Comparison of coherence, amplitude, and eLORETA patterns during Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi practice.
International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology September 1, 2011 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2011.06.011 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractPracticing the TM-Sidhi program, which involves a combined state of fixity, transcending, and pure consciousness, produces distinct brain activity compared to the Transcendental Meditation technique alone. In experienced meditators randomly assigned to either two TM sessions or one TM session followed by TM-Sidhi practice, the TM-Sidhi condition showed higher frontal alpha1 and beta1 brainwave amplitudes. Source localization revealed alpha1 activity in right-hemisphere areas involved in object recognition and holistic word representation, such as the parahippocampus and fusiform gyrus. These patterns align with descriptions of sanyama as encompassing both specific content and holistic awareness.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Experienced Transcendental Meditation subjects |
| Interventions | Transcendental Meditation TM-Sidhi program |
| Duration | Two consecutive 10-min sessions |
| Key finding | TM-Sidhi practice, compared to TM alone, produced higher frontal alpha1 and beta1 amplitudes and EEG sources in right-hemisphere object-recognition areas, supporting the description of sanyama as combining specificity and holistic experience. |
Abstract
This random-assignment study compared coherence, amplitude, and eLORETA patterns during practice of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) and the TM-Sidhi programs. The TM technique involves systematic transcending of contents of experience to a state of pure consciousness. The TM-Sidhi program involves sanyama-the simultaneous experience of dhārānā (fixity), dhyāna (transcending) and samādhi (pure consciousness). Thirty-two channel EEG was recorded from experienced TM subjects randomly assigned to two consecutive 10-min TM sessions or to a 10-min TM session followed by 10-min TM-Sidhi practice. Compared to TM practice, TM-Sidhi practice was characterized by higher frontal alpha1 and beta1 amplitudes, and eLORETA-identified sources of alpha1 EEG in right-hemisphere object recognition areas including the right parahippocampus gyrus, right fusiform gyrus, lingual gyrus, and inferior and medial temporal cortices. These cortical areas are involved in specific/holistic representation of words. The observed brain patterns support the descriptions of sanyama as including both specificity (sutras or verses), as suggested by higher frontal beta1 EEG amplitude and by eLORETA sources in right-hemisphere object-recognition areas, and holistic experience (pure consciousness) as suggested by higher frontal alpha1 EEG amplitude. These EEG patterns fit the complex description of sanyama.