Miami and Ohio State university researchers are using an ancient technique to address a modern problem.
With a $98,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Mental Health, Deborah Akers, Miami visiting assistant professor of anthropology, is working with co-researchers from Ohio State on a project titled "Treatment of Trauma Survivors: Effects of Meditation Practice on Clients' Mental Health Outcomes."
Akers and co-researchers Moyee Lee, professor of social work, and Amy Zaharlick, professor of anthropology, will investigate the impact of Tibetan meditation on victims of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The project began in November and will continue for two years.
Researchers are working with women diagnosed with PTSD who live in Amethyst House, a women's treatment program for alcohol and drug addiction in Columbus. Tibetan monk Geshe Kalsang Damdhul of the Institute of Higher Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamsala, India, will assist as a meditation instructor.
"Participants are being taught specialized meditation techniques and will be guided through meditation for a period of six weeks," said Akers. Results could then provide a new option for treating other victims of PTSD, such as combat soldiers returning from war or victims of natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina.
"This project charts new ground, bringing a holistic perspective to the treatment of PTSD," said Akers. She added that though meditation has been used in a variety of therapeutic settings in the West, such as reducing stress and coping with pain, its application in the treatment of mental illness, including PTSD, has not been extensively explored.