Effects of Compassion Training on Physiological Processes Relevant to Health and Emotional Well-Being

Charles L. Raison, M.D. Barry and Janet Lang Associate Professor Of Integrative Mental Health University of Arizona Tucson, AZ

The Trier Social Stress Test

*-the majority of the depressed patients in this sample also endorsed significant early life stress as measured by the CTQ

Pace et al., Am J Psychiatry, 2006.

Plas

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IL-6

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-15 0 15 30

Major Depression (n = 14)

Control (n = 13)

TSST

*

*Between group comparison, p < 0.05 +Within group comparison vs. 0 min time pt, p < 0.05

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-15 0 15 30 45 60 75 90

Medically Health Men WITH Major Depression (n = 14)

Medically Health Men WITHOUT Major Depression (n = 13)

STRESS Time (min)

*Between group comparison, p < 0.05 +Within group comparison vs. 0 min time pt, p < 0.05

+ +

+

+

*

+

+

*

Psychosocial Stress Activates Inflammation: Effect of Depression

Attitude in Response to Predicts Future Depressive Symptoms: Role of Inflammation

Aschbacher et al. BBI 2012; 26: 346-52

“Enemies are really good for us as we can learn a lot from them and build our inner strength.“

H.H. The Dalai Lama

Essence of CBCT

a.  Reduce your attachment to people, places and things you desire

b.  Reduce your anger/hatred/frustration toward people places and things that you find aversive

1.LEARN TO SEE THE WORLD AS IT REALLY IS, WHICH MEANS:

c.  Stop trying to ignore everything that you neither desire or dislike

2.  WHEN YOU BEGIN TO SEE THE WORLD AS IT REALLY IS:

a.  Practice trying to make yourself feel deep empathy and compassion for everyone, regardless of whether your natural tendency is to like them, dislike them or not to care about them one way or the other

-2.0

-1.5

-1.0

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0.5

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Average meditation sessions per week

Log

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XIM

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I L-6

Po

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8 9 1

POM

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otal

Moo

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-20 -15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15 20 25 30

2 3 4 5 6 7

Average meditation sessions per week

8 9 1

Increased Practice of CBCT Reduced IL-6 and POMS Responses to the TSST

rp = 0.46, p<0.01 rp = 0.39, p<0.05

Pace et al., PNE 2008;34:87-98

Randomized to Compassion Meditation

6 Weeks

intervention

TSST

High Practice Time Group Post-training TSST

Low Practice Time Group Post-training TSST

Randomized to Compassion Meditation

TSST

6 Weeks

intervention

High Practice Time Group Pre-training TSST

Low Practice Time Group Pre-training TSST

Pace et al. PNE 2009;34:87-98; Pace et al. PNE 2010;35:310-315. TSST, Trier Social Stress Test

Practice of Compassion Meditation Improves Stress Responses I

TSST prior to meditation training

TSST after meditation training

0.5

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-1.5 0 30 60 45 75 90 15

TSST

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TSST

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low practice high practice

Time (min) Time (min) 18

12

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0 0 30 60 45 75 90 15

TSST

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18

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TSST

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14

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Time (min) Time (min)

IL-6

Cortisol

Pace TW et al. PNE 2009;34:87-98; Pace TW et al. PNE 2010;35:310-315.

25

10

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-5 0 30 60 45 75 90 15

TSST

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-5 0 30 60 45 75 90 15

TSST

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POM

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POM

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Time (min) Time (min)

TSST prior to meditation training

TSST after meditation training

POMS Total

Distress

Pace TW et al. PNE 2009;34:87-98; Pace TW et al. PNE 2010;35:310-315.

Practice of Compassion Meditation Improves Stress Responses II

HOW?

Relationships Between Autonomic and Inflammatory Responses to Stress

Raison et al. Unpublished data

Effect of Compassion Meditation on HRV Responses to TSST

Raison et el. Unpublished data

Gender task: Emotion task:

Reading  the  Mind  in  the  Eyes  

CBCT Enhanced Empathic Accuracy and Increased Activity in Relevant Brain Regions

Mascaro et al. Submitted

Does CBCT Engagement Encourage Interoceptive Awareness?

Raison et al., unpublished

Taking CBCT to the Streets

Youth in foster care have high rates of early life trauma and neglect

Many youth in foster care are further traumatized by abusive placements and/or prolonged placements and/or repeated relocations

Rates of economic and academic success are significantly reduced in this Population compared with US norms

In Georgia, approximately 50% of individuals who age out of foster care At 18 are homeless within 2 years.

Engagement with CBCT Reduced Systemic Inflammation in Adolescents in Foster Care

Pace et al. Psychoneuroendocrinol 2012; epub

(rs = 0.58, p = 0.002)

•  Geshe Lobsang Tenzin Negi

•  Thaddeus W. Pace •  Matthias Mehl •  Brooke Dodson-Lavelle •  Brendan Ozawa de-Silva •  Teri Sivilli •  Allison Williams •  Robert Paul •  Andrew H. Miller •  B.J. Walker •  Megan Robbins

•  Tom Comstock •  Daniel Adame •  Steve P. Cole •  Sheethal Reddy •  Linda Craighead •  W. Edward Craighead •  Andrea Danese •  Michael Issa •  Fang Hu •  Bryan Price •  Erica Lipizzi •  Kisha Frank