Research on the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi Programs

9 papers found

• 1976· Empirical· Collected Papers Vol. 1
  Ferguson, P. C.; and Gowan, J. C. Psychological findings on Transcendental Meditation. Findings also published in Journal of Humanistic Psychology 16(3): 51–60, 1976.

  The effect of the Transcendental Meditation technique in reducing negative personality traits and increasing self-actualization was marked and cumulative.

  • Psychological Health: Decreased Anxiety
  • Psychological Health: Decreased Depression
  • Psychological Health: Decreased Neuroticism
  • + 1 more findings
• 1977· Empirical· Collected Papers Vol. 1
  Schilling, P. B. The effect of the regular practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique on behavior and personality. Department of Clinical Psychology, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, Kentucky, USA, 1974.

  Subjects practicing the Transcendental Meditation technique reduced their total drug use, which included marijuana, hashish, and alcohol; and they became warmer in their interpersonal relationships, more helpful, sympathetic, and protective, more assertive, influential, and powerful, more adventurous, more easy-going, and more tactful.

  • Social Behavior: Increased Affiliation (Increased Neighborliness, Warmth, Good-Naturedness, Cooperativeness, Friendliness, and Loyalty)
  • Social Behavior: Increased Nurturance (More Sympathetic, Helpful, Caring, Protective, Comforting, and Supportive)
  • Social Behavior: Improved Leadership Ability
  • + 5 more findings
• 1981· Empirical· Collected Papers Vol. 3
  Ferguson, P. C. An integrative meta-analysis of psychological studies investigating the treatment outcomes of meditation techniques. Doctoral thesis (summary), School of Education, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA, 1981. Findings also published in Dissertation Abstracts International 42(4): 1547A, 1981.

  An integrative meta-analysis comparing the effects of the Transcendental Meditation technique with those of other meditational procedures indicates that Transcendental Meditation consistently produces the greatest benefit. The analysis shows that relaxation procedures, other meditation techniques, or techniques which attempt to imitate Transcendental Meditation, produced less than one half of the treatment effect of the actual Transcendental Meditation technique.

  • Psychological Health: Greater Benefit of Psychological Health from the Transcendental Meditation technique than from Control Techniques as Demonstrated by Meta-Analysis
• 1987· Journal of Psychosomatic Research· Empirical· Collected Papers Vol. 5
  Mills, P. J.; Schneider, R.; Hill, D.; Walton, K.; and Wallace, R. K. Lymphocyte beta-adrenergic receptors and cardiovascular responsivity in TM participants and Type A behavior. Summary of a paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, March, 1987. Refer also to findings published in Psychosomatic Medicine 49: 211, 1987 and Journal of Psychosomatic Research 33(6), 1989.

  At rest and in response to stress tests, Transcendental Meditation participants maintained lower levels of blood pressure and other physiological indices of stress.

  • Biochemical: Lower Beta-Adrenergic Receptor Sensitivity
  • Response to Stress: Lower Blood Pressure Reactivity to Stress
  • Health—Cardiovascular: Lower Resting Blood Pressure
  • + 1 more findings
• 1990· Journal of Psychosomatic Research· Empirical· Collected Papers Vol. 6
  Mills, P.J.; Schneider, R.H.; Hill, D.; Walton, K.G.; and Wallace, R.K. beta-adrenergic receptor sensitivity in subjects practicing Transcendental Meditation. Journal of Psychosomatic Research 34: 29–33, 1990.

  This study found that those who practice the Transcendental Meditation technique show reduced sensitivity to stress hormones.

  • Biochemical: Reduced Beta-Adrenergic Receptor Sensitivity
• 1990· Dissertation Abstracts International· Empirical· Collected Papers Vol. 6
  Hill, D. A. Beta-adrenergic receptor sensitivity, autonomic balance and serotonergic activity in practitioners of Transcendental Meditation. Doctoral dissertation, Maharishi International University, U.S.A. Dissertation Abstracts International 50(8): 3330B, 1990.

  This research found that participants in the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program showed lower sensitivity to stress hormones, as measured by less beta-adrenergic receptor sensitivity. During the practice of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program, participants also showed significant reductions of platelet 5-hydroxy-tryptamine and plasma prolactin. Degree of change or final level of these parameters was associated with length of practice of the Transcendental Meditation program.

  • Biochemical: Reduced Beta-Adrenergic Receptor Sensitivity
  • During the Practice—Biochemical: Reduced Platelet 5-hydroxy-tryptamine during Practice of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program
  • During the Practice—Biochemical: Reduced Plasma Prolactin during Practice of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program
• 1996· American Journal of Health Promotion· Empirical· Collected Papers Vol. 6
  Herron, R. E.; Hillis, S. L.; Mandarino, J. V.; Orme-Johnson, D. W.; and Walton, K. G. The impact of the Transcendental Meditation program on government payments to physicians in Quebec. American Journal of Health Promotion 10: 208–216, 1996.

  Individuals who began the Transcendental Meditation program showed reduced payments for physicians’ services during the subsequent years.

  • Health Care Utilization: Decreased Payments for Physicians’ Services
• 1997· Psychoneuroendocrinology· Empirical· Collected Papers Vol. 7
  MacLean, C. R. K.; Walton, K. G.; Wenneberg, S. R.; Levitsky, D. K.; Mandarino, J. P.; Waziri, R.; Hillis, S. L.; and Schneider, R. H. Effects of the Transcendental Meditation program on adaptive mechanisms: Changes in hormone levels and responses to stress after 4 months of practice. Psychoneuroendocrinology 22: 277–295, 1997.

  This experimental study found that those who learned the Transcendental Meditation technique, in contrast to controls who took a stress education class, showed after four months of practice a more adaptive response to stress, as measured by increased cortisol responsiveness to stressors together with reduced basal cortisol and reduced average cortisol. Findings on other hormones also differen­tiated the Transcendental Meditation and stress education groups.

  • Response to Stress: More Adaptive Pattern of Cortisol in Relation to Stress: Decreased Basal Cortisol and Average Cortisol, Increased Cortisol Responsiveness to Stressors
  • Response to Stress: Response to Stressors Different than Controls for Other Hormones (Growth Hormone and Thyroid Stimulating Hormone)
• 2000· American Journal of Health Promotion· Empirical· Collected Papers Vol. 7
  Herron, R. E.; and Hillis, S. L. The Impact of the Transcendental Meditation program on government payments to physicians in Quebec: An update. American Journal of Health Promotion 14: 284–291, 2000.

  This large-sample study of government insurance data indicated that individuals who learned the Transcendental Meditation program, in contrast to matched controls, displayed a significant reduction in physician expenses over a six-year period.

  • Health Care Utilization: Longitudinal Reduction in Government Medical Expenses for Physician Treatments