Electroencephalographic findings during mantra meditation (transcendental meditation). A controlled, quantitative study of experienced meditators.
B Stigsby, J C Rodenberg, H B Moth
Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology April 1, 1981 DOI: 10.1016/0013-4694(81)90107-3 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractElectroencephalograms of 13 experienced transcendental meditation practitioners were recorded before, during, and after meditation, and compared to 13 matched controls. The EEG frequency spectrum during meditation fell between that of wakefulness and drowsiness, remaining stable over 20 minutes. The meditation group's mean EEG frequency was about 1 cycle per second slower than the control group. No consistent EEG pattern distinguished successful from unsuccessful meditation, and no theta bursts or changes in brain hemisphere activity were observed. The findings suggest the EEG pattern during transcendental meditation is distinct from sleep and drowsiness, but does not show a unique signature of meditative state.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 26 |
| Population | Experienced practitioners of transcendental meditation and matched healthy volunteers |
| Intervention | Transcendental meditation |
| Duration | 5 minutes before, 20 minutes during, and 5 minutes after meditation |
| Key finding | The EEG frequency spectrum during transcendental meditation was situated between wakefulness and drowsiness, with mean frequency about 1 c/sec slower than controls, and showed no consistent pattern associated with meditation success. |
Abstract
The EEGs of 13 experienced practitioners of transcendental meditation (TM) were recorded for 5 min preceding TM, during 20 min of TM and until 5 min after, as well as during closed-eyed wakefulness, drowsiness, sleep onset and sleep. Thirteen healthy volunteers matched for age served as control subjects. Computer period-amplitude analysis of F3-C3, T3-T5, P3-O1, F4-C4 and P4-O2 epochs of 50--100 sec duration resulted in a frequency and amplitude spectrum (0.5--28.6 c/sec), and the mean frequency and the mean voltage of each EEG lead. The EEG frequency spectra constituted a continuum with increasing theta and delta activity and decreasing alpha activity as the participants tended to fall asleep. The frequency spectrum during TM corresponded to a spectrum situated between that of wakefulness and drowsiness and remained virtually unchanged during the 20 min of meditation. The EEG mean frequency of the TM group was about 1 c/sec slower than that of the control group. Intra- or interhemispheric differences between quantities of EEG activity remained stable during TM, nor did we observe any theta bursts. There was no consistent EEG patter associated with a successful or unsuccessful meditation, nor did the EEGs of two meditators who stated they had felt drowsy during TM show a different pattern.