b'A D V A N C I N G I N N O V A T I O N S I N H E A L T H C A R E P O L I C Y P T S DREDUCED PTSDThis randomized controlled study of 203 Veterans with PTSD, AND DEPRESSIONfunded by the Department of Defense and conducted at the SYMPTOMS San Diego VA, compared the non-trauma-focused practice The Lancet Psychiatry, 5(2),ofTranscendental Meditation(TM) with the gold standard 975-986 trauma-focused prolonged exposure (PE) therapy in a non-inferiority clinical trial, and compared both treatments to a PTSD health education (HE) control. For PTSD symptom severity total scores, using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-IV), both TM and PE were significantly superior to HE, with TM being non-inferior to PE over a three-month period. Similar results were found for depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). In terms of percentages ofveterans exhibiting clinically significant change on the CAPS (equal to or greater than a ten point reduction), 61% of those receiving TM, 42% of those receiving PE, and 32% of those receiving HE showed clinically significant improvements. Results indicated the effectiveness of TM in both decreasing PTSD symptom severity in veterans and serving as an alternative for those who prefer not to receive or who do not respond to traditional exposure-based treatments of PTSD. RESEARCH FIELD SITE: San Diego VA, San Diego, CADepartment of Defense Grants W81XWH-12-1-0576 and W81XWH-12-1-057733'