Effect of meditation on psychological distress and brain functioning: A randomized controlled study
Brain and Cognition August 1, 2018 F. Travis, Laurent Valosek, Artie Konrad et al.
A randomized controlled trial tested whether the Transcendental Meditation (TM) program could improve brain integration and psychological well-being in government employees. Ninety-six central office administrators and staff from the San Francisco Unified School District were randomly assigned to either start TM immediately or join a wait-list control group. After four months, TM participants showed significant decreases in total mood disturbance, anxiety, anger, depression, fatigue, and confusion, and significant increases in vigor. A subset with EEG recordings also showed significant increases in brain integration scores. Compliance with daily meditation practice was high at 93%, indicating the program is feasible and effective for reducing psychological distress and improving brain integration and positive affect in this population.