Transcendental Meditation in Veterans and First Responders With PTSD

Other criteria

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