The Effects of the transcendental meditation program on mindfulness
Melissa Tanner, Fred Travis, Carolyn Gaylord-King, David A F Haaga, Sarina Grosswald, Robert H Schneider
Journal of Clinical Psychology February 24, 2009 DOI: 10.1002/jclp.20544 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized waitlist-controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 295 |
| Population | University students |
| Intervention | Transcendental Meditation |
| Duration | 3-month intervention |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Keywords | Transcendental meditation Clinical psychology Mindfulness meditation Neuroticism Repeated measures design Analysis of variance Psychotherapist Personality |
| Citations | 58 |
| Key findings | TM practice led to greater increases in mindfulness than the waitlist condition, and the intercorrelations among mindfulness subscales did not change over time or by treatment condition. |
Abstract
Mindfulness is associated with low levels of neuroticism, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, as well as high levels of self-esteem and satisfaction with life (Brown & Ryan, 2003). As part of a 3-month randomized waitlist-controlled trial of the effects of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) program on university students (N=295), we examined the impact of TM practice on mindfulness as measured by the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS; Baer, Smith, & Allen, 2004). A repeated measures ANOVA on total KIMS scores showed a significant timextreatment interaction, with the TM participants reporting greater increases in mindfulness than the waitlist participants. All KIMS subscales were positively intercorrelated at pretreatment, and there were no differences over time or as a function of treatment condition in subscale intercorrelations. Therefore, previously published findings of a positive correlation between subscales measuring the skills of observing and accepting-without-judgment one's inner experiences only among those with meditation experience may have reflected a self-selection effect rather than a change in the relation of these mindfulness components resulting directly from meditation practice.