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Can meditation help veterans heal from PTSD? new study investigates

NCT ID NCT04793698

Symptom relief Sponsor: Veterans Medical Research Foundation Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times

Summary

This study looked at whether a 10-week compassion meditation course is a practical and acceptable treatment for veterans with PTSD. Researchers enrolled 113 veterans across multiple U.S. sites and compared the meditation program to a standard relaxation course. The main goal was to see if veterans would sign up, attend sessions, and find the program helpful, rather than to prove it reduces symptoms.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
compassion meditation
What this could lead to
If this approach works, it could offer veterans a new, non-drug way to ease PTSD symptoms and improve their quality of life.
What could go wrong
This is an early feasibility study, not a large effectiveness trial. It may not show clear benefits, and results may not apply to all veterans with PTSD.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

113 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

May 2021

Finished

Jan 2026

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Veteran status * Able/willing to consent * Primary complaint of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or subsyndromal PTSD with accompanying distress and impairment Exclusion Criteria: * Serious suicidality or homicidality * Known, untreated substance use or dependence problem * Untreated/unstable serious mental illness * Cognitive impairment that would interfere with study activities * Concurrent enrollment in other treatment for PTSD or other meditation-based practice

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

post-traumatic stress disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Posttraumatic stress disorder

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Durham VA Health Care System

    Durham, North Carolina, 27705, United States

  • VA Bedford Healthcare System

    Bedford, Massachusetts, 01730, United States

  • VA Finger Lakes HCS

    Canandaigua, New York, 14424-1159, United States

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