Can Meditation Help Treat Symptoms of PTSD?

A technique called mindful meditation is being used with some success to help treat symptoms of PTSD, or post traumatic stress disorder in veterans returning home from combat duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. These people suffered post traumatic stress disorder, after their experiences during the war. Similar techniques could also help people who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder after a life threatening experience in the civilian world.

A civilian may suffer from symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder after being involved in a life-threatening situation like a major accident, explosion, or natural disaster. For instance, Texas industrial accident lawyers often find such symptoms common among workers who have suffered through and survived a major industrial explosion, or refinery disaster, where there was a serious threat to the worker’s life.

Post traumatic stress disorder is a mental disorder in which a person continues to suffer from symptoms of anxiety, depression, panic attacks, memory loss, flashbacks, nightmares and other symptoms that seriously affect his ability to live a normal life.

The military is currently experimenting with the use of mindful meditation techniques to help veterans with symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder. In their studies, they have found that veterans, who are trained to use these meditation techniques, seemed, able to respond quicker when a threat appeared. Upon their return from combat duty, and after about 2 months of using the meditation techniques, these subjects also reported lower levels of stress and anxiety.

In fact, so successful are these techniques, that researchers believe that such mindful meditation training should be part of mandatory training for every veteran. It is highly likely that these techniques can also be used equally successfully in the civilian population as well.