Psychophysiological Responses to a Brief Self-Compassion Exercise in Armed Forces Veterans

Abstract

Armed Forces personnel are exposed to traumatic experiences during their work; therefore, they are at risk of developing emotional difficulties such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), following traumatic experiences. Despite evidence to suggest that self-compassion is effective in reducing the symptoms of PTSD, and greater levels of self-compassion are associated with enhanced resilience, self-compassion in armed forces personnel and armed forces veterans remains under-researched. As a result, it is not known if therapeutic approaches that use self-compassion interventions are an acceptable and effective treatment for this population. Having previously shown that a one-off self-compassion exercise has temporary beneficial psychophysiological effects in non-clinical participants, we conducted this proof-of concept study to investigate whether this exercise is equally beneficial in veterans who had experienced deployment to a combat zone. Additionally, we examined if brief a self-compassion exercise can temporarily reduce hyperarousal symptoms and increase feelings of social connectedness. The current study also investigated the association between PTSD symptom severity, emotion regulation, and self-compassion in 56 veterans. All participants listened to a loving-kindness meditation for self-compassion (LKM-S) and psychophysiological recordings were taken throughout. Psychophysiological effects were observed including heart-rate (HR), skin conductance (SCL), and heart-rate variability (HRV) to determine associations with PTSD and changes in response associated with the self-compassion induction. PTSD symptom severity, dispositional emotion regulation, and self-compassion were measured, and participants also completed state measures of hyperarousal and social connectedness before and after the LKM-S. The findings partially demonstrated that self-compassion can be elicited in a veteran population but there were considerable individual differences in psychophysiological responses. The findings are discussed in light of existing theories of PTSD and self-compassion and the implications of using self-compassion based psychological approaches with veterans.

Effects of loving-kindness and compassion meditations on self-compassion: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

“…Therefore, the current review included 62 interventional studies. Note that we also found seven experiments with one-time LKCM practice and two cross-sectional studies among LKCM practitioners with the SCS (1) Interventions in which LKCM accounted for less than 50% of major meditation practices LKCM is not the major practice (Bluth et al, 2016) (2) Laboratory experiments with one-time LKCM practice One-time LKCM practice (Kirby & Baldwin, 2018) (3) Studies using other measurements of self-compassion than the SCS One-item measure for self-compassion (Gerdes et al, 2022) (4) Studies of practices that induced self-compassion in other ways…”

“…As introduced above, self-compassion is a complex concept consisting of three components, encompassing more than a simple compassionate attitude toward oneself (Neff, 2003a). Therefore, to focus on the exact concept of self-compassion and avoid confusion, the current review will only include studies using the SCS and its modifications (e.g., short form; Raes et al, 2010), and it exclude similar concepts (e.g., self-criticism; Johnson et al, 2017) or other measurements (e.g., a one-item measure of self-compassion; Gerdes et al, 2022). Furthermore, few studies in recent years explored effects of one-time LKCM practice on self-compassion in laboratory experiments (e.g., Engel et al, 2021).…”

Mindful self-compassion for veteran women with a history of military sexual trauma: feasibility, acceptability, potential benefits, and considerations

“…There is one major consideration when implementing MSC with trauma survivors. Self-compassion training can foster ‘backdraft,’ temporary increases in distress that can arise as a natural response when retraining one’s inner dialogue to be more self-compassionate (Gerdes et al, 2022 ; Germer et al, 2020 ; Germer & Neff, 2014 ). As articulated in the MSC teacher manual, ‘love reveals everything unlike itself’ (Germer et al, 2020 , p. 83).…”

“…As articulated in the MSC teacher manual, ‘love reveals everything unlike itself’ (Germer et al, 2020 , p. 83). Backdraft can include re-experiencing old memories and emotions and be exacerbated in trauma survivors, including veterans (Gerdes et al, 2022 ; Germer & Neff, 2014 ; Neff & Germer, 2022 ). In contrast to CPT or Prolonged Exposure (PE), where affective processing or re-experiencing are posited central treatment mechanisms (Gallagher & Resick, 2012 ; Resick et al, 2002 ), backdraft in MSC is an important mechanism to train in self-compassion and adaptive emotion regulation, as it provides practice in broadening one’s ‘zone of tolerance’ for difficult emotions.…”