Journal of Clinical Psychology
February 24, 2009
Melissa Tanner, Fred Travis, Carolyn Gaylord-King et al.
58 citations
A 3-month randomized waitlist-controlled trial with 295 university students examined whether practicing the Transcendental Meditation program increases mindfulness, measured by the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills. Participants who learned TM showed greater increases in overall mindfulness scores over time compared to those on the waitlist. All mindfulness subscales were positively correlated at the start, and these correlations did not change over time or differ between groups. This suggests that previously reported positive correlations between observing and accepting-without-judgment skills only among meditators may stem from self-selection rather than a direct effect of meditation practice.
The lancet. Psychiatry
December 1, 2018
Sanford Nidich, Paul J Mills, Maxwell Rainforth et al.
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.
Contemporary Clinical Trials
September 1, 2014
Thomas Rutledge, Sanford Nidich, Robert H Schneider et al.
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.
Circulation. Cardiovascular quality and outcomes
November 1, 2012
Robert H Schneider, Clarence E Grim, Maxwell V Rainforth et al.
A randomized controlled trial of 201 Black men and women with coronary heart disease compared the Transcendental Meditation (TM) program with health education. Over an average follow-up of 5.4 years, the TM group showed a 48% reduction in the combined risk of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, or stroke. Systolic blood pressure dropped by 4.9 mmHg, and anger expression scores improved. The authors argue that TM may be useful for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease in this population.
Cardiology research and practice
March 21, 2011
David A F Haaga, Sarina Grosswald, Carolyn Gaylord-King et al.
A randomized trial with 295 university students found that Transcendental Meditation instruction reduced alcohol use among male students but not female students, compared to a wait-list control group. No significant differences were observed for smoking or illicit drug use. The authors suggest TM instruction could help reduce alcohol consumption in male university students.
Cognitive processing
February 1, 2010
Fred Travis, David A F Haaga, John Hagelin et al.
A 10-week random assignment study of 38 college students (average age 23.7 years) compared EEG brainwave patterns during eyes-closed rest and Transcendental Meditation (TM) practice. During TM, compared to rest, there was higher alpha1 frontal log-power and lower beta1 and gamma frontal and parietal log-power; higher frontal and parietal alpha1 interhemispheric coherence and higher frontal and frontal-central beta2 intrahemispheric coherence. Sources of alpha1 activity were found in midline cortical regions overlapping the default mode network (DMN). Greater activation in DMN areas during TM suggests meditation may produce a foundational or 'ground' state of cerebral functioning that underlies both rest and focused cognition.
International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology
February 1, 2009
Fred Travis, David A F Haaga, John Hagelin et al.
College students who learned Transcendental Meditation (TM) showed improved brain integration scores and reduced sleepiness over ten weeks, while those who had not yet learned showed declines or no change. The study also found differences in how quickly students adapted to repeated loud tones. These results suggest that practicing TM may benefit college students' cognitive and physiological functioning.