Latest PLOS One Research shows that childhood trauma may increase risks in mindfulness meditation programs designed to manage depression.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is a combination of meditation practices with cognitive therapy techniques, originally developed to prevent relapse in people who had already recovered from depression.
Over time, MBCT and similar mindfulness-based programs have been offered to people experiencing active depression, and while many participants report improvements, researchers are beginning to notice that not everyone responds the same way.
Previous studies hinted that childhood trauma could affect how well mindfulness programs work. In some cases, trauma survivors benefited more from MBCT when it was used to prevent relapse.
But when treating active depression, the picture was vague. Some participants with a history of trauma struggled to improve, and reports of meditation-related side effects – such as anxiety, panic or resurfacing of traumatic memories – raised concerns.
A research team from Brown University in Rhode Island conducted two clinical trials led by Nicholas K. Canby.
They assessed participants’ depression symptoms before and after treatment, monitored dropout, and documented any unexpected or adverse experiences during meditation.
In both studies, childhood trauma consistently predicted worse outcomes from depression.
In particular, childhood sexual abuse emerged as the most consistent predictor of reduced treatment benefit and was significantly associated with higher dropout rates in the larger study. Emotional neglect and emotional abuse were also associated with reduced improvement in depressive symptoms.
Participants with a history of trauma were also more susceptible to meditation-related side effects, including vivid imagery, increased anxiety, dissociation and emotional blunting.
Many also reported feeling trapped or overwhelmed during body-centered meditation exercises, which in some cases brought back memories of past abuse.
The authors concluded that “childhood trauma predicts poorer outcomes in MBCT treatment for active depression, but better outcomes when MBCT is used as a relapse prevention program in people who are not currently depressed.”
