Feasibility and Acceptability of Transcendental Meditation for Indian Healthcare Professionals in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Feasibility Trial
Shruti Niraj, G Niraj, Rajesh Naithani
Cureus March 15, 2026 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.105263 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 76 |
| Population | Healthcare professionals in India |
| Intervention | Transcendental Meditation |
| Duration | 12-week post-intervention |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Keywords | Transcendental meditation Randomized controlled trial Burnout Randomization Health care Perceived stress scale Intervention counseling Physical therapy Mental health Family medicine Health professionals Tertiary care Dass Patient satisfaction Scale ratio Clinical psychology Patient health questionnaire |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | Transcendental Meditation was feasible and acceptable among healthcare professionals in rural India, with preliminary improvements in anxiety, burnout, and well-being but not in perceived stress. |
Abstract
Healthcare professionals in India are vulnerable to experiencing a high level of burnout, which has consequences for individuals and organizations. This prospective pilot randomized controlled feasibility study examined, for the first time, the feasibility and acceptability of practicing the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique among healthcare professionals in India. A total of 76 healthcare professionals were randomized to either a TM intervention group or a control group using a stratified randomization method. The feasibility and acceptability measures were designed to assess whether the practice of TM was feasible and acceptable. Secondary outcomes were assessed using validated questionnaires, including the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), the Perceived Stress Scale-4 (PSS-4), the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), and the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (SWEMWBS). Outcome measures were collected at baseline and 12 weeks post-intervention. Feasibility and acceptability outcomes indicated good engagement with the intervention. All participants assigned to the TM group attended the individual TM instruction session, and 34 of 38 participants (90%) attended at least four of the five follow-up sessions. Approximately two-thirds of participants reported that practicing TM was feasible or very feasible, and the overall self-reported adherence to TM practice was 79%. With respect to secondary outcomes, participants in the TM group demonstrated reductions in anxiety and burnout scores and improvements in well-being at the 12-week follow-up compared with the control group. However, no statistically significant change in perceived stress levels was observed, as measured by the PSS-4. The findings of this pilot randomized controlled feasibility trial demonstrated that TM can be considered as a feasible and acceptable intervention for healthcare professionals in rural India. Preliminary improvements were observed in anxiety, burnout, and well-being. However, these findings should be interpreted cautiously given the exploratory nature of this trial. Substantive studies are recommended to confirm these findings.
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
Cites 6
- Effect of Transcendental Meditation on Employee Stress, Depression, and Burnout: A Randomized Controlled Study The Permanente Journal January 30, 2014
- Improving the mental health and well-being of healthcare providers using the transcendental meditation technique during the COVID-19 pandemic: A parallel population study. PLoS One 2023
- Efficacy of Transcendental Meditation to Reduce Stress Among Health Care Workers: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Network Open September 1, 2022
- Heal the Healers: A pilot study evaluating the feasibility, acceptability, and exploratory efficacy of a Transcendental Meditation intervention for emergency clinicians during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open December 1, 2021
- Focused attention, open monitoring and automatic self-transcending: Categories to organize meditations from Vedic, Buddhist and Chinese traditions. Consciousness and Cognition December 2010
and 1 more in the library