Courts' Responses to Trauma and Application of the Transcendental Meditation Technique
Michael S. King
Journal of Maharishi Vedic Research Institute April 1, 2021 DOI: 10.66743/rgmq1443 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Transcendental Meditation technique |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Argues that courts should consider broader use of the Transcendental Meditation technique to address trauma in parties and secondary trauma in court professionals. |
Abstract
The court system is one of society’s principal mechanisms for processing the consequences of trauma. Traumatic events may arise from criminal behaviour or give rise to civil proceedings and those coming before the courts as parties such as defendants or victims may have dysfunction in a number of life domains due to unresolved trauma from the past. Historically courts have failed to use processes sensitive to the effects of trauma and have consequently in some cases retraumatised people, particularly victims of crime. Professionals working in courts have been subjected to secondary trauma through exposure to traumatic cases. Courts are addressing trauma by using innovative processes, including connecting those with trauma-related needs to appropriate treatment and support services and by using more sensitive court processes. Additional avenues to address trauma need to be explored. For example, research has found that the practice of the stress-reduction and self-development technique, the Transcendental Meditation technique, produces a unique state of restful alertness and that its regular practice alleviates the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder in a variety of traumatised populations, promotes psychological growth and more positive behaviour, and reduces offender recidivism. To date court programs have only explored its use in small offender rehabilitation programs. Courts should consider its wider use to address the trauma of parties and the secondary trauma and stress of court professionals.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |