Effect of meditation on psychological distress and brain functioning: A randomized controlled study
F. Travis, Laurent Valosek, Artie Konrad, Jan Link, John Salerno, R. Scheller, S. Nidich
Brain and Cognition August 1, 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2018.03.011 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 96 |
| Population | Central office administrators and staff at the San Francisco Unified School District |
| Duration | 4-month intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Transcendental Meditation practice significantly decreased total mood disturbance, anxiety, anger, depression, fatigue, and confusion, and significantly increased vigor and brain integration scores after four months. |
Abstract
Background: Psychological stability and brain integration are important factors related to physical and mental health and organization effectiveness. This study tested whether a mind‐body technique, the Transcendental Meditation (TM) program could increase EEG brain integration and positive affect, and decrease psychological distress in government employees.
Method: Ninety‐six central office administrators and staff at the San Francisco Unified School District were randomly assigned to either immediate start of the TM program or to a wait‐list control group. At baseline and four‐month posttest, participants completed an online version of the Profile of Mood States questionnaire (POMS). In addition, a subset of this population (N=79) had their EEG recorded at baseline and at four‐month posttest to calculate Brain Integration Scale (BIS) scores.
Results: At posttest, TM participants significantly decreased on the POMS Total Mood Disturbance and anxiety, anger, depression, fatigue, and confusion subscales, and significantly increased in the POMS vigor subscale. TM participants in the EEG‐subgroup also significantly increased in BIS scores. Compliance with meditation practice was high (93%).
Conclusion: Findings indicate the feasibility and effectiveness of implementing the TM program to improve brain integration and positive affect and reduce psychological distress in government administrators and staff. HIGHLIGHTS96 school administrators were randomly assigned to treatment or control group.Of the 96 subjects, 88 completed the Profile of Mood States (POMS) at pre and posttest.Of the 96 subjects, 67 had their EEG recorded at pre and posttest.At the four‐month posttest, the TM subjects increased in vigor and the brain integration.Total Disturbance, anxiety, anger, depression, fatigue, and confusion decreased.TM practice improved brain integration and psychological health in administrators.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 32
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- Intermediate effects of mindfulness practice on the brain activity of college students: An EEG study IBRO Neuroscience Reports March 7, 2023
- Decoding Depth of Meditation: Electroencephalography Insights From Expert Vipassana Practitioners Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science October 17, 2024
- Facilitating Meditation with Focused Ultrasound Neuromodulation: A First Investigation in Experienced Practitioners January 31, 2024
- Decoding Depth of Meditation: EEG Insights from Expert Vipassana Practitioners January 31, 2024
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Cites 14
- Effects of the Transcendental Meditation Technique on Trait Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine October 9, 2013
- Short-Term Longitudinal Effects of the Transcendental Meditation Technique on EEG Power and Coherence International Journal of Neuroscience 1981
- Default mode network activation and Transcendental Meditation practice: Focused Attention or Automatic Self-transcending? Brain and Cognition February 1, 2017
- Focused attention, open monitoring and automatic self-transcending: Categories to organize meditations from Vedic, Buddhist and Chinese traditions. Consciousness and Cognition December 2010
- A self-referential default brain state: patterns of coherence, power, and eLORETA sources during eyes-closed rest and Transcendental Meditation practice. Cognitive Processing February 1, 2010
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