The editors of BJPsych have retracted an article about Sahaj Samadhi meditation's effects on heart rate variability and depressive symptoms in patients with late-life depression. The retraction notice does not provide a reason for the removal, nor does it include any findings, data, or conclusions from the original work.
A 12-week programme of automatic self-transcending meditation (ASTM) added to usual care may lead to significantly greater reductions in depression and anxiety severity in seniors aged 60 years and older, compared with a wait-list control. Late-life depression affects 2–6% of this population, and patients are increasingly seeking non-pharmacological therapies. These preliminary results from an ongoing single-blind randomized controlled trial suggest ASTM may be an effective adjunctive therapy for late-life depression.