Effects of an Online Imagery-Based Treatment Program in Patients with Workplace-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Pilot Study

Abstract

ObjectiveWe developed easily accessible imagery-based treatment program for patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to workplace accidents and investigated the effects of the program on various PTSD related symptoms. MethodsThe program was based on an online platform and consisted of eight 15-min sessions that included script-guided imagery and supportive music. Thirty-five patients with workplace-related PTSD participated in this program 4 days per week for 4 weeks. Its effects were examined using self-report questionnaires before and after the take-home online treatment sessions. ResultsAfter completing the 4-week treatment program, patients showed significant improvements in depressed mood (t=3.642, p=0.001) based on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), anxiety (t=3.198, p=0.003) based on the Generalized Anxiety Disorder seven-item (GAD-7) scale, and PTSD symptoms (t=5.363, p<0.001) based on the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Check List (PCL). In particular, patients with adverse childhood experiences exhibited a greater degree of relief related to anxiety and PTSD symptoms than those without adverse childhood experiences. ConclusionThe present results demonstrated that the relatively short online imagery-based treatment program developed for this study had beneficial effects for patients with workplace-related PTSD.

Three months-longitudinal changes in relative telomere length, blood chemistries, and self-report questionnaires in meditation practitioners compared to novice individuals during midlife

“…The MBI which used in this study is the combination of moving meditation (i.e., Brain Wave Vibration meditation) and focused attention meditation (i.e., Sangdahnjeon meditation). According to previous investigations, Brain Wave Vibration meditation significantly reduces depression, anxiety, stress, [ 26 , 48 – 50 ] improves EI, [ 48 , 51 ] and global sleep quality. [ 24 ] In the current study, the self-report questionnaires exhibited consistent results with the previous reports of the brain wave vibration meditation: depression, anxiety, stress, EI, and sleep quality exhibited improvements with a significant difference or a tendency of significance in the experimental group compared to the control group (Table 4 ).…”

Reduced Pain by Mind-Body Intervention Correlates with Improvement of Shoulder Function in People with Shoulder Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Brain education meditation (BEM) (also referred as brain wave vibration meditation) is a modernized mind-body training method which is rooted in Korean Sundo tradition and consists of several techniques including exercises which improves the connection between the brain and body, such as qigong, breathing postures, body awareness meditation, and brain wave vibration meditation with rhythmic body movement [ 22 – 28 ], and has been investigated for its differences from other mind-body interventions such as mindfulness meditation and yoga [ 23 , 26 ]. BEM is associated with its effects on various body systems such as changes in brain structure and function [ 24 , 29 – 31 ], improvements in emotion and cognition [ 32 – 34 ], and suppression of inflammation [ 25 , 35 ]. Brain education healing point (BHP) meditation, which is used in the current study, is a meditation program that combines acupressure-like stimulation with the meditation of the abovementioned BEM tradition [ 36 ].…”

Efficacy and acceptability of music therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

“…Over the past decade, music therapy has emerged as an alternative and less linguistically intensive treatment modality for individuals suffering from PTSD. Empirical research has demonstrated its promising efficacy and favourable feasibility in alleviating PTSD symptoms as well as comorbid depressive, anxiety, and insomnia symptoms in individuals with PTSD (Blanaru et al, 2012 ; Hirschberg et al, 2020 ; Landis-Shack et al, 2017 ; Lee et al, 2018 ; Macfarlane et al, 2019 ; Ophir & Jacoby, 2020 ). Nevertheless, it is worth noting that the majority of existing studies exploring the efficacy of music therapy primarily consist of single-arm clinical trials or qualitative studies.…”