10. Intent to change dosage of or initiate new psychotropic medication during the three-month period of study intervention
• • 11. Paramagnetic metallic implants or devices contraindicating magnetic resonance imaging or any other non-removable paramagnetic metal in the body.
• • 12. Medical illness that could interfere with assessment of diagnosis, such as organic brain impairment or unstable thyroid disease
• • 13. Current unstable medical illness
• • 14. Any condition that would exclude clinical MRI exam (e.g. pacemaker, paramagnetic metallic prosthesis, surgical clips, shrapnel, necessity for constant medicinal patch, some tattoos)
• • 15. Significant claustrophobia that would preclude ability to remain calm within the MRI scanner
• • 16. Females who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or plan to become pregnant during the period of the study.

Trial Officials