(June 2, 2011 - Insidermedicine)

War veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder may find relief with transcendental meditation, according to research published in Military Medicine.

Previous research has demonstrated that practicing transcendental meditation can help reduce:

•    Anxiety

•    Depression

•    Hypertension

Researchers out of Georgetown University Medical School had five veterans aged 25 to 40 perform transcendental meditation daily for eight weeks. The veterans had served in Iraq, Afghanistan, or both for at least 10 months and up to 2 years and experienced moderate or heavy moderate combat. The investigators administered the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) at baseline and again at the end of eight weeks.

After eight weeks of practicing transcendental meditation, the veterans experienced a 50% reduction in their PTSD symptoms, as measured by CAPS. These findings are similar to a 1985 study demonstrating the benefits of three months of twice daily transcendental meditation practice for a group of Vietnam veterans suffering from PTSD symptoms.

Today’s research offers a quick, simple, and easy-to-learn meditation practice as a potential treatment for PTSD.