Transcendental
J. Dodd
The Routledge Handbook of Phenomenology and Phenomenological Philosophy August 21, 2020 DOI: 10.1002/0471743984.vse7130 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized clinical trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 298 |
| Population | Young-adult graduate and undergraduate students, mixed-gender and racially diverse |
| Intervention | Transcendental Meditation (TM) |
| Duration | 3-month study |
| Key findings | No significant overall blood pressure difference emerged between the TM and control groups, though TM participants' final pressures were slightly lower. Among participants at higher risk of hypertension, those randomized to TM showed significant post-trial blood pressure decreases compared with controls, associated with reductions in specific psychological stressors. The authors caution that unequal participant contact between groups is an uncontrolled confounder and call for further study. |
Abstract
A considerable body of data supports the belief that psychological factors influence blood pressure and may contribute to sustained hypertension. Nevertheless, identification of psychological triggers as well as interventions to reverse them, although of clinical interest, has been impeded by the paucity of rigorous research. Sanford Nidich and colleagues at American University in Washington, DC, and Maharishi University of Management in Iowa have completed a randomized clinical trial of Transcendental Meditation (TM) in young-adult graduate and undergraduate students. A mixedgender and racially diverse group of 298 participants was randomized to either a standard seven-step TM introduction program, followed by individual sessions for the remainder of the 3-month study, or a wait-listed control group. Observers were blinded, and blood pressure change was the primary outcome. There was no significant blood pressure difference between the randomized groups, although the final blood pressures in the TM subjects were slightly lower than those in controls. However, in a subgroup of subjects at higher risk of hypertension, the post-trial blood pressures of those randomized to TM had decreased significantly compared with those of controls. This was associated with measured reductions in specific psychological stressors. A source of uncontrolled confounding that might explain the findings is the vast difference in participant contact between the two groups. Nevertheless, the findings here may be important. Because blood pressure tracks from adolescence on, interruption of this tendency to rise in young adulthood could have long-term value. Further study is well justified to confirm and extend the findings in this, the first known randomized trial of TM. See page 1326