Autonomic and EEG patterns distinguish transcending from other experiences during Transcendental Meditation practice.
International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology August 2001 DOI: 10.1016/s0167-8760(01)00143-x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Meditators practicing Transcendental Meditation |
| Intervention | Transcendental Meditation |
| Measures | EEG alpha amplitude, EEG alpha coherence, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, breath rate, skin conductance response |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Transcending during TM was marked by lower breath rates, higher respiratory sinus arrhythmia amplitudes, higher EEG alpha amplitude and coherence, and larger skin conductance responses to bell rings, compared with other experiences. |
Abstract
This study compared EEG and autonomic patterns during transcending to "other" experiences during Transcendental Meditation (TM) practice. To correlate specific meditation experiences with physiological measures, the experimenter rang a bell three times during the TM session. Subjects categorized their experiences around each bell ring. Transcending, in comparison to "other" experiences during TM practice, was marked by: (1) significantly lower breath rates; (2) higher respiratory sinus arrhythmia amplitudes; (3) higher EEG alpha amplitude; and (4) higher alpha coherence. In addition, skin conductance responses to the experimenter-initiated bell rings were larger during transcending. These findings suggest that monitoring patterns of physiological variables may index dynamically changing inner experiences during meditation practice. This could allow a more precise investigation into the nature of meditation experiences and a more accurate comparison of meditation states with other eyes-closed conditions.