Meditation for combat-related mental health concerns

Abstract

The evidence base for mind body interventions has been rapidly expanding. Among various mind body approaches, meditation is one of the most accepted among veterans and widely implemented across the Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DoD) meditation-based approaches are safe, portable, easy to learn, and affordable, with steadily increasing evidence of effectiveness as an adjunct to standard care. This chapter defines meditation and mindfulness, presents a novel classification of meditation techniques, and discusses three forms of meditation practice that offer the most promise in posttraumatic stress disorder (ptsd) care mindfulness meditation, mantram repetition program, and compassion meditation. The neurobiology of meditative practices and their role in emotion regulation, alleviating psychiatric symptoms, and promoting well-being is presented. Neuroimaging research and clinical trials for each meditation technique are followed by instructions for each practice, and illustrated through clinical case discussions. The chapter concludes that meditation is a wide-spectrum cost-effective self-management approach to combat-related mental health concerns that may help reduce long-term personal and societal costs. It can alleviate chronic and debilitating symptoms of ptsd and comorbid conditions such as depression, substance use disorder, tobacco use disorder, sleep disturbance, and chronic pain. The self-care quality of meditation allows patients to feel more in control of their symptoms, and empowers them to take an active central role in their own healing process.