Research on the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi Programs

6 papers found

• 1990· Empirical· Collected Papers Vol. 6
  Walton, K. G.; Brown, G. M.; Pugh, N.; MacLean, C.; and Gelderloos, P. Indole-mediated adaptation: Does melatonin mediate resistance to stress in humans? Society for Neuroscience Abstracts 16: 273, 1990.

  This study found that participants in the Transcendental Meditation program had lower levels of melatonin turnover; high melatonin turnover was found associated with high stress.

  • Biochemical: Lower Melatonin Turnover, Associated with Lower Stress
• 1990· Empirical· Collected Papers Vol. 6
  Walton, K. G.; Gelderloos, P.; Pugh, N.; Macrae, P.; Goddard, P.; MacLean, C.; and Levitsky, D. Stress and serotonin turnover in normal subjects: relation to serotonin deficiencies in mental disorders. Abstract presented at the 5th International Congress of Psychophysiology, Budapest, Hungary, 9-13 July, 1990.

  This study found that participants in the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program showed higher levels of whole body serotonin turnover and less mood disturbance. In general, higher levels of whole body serotonin were correlated with less anxiety, less depression, less aggression, and less impulsiveness.

  • Biochemical: Higher Whole Body Serotonin Turnover
  • Psychological Health: Less Mood Disturbance
  • Biochemical: Higher Levels of Whole Body Serotonin Turnover Correlated with Less Anxiety, Less Depression, Less Aggression, and Less Impulsiveness
• 1994· Psychosomatic Medicine· Empirical· Collected Papers Vol. 6
  Wenneberg, S. R.; Schneider, R. H.; MacLean, C. R. K.; Levitsky, D. K.; Walton, K. G.; Mandarino, J.; and Waziri, R. The effect of Transcendental Meditation on ambulatory blood pressure and cardiovascular reactivity. Psychosomatic Medicine 56: 168, 1994 (Abstract).

  A randomized longitudinal study of ambulatory blood pressure (monitoring of blood pressure during the day’s activity) found that those who learned the Transcendental Meditation program showed a reduction of mean ambulatory diastolic blood pressure, to lower normal levels, without loss of blood pressure reactivity.

  • Health—Cardiovascular: Decreased Mean Diastolic Ambulatory Blood Pressure
  • Health—Cardiovascular: Maintenance of Blood Pressure Reactivity
• 1995· Empirical· Collected Papers Vol. 6
  MacLean, C. R. K. Mechanisms relating stress reduction and health: changes in neuroendocrine responses to laboratory stress after four months of Transcendental Meditation. Summary of doctoral dissertation, Maharishi International University, U.S.A. Dissertation Abstracts International 56(6): 3074B, 1995.

  This study found that those who learned the Transcendental Meditation program showed, in contrast to controls, more adaptive neuroendocrine response to stress, as measured by the following: ­decreased baseline cortisol and decreased average cortisol during stress session; enhanced cortisol response during stressful challenge with rapid return to baseline; increased growth hormone response to stress; increased testosterone response to stress; decreased thyroid-stimulating hormone response to stress; and decreased plasma serotonin relative to controls for baseline, average, and response to stress. Lower plasma serotonin, unlike whole body serotonin metabolism, indicates decreased stress and decreased risk of high blood pressure. Low baseline cortisol and enhanced cortisol response to stress is understood as a more stable and adaptive physiological profile.

  • Biochemical: Decreased Baseline Cortisol and Decreased Overall Cortisol During Stress Session
  • Response to Stress: Enhanced Cortisol Response During Stressful Challenge with Rapid Return to Baseline
  • Response to Stress: Decreased TSH Response to Stress
  • + 3 more findings
• 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)
• 1997· International Journal of Neuroscience· Empirical· Collected Papers Vol. 7
  Wenneberg, S. R.; Schneider, R. H.; Walton, K. G.; Maclean C. R.; Levitsky, D. K.; Salerno, J. W.; Wallace, R. K.; Mandarino, J. V.; Rainforth, M. V.; and Waziri, R. A controlled study of the effects of the Transcendental Meditation program on cardiovascular reactivity and ambulatory blood pressure. International Journal of Neuroscience 89: 15–28, 1997.

  Individuals randomly assigned to learn the Transcendental Meditation program showed a significant reduction of average ambulatory diastolic blood pressure over a period of four months in contrast to control subjects randomly assigned to participate in a stress education program.

  • Health—Cardiovascular: Reduction in Ambulatory Diastolic Blood Pressure