Empirical Evaluation of the Possible Contribution of Group Practice of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi Program to Reduction in Drug-Related Mortality.

A prospective social experiment using segmented-trend regression analysis of monthly CDC data from 2002 to 2016 found that when a group of theoretically predicted size (the square root of 1% of the U.S. population) practiced the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program, the trend in U.S. drug-related fatality rates decreased by an estimated 35.5% relative to the baseline mean during a five-year demonstration period. During a subsequent five-year follow-up period when the group fell below the required size, the fatality rate trend increased by 11.8% and then 47.4% relative to the demonstration-period mean. The authors suggest this Consciousness-Based approach, which aims to mitigate social stress, warrants implementation and further evaluation in public health initiatives.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Background and Objectives: CDC data indicate that the U.S. is experiencing a sustained epidemic of drug-related mortality, with such deaths exceeding a record 100,000 in 2021, up 47% from 2019. Opioids, especially the synthetic opioid fentanyl, account for approximately 75% of this mortality. This study evaluates a proposed Consciousness-Based® approach that may possibly help reduce trends in drug-related fatalities by mitigating what WHO refers to as an "epidemic of stress" in society that helps fuel drug misuse and other negative public health trends. This approach involves providing support in public and private sector public health initiatives for individual and group practice of a subjective, evidence-based meditation procedure suitable for those of all educational, cultural, and religious backgrounds: the Transcendental Meditation® (TM®) technique and its advanced aspect, the TM-Sidhi® program. Materials and Methods: Segmented-trend regression analysis of monthly CDC data on U.S. drug-related fatality rates (dfr) from a prospective social experiment (2002-2016) was used to replicate and extend prior peer-reviewed research. Results: As hypothesized, (1) practice of the TM and TM-Sidhi program by a group of theoretically predicted size (√1% of the U.S. population) was associated with a statistically and practically significant reduction in dfr trend during the five-year "demonstration period" of the quasi-experiment; and (2) monthly dfr trend subsequently increased during the five-year follow-up period when the group fell below the required size (both p's < 0.0001). The estimated total percent decrease in dfr during the demonstration period was 35.5%, calculated relative to the baseline mean. This decline was followed by total dfr increases of 11.8% and 47.4% relative to the demonstration-period mean during the two phases of the follow-up period. Conclusion: Existing evidence warrants implementation and further evaluation of this approach in U.S. public health initiatives.