Archives of Internal Medicine
June 12, 2006
Maura Paul‐labrador, Donna M. Polk, James H. Dwyer et al.
282 citations
Transcendental meditation, practiced for 16 weeks, improved blood pressure and insulin resistance in patients with stable coronary heart disease compared with health education alone. Systolic blood pressure fell by 3.4 mm Hg in the meditation group while rising 2.8 mm Hg in controls; insulin resistance decreased by 0.75 units in the meditation group versus an increase of 0.52 units in controls. Heart rate variability, a measure of cardiac autonomic tone, also improved modestly. No effect was seen on endothelial function. The findings suggest that transcendental meditation may help manage coronary heart disease risk by modulating the body's response to stress.
The Permanente Journal
January 30, 2014
Charles Elder, Sanford Nidich, Francis Moriarty et al.
117 citations
Teachers and support staff at a therapeutic school for students with severe behavioral problems who learned the Transcendental Meditation program showed significantly greater reductions in perceived stress, depression, and overall burnout after four months compared with a wait-list control group. Effect sizes ranged from 0.40 to 0.94. The program was effective in reducing psychological distress in this employee population.
Psychosomatic Medicine
January 1, 1998
Robert H Schneider, Sanford Nidich, John Salerno et al.
95 citations
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.
Health care for women international
February 5, 2026
Leslee Goldstein, Daniela Romagnoli, Sanford Nidich
1 citation
A randomized controlled trial with 199 women living in poverty in Uganda found that practicing Transcendental Meditation for 20 minutes twice daily led to significant reductions in perceived stress, anger, and fatigue, along with improvements in self-efficacy and sleep quality after three months. At an eight-month follow-up, participants reported better physical and mental health, greater ability to handle domestic violence, and improved relationships. The results suggest the Transcendental Meditation program positively affects psychological distress and coping, and could be a valuable addition to programs for women in Uganda.
Journal of Clinical Psychology
June 29, 2026
Ofra Walter, Sanford Nidich, Kimia Shahrokhi
Among 39 Israeli civilians evacuated after the October 7, 2023 attacks, participation in an 8-week transcendental meditation program was associated with statistically significant decreases in symptoms of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and sleep problems. The pilot study used standard questionnaires (PCL-5, PHQ-9, GAD-7, ISI) and found within-group improvements from baseline to post-test. The uncontrolled design means results are preliminary and require confirmation in randomized trials.
Journal of Traumatic Stress
February 1, 2022
Mayer Bellehsen, Valentina Stoycheva, Barry H. Cohen et al.
Transcendental Meditation (TM) reduces PTSD symptoms more than treatment-as-usual in veterans. In a randomized controlled trial, 40 veterans with PTSD were assigned to either 16 TM sessions over 12 weeks or usual care. After three months, the TM group showed a significantly larger average decrease in clinician-rated PTSD symptoms (11.28 points) compared to the control group (1.62 points). Half of the TM group no longer met PTSD diagnostic criteria, versus 10% in the control group. Self-reported PTSD, depression, anxiety, and sleep difficulties also improved more with TM. No significant differences were found for anger or quality of life. The findings suggest TM is an effective, non-trauma-focused treatment for PTSD.
Frontiers in Education
March 4, 2021
Laurent Valosek, Staci Wendt, Jan Link et al.
A meditation-based wellness program reduced emotional exhaustion, the core component of burnout, and improved resilience, perceived stress, fatigue, and depression in teachers. Seventy-eight participants were randomly assigned to the Transcendental Meditation program or a wait-list control group. At a four-month follow-up, the meditation group showed significant reductions in emotional exhaustion, perceived stress, and fatigue, and significant increases in resilience. Depression also improved but with less certainty. Eighty-seven percent of participants complied with daily home meditation practice. The findings suggest that meditation can help alleviate teacher burnout and related psychological distress.
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.
Health care for women international
July 1, 2018
Leslee Goldstein, Sanford Nidich, Rachel Goodman et al.
Vulnerable women in Uganda who are single, illiterate mothers living in poverty experience high physical and psychological stress. A single-blind controlled study assigned 81 women to either practice the Transcendental Meditation program or a wait-list control group. The meditation group learned the technique over five sessions, then practiced at home for 20 minutes twice daily and attended bi-monthly group meetings for three months. Self-efficacy improved significantly, as did perceived stress and mental and physical well-being. Compliance with home practice was over 88%. Follow-up questionnaires at 8 and 36 months suggested improved health, relationships, and employment rates among the women who meditated.
Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment
April 1, 2018
Jan Gryczynski, Robert Schwartz, Marc J Fishman et al.
Integrating Transcendental Meditation into inpatient treatment for alcohol use disorder is feasible and acceptable. Among 60 meditation-naïve adults, those who practiced TM twice daily as recommended were less likely to return to any drinking (25% vs. 59%) or heavy drinking (0% vs. 47%) after discharge. Greater regularity of TM practice was associated with lower stress, psychological distress, craving, and alcohol use at three-month follow-up. However, the TM and treatment-as-usual cohorts did not differ significantly overall; only consistent practice, not merely learning TM, predicted better outcomes.
The Permanente Journal
January 1, 2017
Sanford Nidich, Angela Seng, Blaze Compton et al.
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.
The Permanente Journal
January 1, 2016
Sanford Nidich, Tom O'connor, Thomas Rutledge et al.
Incarcerated men with moderate- to high-risk criminal profiles who practiced Transcendental Meditation for four months showed significant reductions in trauma symptoms—including anxiety, depression, dissociation, and sleep disturbance—as well as perceived stress, compared with those receiving usual care. The benefits were especially pronounced among those with high trauma levels, with effect sizes ranging from 0.67 to 0.89. These findings align with earlier research on Transcendental Meditation's effects on trauma and stress.
December 31, 2015
Sanford Nidich
Caregivers who learned the Transcendental Meditation technique showed reduced stress, anxiety, and depression compared to a wait-list control group. The pilot study randomly assigned 24 caregivers of family members with chronic conditions to either immediate training in Transcendental Meditation or a wait-list control. After three months, the meditation group reported significantly lower scores on measures of perceived stress, anxiety, and depression. The findings suggest that Transcendental Meditation may be a useful stress reduction tool for caregivers, though the small sample size and pilot nature of the study limit generalizability.
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.
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.
Neuroreport
August 21, 2006
David W. Orme-Johnson, Robert H Schneider, Young D Son et al.
Long-term practitioners of the Transcendental Meditation technique showed 40-50% fewer brain voxels responding to pain in the thalamus and total brain compared to matched controls. After controls learned the technique and practiced for 5 months, their pain response decreased by 40-50% in the thalamus, prefrontal cortex, total brain, and marginally in the anterior cingulate cortex. The findings suggest that Transcendental Meditation longitudinally reduces the affective/motivational dimension of the brain's response to pain.
The Journal of continuing education in the health professions
Marie Loiselle, Carla Brown, Frederick Travis et al.
Burnout is common among physicians and harms both individuals and institutions. A mixed methods randomized controlled trial with 40 academic physicians from 15 specialties tested the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique. At 4 months, the TM group showed significant improvements in total burnout, emotional exhaustion, personal accomplishment, and depression compared with controls. Qualitative interviews supported these results: physicians who regularly practiced TM reported relief from burnout and depression symptoms, while the control group did not. The findings suggest TM is a viable intervention for reducing burnout and depression in academic physicians, though larger studies are needed.