Improving the mental health and well-being of healthcare providers using the transcendental meditation technique during the COVID-19 pandemic: A parallel population study.
PLoS One January 1, 2023 Mark S Nestor, Alec Lawson, Daniel Fischer
Practicing Transcendental Meditation (TM) for 20 minutes twice daily led to rapid and substantial reductions in stress, burnout, and insomnia among healthcare providers at three South Florida hospitals. After two weeks, symptoms of anxiety, depression, and somatization dropped by about 45%, while insomnia, emotional exhaustion, and well-being improved by 33%, 16%, and 11%, respectively. At three months, anxiety decreased by 62%, somatization by 58%, depression by 50%, insomnia by 44%, emotional exhaustion by 40%, and depersonalization by 42%, with well-being improving by 18%. A parallel control group showed no significant changes. The findings indicate TM offers meaningful psychological benefits in a high-stress healthcare setting.