Mind-Body Intervention for Veterans With PTSD

PTSD is a difficult illness to treat and there is a lack of interventions that effectively reduce it. In recent years, attention has focused on treating PTSD patients by including a sleep-focused intervention since those with PTSD, such as military personnel, almost always report some form of sleep disturbance (Neylan et al. 1998; Lewis et al. 2009). In fact, since sleep disturbance is so prevalent in PTSD, it is considered a hallmark of PTSD diagnosis (Ross et al. 1989). Two classical PTSD symptoms, hyperarousal and re-experiencing the traumatic event, comprise sleep difficulty and nightmares, respectively (Lamarche and De Koninck 2007). Preliminary evidence suggests that interventions targeting sleep may be beneficial in the treatment of PTSD (Germain et al. 2007; Swanson et al. 2009; Nakamura et al. 2011). This study will evaluate the effectiveness of mind-body bridging (MBB) as a primary group psychotherapy treatment for reduction of PTSD symptoms among veterans. MBB is an awareness training program,(Block and Block 2007) which has been recently developed into a workbook specifically for PTSD (Block and Block 2010). MBB has been used successfully at the George E. Wahlen Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) for more than 5 years as an adjunctive treatment. MBB is well accepted by veterans and anecdotally has been reported to improve mood as well as PTSD and other anxiety symptoms. Furthermore, published pilot studies have provided preliminary evidence of its benefits.(Tollefson et al. 2009; Nakamura et al. 2011). In particular, Nakamura et al.(2011) tested a brief sleep-focused MBB intervention program in a randomized controlled trial, which demonstrated improved sleep and decreased PTSD symptoms. Our clinical experience and these preliminary studies indicate that a pilot feasibility study of MBB as a specific treatment for PTSD is warranted. The proposed, non-randomized single-group study of MBB will serve as a pilot feasibility study investigating a 10-week MBB program offered to veterans who are clinically diagnosed to suffer from PTSD. In this pilot study, we determine whether MBB is a beneficial intervention program for PTSD and co-morbidities, including insomnia, depression, etc., based on self-report measures and clinical evaluations.