Psychophysiological Responsiveness to Auditory Stimulation during Transcendental Meditation
Frederick J. Heide
Psychophysiology 1986 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.1986.tb00597.x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 34 |
| Population | 17 TM meditators and 17 controls |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | No significant differences between meditators and controls in habituation of alpha blocking or skin conductance response to tones, but controls showed more labile and accelerative cardiac responses. |
Abstract
ABSTRACTThe Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique has been reported to produce cortical states of both steady responsiveness and lack of responsiveness to external stimulation during meditation. The present study examined alpha blocking, skin conductance, and phasic heart rate response to 80dB tones in 17 TM meditators and 17 controls. There were no significant differences between groups in rate of habituation of alpha blocking or skin conductance response, and neither group showed habituation of heart rate responding. Controls displayed a more labile and accelerative cardiac response. Results suggest the possible usefulness of cardiac waveform activity in the study of meditation.
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 6
- EEG Alpha Blocking Correlated with Perception of Inner Light During Zen Meditation The American Journal of Chinese Medicine 2003
- Investigation of meditation scenario by quantifying the complexity index of EEG Journal of the Chinese Institute of Engineers April 1, 2007
- A Critical Analysis on Characterizing the Meditation Experience Through the Electroencephalogram Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience August 7, 2020
- A cross-sectional evaluation of meditation experience on electroencephalography data by artificial neural network and support vector machine classifiers. Medicine April 1, 2017
- Meditation states and traits: EEG, ERP, and neuroimaging studies. Psychological Bulletin March 2006
and 1 more in the library
Cites 7
- Physiological Effects of Transcendental Meditation Science March 27, 1970
- AN ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHIC STUDY ON THE ZEN MEDITATION (ZAZEN) Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences December 1, 1966
- Meditation as an intervention in stress reactivity. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 1976
- Breath Suspension During the Transcendental Meditation Technique Psychosomatic Medicine May 1, 1982
- Physiological Responses to Clicks during Zen, Yoga, and TM Meditation Psychophysiology November 1, 1981
and 2 more in the library