Psychophysiological Correlates of Meditation: Eeg Changes During Meditation *

The practice of transcendental meditation may weaken the repression barrier, similar to what occurs in sleep or during free association in psychoanalytic therapy, but with markedly reduced emotional affect. During meditation, ordinarily repressed thoughts, including hostile-aggressive and libidinal ideation, can emerge without intense emotional distress. Electroencephalogram records from patients and subjects using relaxation techniques show remarkable periods of intrahemispheric alpha and theta synchrony, even in inexperienced practitioners. In one meditator with over four years of practice, synchronous alpha activity appeared upon closing the eyes, even before starting to meditate, in the temporal, central, and occipital cortical areas.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The weakening of the repression barrier that occurs in sleep and in other altered states of consciousness, such as free association during the process of psychoanalytic therapy, may be produced in a relatively simple fashion during transcendental meditation. An impressive aspect of this phenomenon is that, during the meditation, the intense emotional affect that would ordinarily accompany this ideation, e.g., when obtained by free association, seems to be markedly reduced or almost absent. During meditation, thoughts and ideas may appear that are ordinarily repressed, such as intense hostile-aggressive drives, murderous impulses, and, occasionally, libidinal ideation. Evaluation of electroencephalogram records in patients and subjects using the relaxation techniques reveals remarkable periods of intrahemispheric alpha and theta synchrony at times, even for inexperienced subjects. In a Transcendental Meditation meditator who has been meditating for more than 4 years, there occurs synchronous alpha activity upon closing the eyes, even before starting to meditate on the temporal, central, and occipital cortical areas.