Research Shows Meditation Curbed PTSD In African Refugees

Here's even more proof that mindfulness really can make a difference -- and in this specific case, among African war refugees.

Col. Brian Rees, a physician with the Veterans Administration, joined HuffPost Live's Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani to discuss research showing the effects of transcendental meditation on 42 Congolese refugees living in or near Kampala, Uganda.

The refugees' stress and PTSD symptoms were assessed using the PCL checklist, a method for discerning the impact of high-pressure life events. The lowest possible score is 17 while the highest is 85 (indicating the most stress). The Congolese refugees scored in the high 60s, Rees said.

Among the refugees who were taught to meditate, the improvement was incredible: 90 percent of them saw improvement in their symptoms, and by the end of the study, a total of 95 percent of the refugees who were meditating had become non-symptomatic of PTSD.

Find out more about the amazing effects of meditation on African refugees in the full HuffPost Live conversation below.