Compassion Meditation for PTSD

Compassion meditation is a meditative practice focused on the wish that others and the self may be free of suffering. Because this particular form of meditation has been shown to elicit positive emotion and feelings of connection with other people, it is uniquely well suited to addressing PTSD, which is characterized by strong negative affect, deficits in positive emotion and social connectedness.

Relaxation Training is selected as the control condition because it is a good match for nonspecific aspects of the meditative practice (e.g., attention, support, contact with a mental health provider) and it is structurally similar to meditation (e.g., restful, in session and at home exercises).