Meditation clinical trials at UCSD

3 in progress, 2 open to eligible people

Showing trials for

  • Compassion Meditation vs. Health Education for Veterans

    open to eligible people ages 18 years and up

    Chronic pain (CP) is a major health problem for military Veterans, and CP is often associated with comorbid mental health problems, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. CP with psychological comorbidity is associated with increased healthcare costs, medication use, risk of suicide and rates of disability and reduced quality of life. Current empirically supported treatments do not always lead to substantial improvements (up to 50% of patients drop out or are do not respond to treatment). This project was designed to evaluate the efficacy of a novel intervention for addressing these challenges. Compassion meditation (CM), a meditative practice that focuses on the wish to remove suffering, is a contemplative practice that has promise for the amelioration of physical and mental health problems as well as promoting positive affect and improving quality of life. This study will evaluate the efficacy of Cognitively-Based Compassion Training for Chronic Pain with Psychological Comorbidity (CBCT-CP+) compared to Health Education while Living with Pain (H.E.L.P.) control condition, in a sample of among Veterans with CP conditions and psychological comorbidity.

    San Diego, California

  • Meditation Accelerated Brain Stimulation for Depression

    open to eligible people ages 18 years and up

    Repetitive Transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is an FDA-approved treatment for depression that involves brief magnetic stimulation pulses on the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) brain region. The ultimate goal of this treatment is to increase excitability and long-term plasticity in DLPFC, a brain region shown to be hypo-active in depression. Unfortunately, rTMS only has low to moderate efficacy; remission rates for patients range from ~15-30% in large randomized controlled trials. The focus of this research is to develop a next-generation rTMS protocol that is guided by the basic principles underlying brain plasticity, in order to improve the efficacy of rTMS for the treatment of depression. Specifically, in this study the investigators will test rTMS paired with a depression-relevant cognitive state of internal attention.

    San Diego, California and other locations

  • Transcendental Meditation in Veterans and First Responders With PTSD

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    The present study is part of a Phase 3 multi-site clinical trial that will recruit veterans and first responders diagnosed with PTSD, where they will be randomized to receive either Transcendental Meditation (TM) or Present Centered Therapy (PCT). Five assessments will be conducted, at: 1) baseline, 2) midpoint, 3) posttreatment, 4) three months posttreatment and 5) six months posttreatment. All assessments will be completed using remote HIPAA-compliant videoconferencing. The study protocol at NYSPI/Columbia will also include Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) before and after treatment to elucidate neural predictors and mechanisms of these two treatment approaches. Enrollment will include veterans and first responders with PTSD. Both TM and PCT will be provided by trained staff receiving weekly supervision. This trial is funded by the David Lynch Foundation and will recruit approximately 360 veterans and first responders over a three-year period.

    La Jolla, California and other locations

Our lead scientists for Meditation research studies include .

Last updated: