Changes in DNA methylation after trauma processing and meditation in a large group setting of 1.6 years duration (Timeless Wisdom Training)
Michael Gruenwald, Sebastien De Landtsheer, Thomas Huebl, Thomas Sauter
bioRxiv June 14, 2025 preprint DOI: 10.1101/2025.06.10.658799 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pilot study |
|---|---|
| Population | Participants of a 1.6-year program focusing on individual, ancestral, and collective trauma processing and meditation in a large group setting |
| Duration | 1.6 years |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | The authors report that participants showed slight improvements in anxiety, depression, and life satisfaction, and some mystical experiences. They identified 3,227 differentially methylated CpGs and 253 genes, not including known trauma-related genes but many involved in nervous, cellular, developmental, immune, and metabolic functions, and predicted a slowing of epigenetic aging. |
Abstract
Psychological trauma is associated with significant alterations of biological functions and is correlated with epigenetic changes specifically of DNA methylation. Trauma therapy is aiming at relieving the impact of trauma and is in initial studies also correlated with changes in DNA methylation. In this study we explored the changes in whole blood DNA methylation of participants of a program focusing on individual, ancestral and collective trauma processing and meditation in a large group setting of 1.6 years duration. Based on accompanying questionnaires, training participants report slight improvements in anxiety, depression and overall life satisfaction and some mystical experiences. 3227 CpGs and 253 genes were found to be differentially methylated during the training. Although these genes are not involving any of the known trauma related genes and relevant gene ontology terms, they comprise a large number of genes involved in the nervous function, as well as in cellular and developmental functions, the immune system and metabolism. Also, epigenetic aging is predicted to slow down during training. In summary this pilot study yielded additional findings showcasing the potential correlation of trauma therapy and alterations of DNA methylation.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |