Oxidative stress, which may contribute to aging and chronic diseases like atherosclerosis, was lower in older adults who practiced the Transcendental Meditation technique compared to those who did not. Long-term practitioners (average 16.5 years) had serum lipid peroxide levels 15% lower than controls, as measured by the TBARS assay. The two groups did not differ in smoking, fat intake, or vitamin supplementation, and the lower red meat consumption among meditators did not account for the difference. These preliminary results suggest that stress reduction through Transcendental Meditation may be associated with reduced oxidative stress, though prospective trials are needed to confirm a causal effect.
Transcendental Meditation (TM) is at least as effective as prolonged exposure therapy (PE) for reducing PTSD symptoms in military veterans, and both therapies outperform PTSD health education alone. In a randomized trial of 203 veterans with PTSD from active service, TM was non-inferior to PE on the primary outcome of symptom severity change over three months. Both TM and PE produced significantly greater reductions in PTSD symptoms than health education. 61% of veterans receiving TM showed clinically significant improvement, compared with 42% receiving PE and 32% receiving health education. TM may offer an effective alternative for veterans who prefer not to undergo trauma-focused treatment.
Incarcerated women experience higher rates of trauma than the general population. In a pilot randomized controlled trial, 22 female inmates at a correctional facility were assigned to either a Transcendental Meditation (TM) program or a wait-list control group. After four months, the TM group showed significant reductions in total trauma symptoms, intrusive thoughts, and hyperarousal compared with controls. Effect sizes were large, ranging from 0.65 to 0.99. Compliance with the TM program was 81%. The findings suggest TM may be a feasible and effective intervention for reducing trauma symptoms in incarcerated women, though larger studies are needed.
A randomized controlled trial is underway comparing Transcendental Meditation (TM) to Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy and a health education control for posttraumatic stress disorder in 210 Veterans meeting DSM-IV criteria. The study will measure PTSD symptoms, depression, mood, quality of life, behavioral factors, and physiological/biochemical and gene expression mechanisms at 0 and 3 months. The hypothesis is that TM will be noninferior to PE and superior to the control on changes in PTSD symptoms as assessed by the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale. This protocol aims to establish TM's efficacy for PTSD in Veterans and identify underlying mechanisms.