Implications of Tamarkoz on stress, emotion, spirituality and heart rate.
Nasim Bahadorani, Jerry W Lee, Leslie R Martin
Scientific Reports July 8, 2021 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-93470-8 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | University students with no prior exposure to Tamarkoz |
| Duration | 18-week study with pre-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up assessments |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Stress, psychological Emotions Mental health Religion and psychology Spirituality Heart rate Quality of life Students Female Young adult Self-management Academic performance |
| Registration | NCT03489148 |
| Key findings | Compared with a wait-list control and a group using campus health center stress-management resources, the Tamarkoz meditation group showed significant increases in positive emotions and daily spiritual experiences and significant reductions in perceived stress and heart rate. The authors conclude that Tamarkoz seems to show some advantages over the usual stress management resources offered by a student health center. |
Abstract
Perceived stress among university students is a prevalent health issue directly correlated with poor academic performance, poor sleep quality, hopelessness, compromised physical and mental health, high risk of substance abuse, and suicidal ideation. Tamarkoz, a Sufi meditation, may reduce the impact of stressors to prevent illness among students. Tamarkoz is the art of self-knowledge through concentration and meditation. It is a method of concentration that can be applied to any task. The method is said to discipline the mind, body, and emotions to avoid unintended distractions. Therefore, it can be used in daily life activities, such as studying, eating, driving, de-stressing or in Sufism, seeking self-knowledge. This study was an 18-week quasi-experimental design with pre-intervention, post-intervention and follow-up assessments in the experimental group, a wait-list control, and a third group that utilized the campus health center's stress management resources. Participants, university students, had no prior exposure to Tamarkoz, and there were no statistically significant differences among groups on baseline measurements. Using a generalized linear mixed model, significant increases in positive emotions and daily spiritual experiences, and reductions in perceived stress and heart rate were found in the experimental group compared to the other two groups. Tamarkoz seems to show some advantages over the usual stress management resources offered by a student health center.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Protocol Registration Date: (03/04/2018); ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03489148.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- Traditional Islamic spiritual meditative practices: powerful psychotherapies for mental wellbeing. Frontiers in Psychology 2025
- The impact of self-knowledge and tamarkoz® meditation education in pharmacy doctoral training: A longitudinal study Humanities and Social Sciences Communications October 14, 2026
- Know Your Nose: A Narrative Review of the Developmental and Functional Impact and Importance of the Nose, Nasal Breathing and Techniques on Health and Emotional Wellbeing. Behavioral Sciences March 21, 2026
- Epigenomic impacts of meditative practices. Epigenomics December 1, 2022
Cites 17
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- A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness meditation versus relaxation training: Effects on distress, positive states of mind, rumination, and distraction Annals of Behavioral Medicine February 1, 2007
- A Longitudinal Study of Students' Perceptions of Using Deep Breathing Meditation to Reduce Testing Stresses Teaching and Learning in Medicine June 19, 2007
- The Effect of Meditation on Self-Reported Measures of Stress, Anxiety, Depression, and Perfectionism in a College Population Journal of College Student Psychotherapy March 31, 2011
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and 12 more in the library