Central Meditation and Imagery Therapy for Depression
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a serious, costly and highly prevalent condition. However, currently available treatment options have limited efficacy. The aim of this pilot study is to determine whether patients suffering from MDD who have not responded to at least one antidepressant trial may actively engage in a novel group therapy, Central Meditation and Imagery Therapy (CMIT). Preliminary results with individual patients suggest that CMIT techniques may have benefit for major depression. The purpose of this trial is to assess the feasibility of a group form of CMIT for the treatment of major depression. The trial will also seek to identify neurophysiological and cardiovascular predictors of treatment response. In this study, 10 subjects with major depressive disorder will receive antidepressant treatment augmentation with group meditation and mental imagery therapy for a total of 12 weeks, as well as daily meditation practice. Group sessions will also involve gentle yogic stretches. The subjects will be limited to those who remain depressed despite at least one trial of antidepressant medication. Changes in brain activity and heart rate variability will be measured at three time points utilizing electroencephalography (EEG) and pulse monitors. Depression symptoms will be measured at several time points using questionnaires and objective measures. Participation will require a total of 15 visits for weekly therapy and the measurements. Two-month follow-up questionnaires will be mailed to the subjects after study end to assess durability of any improvements in depressive symptoms.
NCT01671436 — Depression
Status: Completed
http://inclinicaltrials.com/depression/NCT01671436/
Meditation or Exercise for Preventing Acute Respiratory Infection (MEPARI-2)
The primary goal of this project is to determine whether behavioral training in mindfulness meditation or moderate intensity sustained exercise will lead to reductions in acute respiratory infection (ARI) illness, such as common cold and influenza like illness. Specifically, this project aims to: 1. Determine whether an 8-week training program in mindfulness meditation, as compared to the control group, will lead to significant reductions in incidence, duration, and severity of ARI illness. 2. Determine whether an 8-week training program in moderate intensity sustained exercise, as compared to the control group, will lead to reductions in incidence, duration, and severity of ARI illness. 3. Assess whether any observed reductions in ARI illness are accompanied by fewer ARI-related health care visits and less time lost to productive work (reduced absenteeism). 4. Compare the potential benefits of mindfulness meditation to those from moderate intensity sustained exercise. 5. Discern potential mediating factors and causal pathways that might help explain how these interventions lead to improved ARI illness-related outcomes. The investigators' preliminary findings suggest substantial benefit of these interventions in terms of reduced incidence, duration and severity of ARI illness, with corresponding reductions in days of work lost to illness. If the proposed research confirms these findings, there will be major implications for public and private health-related policy and practice, as well as for scientific knowledge regarding health maintenance and disease prevention.
NCT01654289 — Acute Respiratory Infection
Status: Completed
http://inclinicaltrials.com/acute-respiratory-infection/NCT01654289/
Effects of Meditation Awareness Training on Psychosocial Functioning in Prison Participants: A Randomized Controlled Trial
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of an eight-week long group-based secular intervention known as Meditation Awareness Training (MAT) on psychosocial functioning in prison participants.
NCT01651091 — Psychosocial Functioning
Status: Not yet recruiting
http://inclinicaltrials.com/psychosocial-functioning/NCT01651091/
The Sounds of Compassion: Testing How Specific Elements of Meditation Change Daily Life
Important health benefits of meditation may be conferred as much by what people actually do and say in their daily lives as by how they self-perceive the effect of training on their behavior and emotions. To test this hypothesis, and to explore whether specific elements of meditation (e.g. compassion vs. mindfulness) have different effects on real-world social behavior, the current project proposes to use the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR) in a randomized, longitudinal design to objectively measure whether meditation does indeed make people behave in happier, kinder and more prosocial ways in their daily lives. This design will permit an exploratory analysis of how such behavioral transformations might relate to subjective reports of meditative effects. To accomplish these objectives, 108 medically healthy adults will be randomized to 8 weeks training in compassion meditation (n=36), Mindfulness Attention Training (MAT) (n = 36) or to an active control condition consisting of a health education discussion group (n=36). Prior to randomization and again upon completion of these interventions, all subjects will participate in an EAR protocol to evaluate the effect of meditation training on their real-world prosocial and affiliative behavior. Based on prior research and direct pilot data from 25 participants, prosocial and affiliative behavior will be assessed as the amount of (1) shown empathy and affection, (2) laughing vs. sighing, (3) arguing and complaining, (4) time spent interacting with others vs. alone, (5) meaningful conversations, (6) socially inclusive (i.e. use of "we"/us") vs. self-focused (i.e. use of "I"/me") first person language. Following the first EAR assessment, subjects will commence 8 weeks of compassion meditation training, MAT, or attendance in the health discussion group. Following these interventions subjects will participate in EAR monitoring identical to the initial assessment. To assess whether changes in daily behavior are sustained over a longer period, all subjects will undergo a final EAR assessment 6 months following completion of the study interventions. Self-report measures of social integration and support and behavioral/lifestyle variables that might be associated with EAR outcomes will be evaluated prior to each EAR assessment and treated as covariates.
NCT01643369 — Immune System Processes
Status: Completed
http://inclinicaltrials.com/immune-system-processes/NCT01643369/
Stress Reduction and Healthy Living in Pittsburgh
The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of a three-day mindfulness meditation retreat (vs. a three-day relaxation retreat) in stressed, unemployed, community adults on brain function, brain structure, and overall health and immunity.
NCT01628809 — Inflammation
Status: Completed
http://inclinicaltrials.com/inflammation/NCT01628809/
An Open Pilot Study of Loving-Kindness Meditation for PTSD
A before and after study of veterans who took part in a 12-week loving-kindness meditation course as an adjunct to their usual care for posttraumatic stress disorder.
NCT01607632 — Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Status: Completed
http://inclinicaltrials.com/posttraumatic-stress-disorder/NCT01607632/
Mindfulness Meditation Format Pilot Study
The purpose of this study is to assess feasibility of an internet and individual format of mindfulness meditation in people with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms
NCT01581983 — Depression
Status: Completed
http://inclinicaltrials.com/depression/NCT01581983/
A Randomized, Four-Arm Study Comparing Reiki, Yoga, Meditation, or Patient Education Group for Addressing Symptoms of Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN)
The purpose of this study is to test whether people with symptoms of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) receive physical or psychological benefits from participating in a six-week Reiki, Yoga, Meditation, or Educational experience.
NCT01569269 — Peripheral Neuropathy
Status: Completed
http://inclinicaltrials.com/peripheral-neuropathy/NCT01569269/
Meditation Interventions for Treatment of PTSD in Veterans
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating psychiatric disorder which results in serious impairments in interpersonal, occupational and social functioning. Effective treatments are available for PTSD but they do not work for everyone. Alternative treatments are needed to help those veterans not helped by currently available treatments. Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a group based treatment focused on mindfulness meditation. MBSR has been found to be effective in helping people with problems with pain and anxiety. MBSR has not yet been studied in veterans with PTSD. The proposed study will compare MBSR with a standard psychotherapy treatment in veterans with PTSD. This research is relevant to Veterans' health because of the need to develop alternative treatments for veterans with PTSD who have not responded to currently available treatments.
NCT01548742 — Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
Status: Completed
http://inclinicaltrials.com/stress-disorders-post-traumatic/NCT01548742/
A Multisite Randomized Controlled Trial of Mindfulness Meditation Therapy for PTSD
Currently, veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are typically treated with antidepressants which have limited efficacy and yield extremely low remission rates. New and improved treatments are sorely needed, especially in light of the inadequate evidence to support the efficacy of most pharmacologic and most psychotherapy treatments for PTSD. Complementary and Alternative Medicine practices, such as meditation, may fill this void. Several other illnesses often found in association with PTSD, such as chronic pain, anxiety, and depression, have shown positive response to meditation, specifically Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). MBSR is manualized program involving 8 weekly classes and a single 6-hour silent retreat session based on a systematic procedure to develop enhanced non-reactive awareness of the moment-to-moment experience of perceptible mental processes. MBSR is well tolerated, already well disseminated. MBSR has been shown to be effective in reducing conditions that are commonly associated with PTSD, including pain, depression, anxiety and panic, and insomnia. The investigators are conducting a multisite study of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) compared to Present Centered Group Therapy (PCGT) for the treatment of PTSD. The primary aim of this study will be to determine how well the MBSR form of meditation, i.e. MBSR, works to treat symptoms of PTSD in veterans compared to PCGT. The investigators will evaluate the effects of treatment on levels of mindfulness, depression, PTSD symptom clusters, and response rates. The investigators will evaluate veterans' satisfaction and acceptability of the MBSR intervention. Additionally, biomarkers will be utilized to aid in our understanding of the pathophysiology of meditation and explore the relationship between treatment outcome and neuroimmune response.
NCT01532999 — Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Status: Completed
http://inclinicaltrials.com/posttraumatic-stress-disorder/NCT01532999/