Breath Suspension During the Transcendental Meditation Technique
John T. Farrow, Russell Hebert
Psychosomatic Medicine May 1, 1982 DOI: 10.1097/00006842-198205000-00001 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study with control group Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 40 |
| Population | Subjects practicing the Transcendental Meditation technique |
| Intervention | Transcendental Meditation technique |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Consciousness Heart rate Respiration Electroencephalography Audiology Blood pressure |
| Citations | 95 |
| Key findings | Breath suspension episodes are a physiological correlate of the pure consciousness experience reported by Transcendental Meditation practitioners. |
Abstract
We observed, over four independent experiments, 565 criterion-meeting episodes of breath suspension in 40 subjects practicing the Transcendental Mediation technique (TM), a simple mental technique involving no breath control procedures. The frequency and length of these breath suspension episodes were substantially and significantly greater for TM subjects than for control subjects relaxing with eyes closed. Voluntary control of respiration was most probably eliminated as an explanation of ths phenomenon by the experimental design and by the use of a variety of nonintrusive respiration transducers, including a two-channel magnetometer, an indirect but accurate means of monitoring respiration. Many TM subjects report experience of a completely quiescent mental state characterized by maintained awareness in the absence of thought. Eleven TM subjects were instructed to press an event mark button after each episode of this pure consciousness experience. The temporal distribution of button presses was significantly related (p less than 10(-10) to the distribution of breath suspension episodes, indicating that breath suspension is a physiological correlate of some, but not all, episodes of the pure consciousness experience. In an extensive study of a single advanced mediator, pure consciousness experiences were also associated with reduced heart rate; high basal skin resistance; stable phasic skin resistance; markedly reduced mean respiration rate, mean minute ventilation and mean metabolic rate; and statistically consistent changes in EEG power and EEG coherence (an indicator of long-range spatial order in the nervous system).
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 38
- Functional brain mapping of the relaxation response and meditation Neuroreport May 1, 2000
- Transcendental Meditation, mindfulness, and longevity: An experimental study with the elderly. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1989
- The neuroscience of meditation: classification, phenomenology, correlates, and mechanisms. Progress in Brain Research 2019
- A Systematic Review of Transcendent States Across Meditation and Contemplative Traditions. Explore 2018
- International Peace Project in the Middle East Journal of Conflict Resolution December 1, 1988
and 33 more in the library