Over 600 studies have been conducted on Transcendental Meditation

Transcendental Mediation and the Body

Following are a selection of research studies showing the benefits that the practice of Transcendental Meditation has on the body - reduction of high blood pressure, reversal of ageing, increased positive health habits, and more...

Improved Health and More Positive Health Habits

In 2 companies that introduced the Transcendental Meditation program, managers and employees who regularly practiced Transcendental Meditation improved significantly in overall physical health, mental well-being, and vitality when compared to control subjects with similar jobs in the same companies. Transcendental Meditation practitioners also reported significant reductions in health problems such as headaches and backaches, improved quality of sleep, and a significant reduction in the use of hard liquor and cigarettes, compared to personnel in control groups.

Reference: A prospective study of the effects of the Transcendental Meditation program in two business settings, Anxiety, Stress and Coping: International Journal 6: 245­262, 1993.

Reduced Anxiety

A statistical meta-analysis conducted at Stanford University of all available studies-146 independent outcomes-indicated that the effect of the Transcendental Meditation program on reducing anxiety as a character trait was much greater than that of all other meditation and relaxation techniques, including muscle relaxation. This analysis also showed that the positive Transcendental Meditation result could not be attributed to subject expectation, experimenter bias, or quality of research design.

Reference: Differential effects of relaxation techniques on trait anxiety: A meta-analysis, Journal of Clinical Psychology 45: 957­974, 1989.

Reduced Need for Medical Care - Decreased Hospitalization

A study of health insurance statistics on over 2,000 people practicing the Transcendental Meditation program over a 5-year period found that the Transcendental Meditation meditators consistently had less than half the hospitalization than did other groups with comparable age, gender, profession, and insurance terms. The difference between the Transcendental Meditation and non-Transcendental Meditation groups increased in older-age brackets. In addition, the Transcendental Meditation meditators had fewer incidents of illness in 17 medical treatment categories, including 87% less hospitalization for heart disease and 55% less for cancer.

Reference I: Medical care utilization and the Transcendental Meditation program, Psychosomatic Medicine 49: 493­507, 1987. Reference II: Reduced health care utilization in Transcendental Meditation practitioners, presented at the conference of the Society for Behavioral Medicine, Washington, D.C., March 22, 1987.

Reduced Need for Medical Care - Decreased Doctor Visits

A study of health insurance statistics on over 2,000 people practicing the Transcendental Meditation program over a 5-year period found that the Transcendental Meditation meditators consistently had more than 50% fewer doctor visits than did other groups with comparable age, gender, profession, and insurance terms. The difference between the Transcendental Meditation and non-Transcendental Meditation groups increased in older-age brackets.

Reference I: Medical care utilization and the Transcendental Meditation program, Psychosomatic Medicine 49: 493­507, 1987. Reference II: Reduced health care utilization in Transcendental Meditation practitioners, presented at the conference of the Society for Behavioral Medicine, Washington, D.C., March 22, 1987.

Decreased Stress Hormone

Plasma cortisol is a stress hormone. The study shows that plasma cortisol decreased during Transcendental Meditation, whereas it did not change significantly in control subjects during ordinary relaxation.

Reference: Adrenocortical activity during meditation, Hormones and Behavior 10(1): 54­60, 1978.

Reversal of the Ageing Process

Biological age measures how old a person is physiologically. As a group, long-term meditators who had been practicing Transcendental Meditation for more than 5 years were physiologically 12 years younger than their chronological age, as measured by reduction of blood pressure, and better near-point vision and auditory discrimination. Short-term meditators were physiologically 5 years younger than their chronological age. The study controlled for the effects of diet and exercise.

Reference: The Effects of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program on the ageing process, International Journal of Neuroscience 16 (1): 53­58, 1982.

Natural Change in Breathing

Subjects were measured for changes in breathing rate during the practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique. Breath rate fell from about 14 breaths per minute to about 11 breaths per minute, indicating the Transcendental Meditation technique produces a state of rest and relaxation. The change in breath rate is natural, effortless, and comfortable.

Reference: A wakeful hypometabolic physiologic state, American Journal of Physiology 22: 795­799, 1971.

Physiological Indicators of Deep Rest

A meta-analysis, the preferred scientific procedure for drawing definitive conclusions from large bodies of research, found Transcendental Meditation produced a significant increase in basal skin resistance compared to eyes-closed rest, indicating profound relaxation. Deep rest and relaxation were also indicated by greater decreases in respiration rates and plasma lactate levels compared to ordinary rest. These physiological changes occur spontaneously as the mind effortlessly settles to the state of restful alertness, pure consciousness.

Reference: Physiological differences between Transcendental Meditation and rest, American Psychologist 42: 879­881, 1987.