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. 2022 Jan 18:12:780319.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.780319. eCollection 2021.

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

Samantha Gerdes  1   2 , Huw Williams  1 , Anke Karl  1
Affiliations

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

Samantha Gerdes et al. Front Psychol. .

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.

Keywords: PTSD; heart rate variability; hyperarousal; loving-kindness; self-compassion; skin conductance; veterans.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Change in state self-compassion (pre to post).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Change in state hyperarousal (pre to post).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Heart rate (HR) response over time.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Skin conductance (SCL) response over time.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Change in social connectedness (pre to post).
Figure 6
Figure 6
HR variability over time.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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