Podcast Reflection: Critical Analysis of Mindfulness for Veterans

This report provides a critical reflection on a podcast discussing the use of mindfulness as a treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in war veterans. The student analyzes the podcast's content, which features interviews with psychiatrists, exploring the concept of mindfulness and its potential benefits. The reflection highlights the challenges veterans might face when practicing mindfulness, such as the difficulty of remaining still and focused, as well as the limitations of the available research. The report also discusses the podcast's perspective on mindfulness as a tool to help veterans manage their daily lives and acknowledges the importance of recognizing and accepting thoughts and feelings. The student concludes that further research is needed to determine the effectiveness of mindfulness for PTSD, especially given the limited empirical information presented in the podcast.

Running Head: REFLECTION ON PODCAST
Reflection on Podcast
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1REFLECTION ON PODCAST
PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is one of the most common consequences
from being exposed to traumatic situations for prolonged period of time. Hence, when it
comes to war veterans, the consequences and cases of PTSD are extremely severe and grim in
comparison to that of any civilian. For being continuously exposed to traumatic situations
such as combat, and violent instances of killings, the veterans’ percentage of PTSD has been
growing at an alarming rate. Although there are various forms and methods of treatment
available to the veterans, this particular podcast is based on how mindfulness is being
considered as another meaningful method of treating PTSD for the veterans
(research.va.gov., 2019). Mitch Mirkin introduces to the audience about the speakers who
were asked to speaker in the podcast and then asks both the psychiatrists a general question
about the concept of mindfulness and the difference between the concept of meditation and
mindfulness. The podcast is no doubt informative in nature. However, my personal
experience on hearing the podcast is that, to some extent it only conveys the information and
makes some generic statements about PTSD. For any individual, who has suffered from
PTSD or it suffering from PTSD would agree to the fact that mindfulness requires to sit still
and focus on the breathing or try to achieve a sense of calm. This might be the first and most
difficult hurdle for any of the war veterans and no doubt the number of drop outs are also
very high (research.va.gov., 2019).. The kind of literature that is available for the study of
whether or not mindfulness is an effective methods of dealing with something as severe as
PTSD is very dubious. Nevertheless, the cognitive behavioural therapy that needs the person
to tread through old memories can to some extent be avoided with the help of mindfulness.
Then again the question still remains, which seems to me that mindfulness is a form of escape
that lets the mind to push back troublesome memories and traumas (research.va.gov., 2019).
This would not be helpful in the long run as repression and suppression has different effects

2REFLECTION ON PODCAST
although the process of mindfulness will probably bring with it a sense of calm. But then
again it has been said that mindfulness is being offered as tool to the veterans, more of as an
option that will help them to deal with their day to day lives and carry on with as much
normalcy as possible. The sense of acknowledgement of whatever comes to the mind is what
has been stressed on in the podcast. There are also suggestions regarding mindfulness as not
just a tool meant for the war veterans, but anyone who would want to practice it
(research.va.gov., 2019).
My take away message from the podcast was mostly the fact that the extent to which
mindfulness is a fruitful tool for dealing with PTSD symptoms in war veterans is not very
clear, there are lots of scopes for further research. Also the kind of empirical information
doled out in the podcast is probably of not much use for any listener who does not belong to
the medical and psychological field of study.

3REFLECTION ON PODCAST
Reference
research.va.gov. (2019). Voices of VA Research Podcast Series. Research.va.gov. Retrieved
31 March 2020, from https://www.research.va.gov/podcasts/listen.cfm?
RecordID=124033&Title=Mindfulness-and-PTSD:-What-does-the-research-show?.