Transcendental Meditation and general meditation are associated with enhanced complex partial epileptic-like signs: evidence for "cognitive" kindling?
Perceptual and Motor Skills February 1, 1993 DOI: 10.2466/pms.1993.76.1.80 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,081 |
| Population | University students |
| Intervention | Transcendental Meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 40 |
| Key findings | Meditators showed a significantly wider range of complex partial epileptic-like signs than nonmeditators, and years of TM practice correlated with incidence of these signs and sensed presence. |
Abstract
The Personal Philosophy Inventories of 221 university students who had learned to meditate (about 65% to 70% Transcendental Meditation) were compared to 860 nonmeditators. Meditators displayed a significantly wider range of complex partial epileptic-like signs. Experiences of vibrations, hearing one's name called, paranormal phenomena, profound meaning from reading poetry/prose, and religious phenomenology were particularly frequent among mediators. Numbers of years of TM practice were significantly correlated with the incidence of complex partial signs and sensed presence but not with control, olfactory, or perseverative experiences. The results support the hypothesis that procedures which promote cognitive kindling enhance complex partial epileptic-like signs.
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 16
- EEG Derived Neuronal Dynamics during Meditation: Progress and Challenges Advances in Preventive Medicine 2015
- Mindfulness meditation increases interictal epileptiform discharges in meditation-naïve surgical epilepsy patients. Epilepsia June 16, 2026
- The mind’s abyss: Exploring the adverse effects of distinct forms of meditation Academia Mental Health and Well-Being April 14, 2025
- Characteristics of Kundalini-Related Sensory, Motor, and Affective Experiences During Tantric Yoga Meditation. Frontiers in Psychology June 30, 2022
- Effect of meditation on intracerebral EEG in a patient with temporal lobe epilepsy: A case report. Explore November 24, 2020
and 11 more in the library