Mindfulness-based meditation interventions have become increasingly popular in contemporary psychology. Other closely related meditation practices include loving-kindness meditation (LKM) and compassion meditation (CM), exercises oriented toward enhancing unconditional, positive emotional states of kindness and compassion. This article provides a review of the background, the techniques, and the empirical contemporary literature of LKM and CM. The literature suggests that LKM and CM are associated with an increase in positive affect and a decrease in negative affect. Preliminary findings from neuroendocrine studies indicate that CM may reduce stress-induced subjective distress and immune response. Neuroimaging studies suggest that LKM and CM may enhance activation of brain areas that are involved in emotional processing and empathy. Finally, preliminary intervention studies support application of these strategies in clinical populations. It is concluded that, when combined with empirically supported treatments, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, LKM and CM may provide potentially useful strategies for targeting a variety of different psychological problems that involve interpersonal processes, such as social anxiety, marital conflict, anger, and coping with the strains of long-term caregiving.

The DSM-IV-TR PTSD category demonstrates various types of validity. Criteria modification and textual clarifications are suggested to further improve its cross-cultural applicability.

We examined the therapeutic efficacy of a culturally adapted cognitive-behavior therapy for Cambodian refugees with treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and comordid panic attacks. We used a cross-over design, with 20 patients in the initial treatment (IT) condition and 20 in delayed treatment (DT). Repeated measures MANOVA, Group & times; Time ANOVAs, and planned contrasts indicated significantly greater improvement in the IT condition, with large effect sizes (Cohen's d) for all outcome measures: Anxiety Sensitivity Index (d = 3.78), Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (d = 2.17), and Symptom Checklist 90-R subscales (d = 2.77). Likewise, the severity of (culturally related) neck-focused and orthostasis-cued panic attacks, including flashbacks associated with these subtypes, improved across treatment.