- Self-compassion training changes how veterans respond to trauma related stress and thus, has the potential to minimize the severity of symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder

Pitzer College

- Approximately 23% of Iraq/Afghanistan veterans develop clinically significant levels of post traumatic stress disorder. Extensive literature documents a strong association between PTSD and functional impairment across multiple domains.


War Veterans Suffering from PTSD

Dahm, K. A., Meyer, E. C., Neff, K. D., Kimbrel, N. A., Gulliver, S. B., & Morissette, S. B. (2015). Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms, and Functional Disability in U.S. Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 28(5), 460–464. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22045

Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms, and Functional Disability in U.S. Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans

Self-Compassion Training for War Veterans Suffering from PTSD

Service dogs are commonly used to aid in the treatment of war veterans suffering from PTSD. In addition to providing veterans with feelings of love and companionship, these dogs are specially trained to detect signs of anxiety, detect when their owner is having a nightmare and wake them up, help their owners feel safe in public, and other things specific to PTSD. Studies have shown that veterans with PTSD service dogs often demonstrate a lower number of PTSD symptoms and a higher quality of life. 

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