The Benefits of Meditation
Modern life, which is ever marching to the tune of
technological progress, has brought with it many promises of a better world.
Yet, in many respects, it has only led man downhill to further states of mental
and physical deterioration. Sicknesses such as peptic ulcer and high blood
pressure can mostly be attributed to the uncertainties and tensions of our
environment. Due to the impossibility of changing the external situation and
its negative characteristics, it is indispensable to look within ourselves for
another means of dealing with daily tensions. There are several ways by which a
person can control both physical and mental reactions to psychological events.
One of the most efficient is meditation.
Patanjali defines meditation as the continuous and prolonged flow of thought
directed towards a determined object until total absorption takes place. This
direct flow of thought can be conceived as moving in a straight line which is
not intercepted by any other lines or thoughts that can break the continuity.
According to Tart (1969) meditation is a deep
passivity combined with consciousness. By passivity he means totally suspending
every thought and action, turning into oneself and directing the attention
towards the interior, spontaneous experiences.
According to Wollfolk
(1975) meditation implies the focalization of an indifferent or associate
repetitive stimulus. In accordance with the information the person has, this is
accompanied by a peaceful sensation.
Goleman
(1971) conceptualized meditation as a 'meta-therapy' - a procedure that
complies with the basic objectives of conventional therapy, but which in its
final state takes the individual to a deeper field than that of therapist,
therapies and the majority of the personality theorists - an altered state of
consciousness.
For Swami Satyananda
(1975) the objective of meditation is to explore the different regions of the
mind in order to eventually transcend it. The different techniques of
meditation help the individual to purify the mind and give it the rest and
revitalization necessary for its appropriate functioning. By focusing on the
interior, the person becomes aware of the chaotic and endless flow of thoughts,
memories, fears, etc. which do not have any definite goal or objective.
The psychoanalytic theory asserts that all the past
experiences determine the present behaviour in one
way or another. This principle also states that the emotional and mental events
correspond to physiological changes, therefore, the
organism is moulded by the events of life. This same
theory says that all the physical and mental experiences accumulate in the
nervous system. Following this line of thought, there are several schools in
psychology that use the musculature as an extension of the nervous system to be
able to capture the events that have moulded the behaviour of an individual, and to liberate this person of
those tendencies that have left the most traumatic and deep marks. According to
Goleman (1971), this process of liberating the
tensions of the nervous system can be accomplished through meditation without
any effort or disposition.
As the individual goes deeper into relaxation
states and pure consciousness develops without any thoughts, a wide range of kinaesthetic sensations, or psychic events, begins to take
place. Lerner assumed that kinaesthetic sensations
are the base of dreams, and that the gross body movements which appear in a
great number while sleeping, abruptly stop before dreams begin, and reappear
when the rapid eye movements (REM) cease. Fine muscular movements are present
mainly while dreaming and are not as noticeable during the other stages of
sleeping. Based upon this, Lerner suggests that gross motor activity is opposed
to kinaesthetic fantasy, and that the basic factor
necessary to initiate this fantasy is physical immobility. It has been shown
(Dement 1960) that dreaming is essential for the maintenance of the personality
organization. The privation of dreaming produces high levels of tension,
anxiety, irritability, difficulty in concentrating and impaired motor
coordination. Because of the immobility in which meditation is realized, it
seems to propitiate kinaesthetic fantasies. It can be
further deduced that the effect of un-stressing which meditation produces, is
caused by the same psychological function carried out while dreaming.
Tart (1969), through his own observations and those
of existing literature, found that the benefits of meditation in general are as
follows: a greater ability to cope with tense situations of daily life, and
therefore a greater calmness; the sensation of a greater unity between body and
mind; a greater consciousness of daily experiences; an improved functioning' of
the body and better sleep; and last of all, a greater judgement
of when relaxation is taking place and when it isn't. The same author certifies
that though meditation has definite effects over mental health, sufficient
research has not been carried out in this field.
The investigation realized has been principally
directed towards the physiology of meditation. A variety of results has been
found related to yoga meditation. This can be explained due to the wide range
of techniques and the experiences of the subjects used in the different
experiments. Even with these variables, the physiological results of meditation
tend towards a decrease in oxygen consumption, as well as in the elimination of
carbon dioxide (Anand and Col., 1961). With respect
to the skin resistance, where the low levels are associated with anxiety and
the high levels with relaxation, it has been found that during meditation these
levels increase rapidly, going even higher than the levels produced while
sleeping (Bagchi and Wenger, 1957; Wallace and Benson,
1972).
As a part of a study about the physiological
effects of Transcendental Meditation, Wallace (1970) made some blood tests
before, during, and after meditation. He found that the levels of lactate in
the blood decreased markedly at the beginning of meditation and continued to
decrease during meditation; afterwards it remained in a low concentration.
It has been seen that lactate is present in high
levels when patients with anxiety neurosis are placed under stress. Equally,
patients with hypertension show higher levels of blood lactate in a resting
state, compared with patients without hypertension. Pitts (1969) made a study
on the biochemistry of anxiety, and he found that anxiety symptoms can be
induced with lactate infusions. The role of anxiety in psychological disorders
is universally accepted by therapists. For example, Angyal
(1965) sees anxiety as the crucial phenomenon in psychopathology, being the
determining point between health or neurosis.
In the previously mentioned study made by Bagchi and Wenger (1957), 14 yogis were studied during
periods of meditation that oscillated between 15 and 120 minutes. A tendency
towards a stable and reduced physiological activity was found. The cardiac rate
in the majority of the yogis did not change significantly, but it was found, as
Anand and
In reference to the brain wave pattern during
meditation, Anand, Ghhina
and Singh (1961) found that during normal rest time, the subjects demonstrated
prominent alpha activity, while during meditation the duration and amplitude of
these waves increased. Unlike other types of meditation such as Zen, this alpha
activity could not be intercepted or blocked during yoga meditation. Wallace
and Benson (1972) also found that alpha waves intensified during meditation
and, on some occasions, theta waves appeared.
Goger
and Werback (1975) made a study related with chronic
pain. They found that significant changes in the abundance and amplitude of
alpha waves are accompanied by an increased tolerance of pain and reduced
activity in emotional situations.
A greater number of areas where the effects of
meditation have not been explored still exist. In psychological therapy little
has been done, and it is possible that meditation could be of great help, as
anxiety is one of the determinant components in mental disorders. For example,
Kondo (1958), a Japanese psychiatrist, affirms that when his patients were
meditating at home, besides attending sessions with him, they did more
constructive work.
Meditation is an ancient discipline, of great help
to anyone who practises it. Therefore, it is
advisable to determine all the effects, to use it scientifically in areas such
as medicine, curative and preventive psychology, human relations and study
achievements. While this is being realized, we can also do something for our
own mental and physical health. Meditation gives us a great start in life.
Refer: http://www.yogamag.net/archives/1981/2feb81/scienmed.shtml
The brain waves of meditators show why they're healthier. Neuroscientists have
found that meditators shift their brain activity to
different areas of the cortex—brain waves in the stress-prone right frontal
cortex move to the calmer left frontal cortex. In other words, they were calmer
and happier than before.
Maybe meditation isn't so mysterious after all.
Neuroscientists have found that meditators shift
their brain activity to different areas of the cortex - brain waves in the stress-prone
right frontal cortex move to the calmer left frontal cortex. This mental shift
decreases the negative effects of stress, mild depression and anxiety. There is
also less activity in the amygdala, where the brain
processes fear.
Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., of
the University of Massachusetts Medical School,
recorded the brain waves of stressed-out employees of a high-tech firm in
All participants had their brain waves scanned
three times during the study: at the beginning of the experiment, when
meditation lessons were completed eight weeks later and four months after that.
The researchers found that the meditators showed a
pronounced shift in activity to the left frontal lobe. In other words, they
were calmer and happier than before.
By:Colin Allen
refer: http://psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20030424-000003.html_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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The diagnosis and prescription of meditative
practices for the prevention/cure of ailments (both physiological as
well as psychological) is something, which has received far less attention
than it deserves. The benefits, which vary according to individuals, since
the very act of meditation is such an intensely personal experience, are
usually realized slowly but surely. On the whole, the effects of meditation
are wholly dependent on a person's mental makeup—on the extent to which one
is at ease with oneself. |
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Heart Disease and High Blood Pressure |
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Refer: http://www.lifepositive.com/Spirit/meditation/meditation-exercises.asp
Meditation simplifies our outer life and energizes
our inner life
1. Happiness. Meditation can help us to
cultivate a real abiding happiness. Meditation allows us to be in tune with our
inner self. When we live in the heart we can experience a sense of oneness with
others, this brings a happiness that does not depend upon outer events.
2. Inner Peace. Most people would like to experience more inner peace in
their lives; at times peace feels an elusive quality because our lives are so
hectic. Meditation teaches us how to switch off from the noise of the mind, we no longer give importance to the teeming thoughts
which fly through our mind. Through meditation we can gain a clear state of
mind; this is the secret of feeling a real inner peace.
3. Health Benefits. There have been numerous studies showing a link
between meditation and improved physical health. Meditation is a practical
solution to relieve stress. When we relieve stress we help to reduce our blood
pressure and heart related diseases.
4. Simplicity. Meditation helps to simplify our lives. When we live in the
mind we can feel life is nothing but teeming problems and worries. Through
learning to meditate we find we can get joy from appreciating the simplicity of
life.
“Meditation
simplifies our outer life and energizes our inner life. Meditation gives us a
natural and spontaneous life, a life that becomes so natural and spontaneous
that we cannot breathe without being conscious of our own divinity.”
5. Living in the Present. When we analyse the
thoughts that go through our mind we find that many of them are dealing with
the past or present. We are either fearful of the future or ruminating on the
past. However by dwelling on the past or future, it means we are unable to live
in the present moment. When we meditate we are completely in the here and now.
Meditation teaches us to appreciate life as it is; we learn to value our
present circumstances.
6. Better Relations with Others. Often we can have minor conflicts with
other people because we dwell on minor faults of the other person. Whether it is justified or not, it is a common source of
unhappiness and division. Meditation teaches us to give no importance to
minor thoughts. When we meditate powerfully we develop a sense of oneness with
other people; we naturally look to their good qualities. Their minor faults
seem unimportant.
7. To discover a real sense of who we are. Our
intellectual mind can seek to discover the answer to many questions, but the
one question of who am I? always remains unanswered.
To discover our real self; to be aware of our own soul we have to go beyond the
mind. It is in meditation that we can become aware of a living spiritual
presence. When we find this we feel a new purpose in life.
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IMMEDIATE HEALING |
All physical afflictions are because of mental
worries. All mental worries are because of intellectual immaturity.
Intellectual immaturity is because of lack of spiritual energy and lack of
spiritual wisdom.
Through meditation, when we get abundant spiritual
energy and spiritual wisdom, the intellect becomes mature. By and by, all
mental worries cease. Consequently, all physical afflictions disappear.
Meditation is the only way to heal all diseases.
Diseases are primarily because of previous negative
karma. Until and unless the negative karma is neutralised,
the disease will not vanish; no medicine will be of any help to clear the
negative karma.
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ENHANCES MEMORY POWER |
The abundant spiritual energy gained in meditation
helps the brain to work more efficiently and to its maximum capacity.
Meditation enhances memory power tremendously.
Therefore, meditation is absolutely compulsory for
all students...both at the school level and at the university level.
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WASTEFUL HABITS DIE |
There are several wasteful habits like over-eating,
over-sleeping, over-talking, over-thinking, over-drinking etc., etc. With the
abundant spiritual wisdom and spiritual energy obtained from meditation, all
the wasteful habits die naturally.
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MIND BECOMES JOYFUL |
Life is so full of defeats, insults and pains...
for any person. However, for a person with spiritual knowledge and spiritual
energy, life is always peaceful and joyful... inspite
of all the defeats, insults and pains.
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WORK BECOMES EFFICIENT |
In the presence of abundant spiritual energy and
spiritual wisdom, all work, be it physical or mental, gets done with greater
efficiency.
In less time, more work is achieved. With least
resources, commendable work gets done.
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SLEEP-TIME IS REDUCED |
Abundant spiritual energy is obtained in
meditation. Only a fraction of that energy is obtained during sleep.
Half-an-hour of deep meditation is equivalent to
six hours of deep sleep... in terms of rest for the body and energy for the
mind.
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QUALITATIVE RELATIONSHIPS |
Lack of spiritual wisdom is the only reason why
inter-personal relationships are so very unqualitative
and unfulfilling. In the presence of spiritual wisdom all inter-personal
relationships become highly qualitative and totally fulfilling.
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POWER OF THOUGHT |
Thoughts need power to reach their targets. In a
restless state of mind, thoughts are produced with least power. Therefore, they
don't reach their respective targets.
However, in the presence of a restful state of
mind, thoughts acquire great power and all intents get dramatically actualized.
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RIGHT AND WRONG |
" What to do ?", " What not to do ?" These are always million
dollar questions !
" What is right ?", " What is wrong ?" We are
in a perpetual dilemma !
However, such dilemmas are only for the spiritually
immature persons. For a spiritually mature person there are no million
dollar questions whatsoever ! For a spiritually
mature person there are no dilemmas!
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PURPOSE OF LIFE |
We are all born with a purpose, with a mission,
with a design, with a plan. Only the spiritually mature can understand and be
aware of their particular purpose, mission, design and plan in their lives.
The Benefits of Meditation at Work
Increase the physical and mental performance of
employees
Meditation is multifarious in its benefits and a
person who practices, receives multiple advantages whatever is at home,
outdoors, and even in the workplace. It has been noticed that both executives
and employees gain comprehensive benefits from meditation, which automatically
helps in creating a favorable work atmosphere in the companies and
organizations.
Spiritual management and meditation are becoming
the core subjects of management studies, and more and more managers are willing
to explore its benefits for their business.They are
open to the implementation of meditation at work and see what it can do to the
whole work environment. The needs of business environment are fast demanding
some techniques that can be incorporated to cater to the mental needs of the
employees and executives. Tension, anxiety, and fatigue are common phenomenon
that almost all the corporate sector is complaining about.The
competition and market demand does not allow them to be moderate in their work.
They need to work like machines.This is actually
where the problem lies, and meditation at work can easily have its impact.
Meditating at work can prove almost to be a panacea for work environment
problems.
Let's venture to see what perceptible benefits are
gained from meditation at work:
Increases Productivity
Productivity is the factor that almost
all the managers look at when they want to implement some new techniques in
their work environment. Meditation at work helps in increasing the
productivity, as it provides comprehensive benefits to individual executives
and employees. It can be easily understood that individual benefits combine to
make it happen for the whole organization. A sense of satisfaction dawns on the
employees and executives through meditation at work, and the experience of
rewarding work help in increasing the productivity.
It should be noted that as the organization or the
team moves along with meditation at work, the effects are increased. It is like
more you practice and more you develop yourself.
Creates physical and mental balance
It has been noticed that meditation at work brings a
complete balance between physical and mental performance of the employees. The
corporate performance is propelled by more rewarding work experience, which
helps in minimizing the mental wear, and thus, helping meditation at work to
bring out complete benefits. Employees and executives who practice meditation
at work, enjoy dynamic but relaxed work-experience, and are not prone to
anxiety, tension, and fatigue.
If we can gauge the potency of meditation at home,
we can easily think about the behavioral changes and mental calmness that
meditation at work can bring about. Meditation at work should be incorporated
as a regular practice, and not as a one-off training session. Once meditation
at work is implemented, work will be done with more fluidity, lesser problems,
and in a manner that will benefit both individuals and the companies as whole.
ndrew Newberg, a radiologist at the
Using a brain imaging technique, Newberg and his
team studied a group of Tibetan Buddhist monks as they meditated for
approximately one hour.
When they reached a transcendental high, they were
asked to pull a kite string to their right, releasing an injection of a
radioactive tracer. By injecting a tiny amount of radioactive marker into the
bloodstream of a deep meditator, the scientists soon
saw how the dye moved to active parts of the brain.
Sense of space
Later, once the subjects had finished meditating,
the regions were imaged and the meditation state compared with the normal
waking state.
The scans provided remarkable clues about what goes
on in the brain during meditation.
"There was an increase in activity in the
front part of the brain, the area that is activated when anyone focuses
attention on a particular task," Dr Newberg explained.
In addition, a notable decrease in activity in the
back part of the brain, or parietal lobe, recognised
as the area responsible for orientation, reinforced the general suggestion that
meditation leads to a lack of spatial awareness.
Dr Newberg explained: "During meditation,
people have a loss of the sense of self and frequently experience a sense of no
space and time and that was exactly what we saw."
Prayer power
The complex interaction between different areas of
the brain also resembles the pattern of activity that occurs during other
so-called spiritual or mystical experiences.
Dr Newberg's earlier studies have involved the
brain activity of Franciscan nuns during a type of prayer known as "centring".
As the prayer has a verbal element other parts of
the brain are used but Dr Newberg also found that they, "activated the
attention area of the brain, and diminished activity in the orientation
area."
This is not the first time that scientists have
investigated spirituality. In 1998, the healing benefits of prayer were alluded to when a group of scientists in the
Inner world
And at the annual meeting of the American
Association for the Advancement of Science in
Scientific study of both the physical world and the
inner world of human experiences are, according to Dr Newberg, equally
beneficial.
"When someone has a mystical experience, they
perceive that sense of reality to be far greater and far clearer than our usual
everyday sense of reality," he said.
He added: "Since the sense of spiritual
reality is more powerful and clear, perhaps that sense of reality is more
accurate than our scientific everyday sense of reality."
-from B.B.C refer: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1847442.stm
Science Daily — Meditation is known to alter resting brain
patterns, suggesting long lasting brain changes, but a new study by researchers
from Yale, Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology shows meditation also is associated with increased
cortical thickness.
The structural changes were found in areas of the
brain that are important for sensory, cognitive and emotional processing, the
researchers report in the November issue of NeuroReport.
Although the study included only 20 participants,
all with extensive training in Buddhist Insight meditation, the results are
significant, said Jeremy Gray, assistant professor of psychology at Yale and
co-author of the study led by Sara Lazar, assistant in psychology at
Massachusetts General Hospital.
"What is most fascinating to me is the
suggestion that meditation practice can change anyone's grey matter," Gray
said. "The study participants were people with jobs and families. They
just meditated on average 40 minutes each day, you
don't have to be a monk."
Magnetic resonance imaging showed that regular
practice of meditation is associated with increased thickness in a subset of
cortical regions related to sensory, auditory, visual and internal perception,
such as heart rate or breathing. The researchers also found that regular
meditation practice may slow age-related thinning of the frontal cortex.
"Most of the regions identified in this study
were found in the right hemisphere," the researchers said. "The right
hemisphere is essential for sustaining attention, which is a central practice
of Insight meditation."
They said other forms of yoga and meditation likely
have a similar impact on cortical structure, although each tradition would be
expected to have a slightly different pattern of cortical thickening based on
the specific mental exercises involved.
Co-authors include Catherine Kerr, Rachel Wasserman
Jeffery Dusek, Herbert Benson and Metta
McGarvey, Harvard; Douglas Greve,
Brian Quinn, Bruce Fischl, Michael Treadway and Scott Rauch, Massachusetts General Hospital,
and Christopher Moore, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
NeuroReport 16: 1893-1897 (November 28, 2005)
Note: This story has been adapted from a news release
issued by Yale University.
Research studies on the Transcendental Mediation®
technique have been published in more than 100 scientific journals.
For the bibliography lists samples from each of the major categories Click
here.
According to the TM Organization, independent
research studies on Trancendental Meditation have
been published in around 150
Scientific Journals and have been conducted by more than 200
Universities.
Summary of Scientific Research on
The TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION®
and TM-SIDHI®
Programs
Compiled and Edited by
David Orme-Johnson, Ph.D.
Dean of Research Maharishi International University
The scientific research on the Transcendental
Meditation and TM-Sidhiprogram of Maharishi
Mahesh Yogi is the largest and strongest body of researchin
the world on any program to develop human potential. The more than 500 scientific
studies conducted at 200 independentuniversities
and institutions in 33 countries and published in over 100leading scientific
journals have documented that this technology benefitsevery
sphere of life: physiological, psychological, sociological, and ecological.The findings in each area of study have been
replicated many times, andmeta-analyses, which are
the most quantitatively rigorous means to reviewa
body of research, have found a high degree of consistency of the
results1.Studies using the most sophisticated, rigorous research methodologies thatare designed to prove causality have strongly verified
and extended preliminaryfindings. This demonstrates
that the Maharishi Transcendental MeditationSM
and TM-SidhiSM
programs causes thewide range of benefits in mental
potential, health, and social behavior.
Research conducted around the world documents that
the program is effectivefor all cultural and ethnic
groups. All age groups benefit, from increasedalertness
in infants of meditating parents to increased health, happiness,and longevity in meditating elderly. People spanning the full range of socioeconomiclevels
and intellectual abilities benefit, again indicating the universalityof
Maharishi's program.
This body of research is unique in the extent of
its cross validation,which
means that the findings are validated by many different types of physiological,psychological, and sociological measures. For
example, the finding thatthe Transcendental
Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs decreases stress isvalidated by physiological changes such as decreased cortisol (the majorstress
hormone), decreased muscle tension, normalization of blood pressure,increased autonomic stability, and increased EEG
coherence. At the sametime, a variety of
psychological changes also indicates decreased stress,including decreased anxiety and depression,
decreased post-traumatic stresssyndrome, and
increased self-actualization. Likewise, stress reduction isdemonstrated
by the sociological changes, such as decreased hostility, increasedfamily
harmony, and reduced criminal behavior in incarcerated felons.
Moreover, research extends the concept of stress
reduction to the ecologicallevel. Studies have found
that the reduction of stress in meditating individualscreates
an influence of harmony in the environment. Scientists have namedthis
phenomenon the Maharishi Effect--the finding that
even 1% of the populationpracticing the
Transcendental Meditation technique, or the square root ofone
percent practicing the more advanced Transcendental Meditation-SidhiSM
program, improve thequality of life, as indicated by
such changes as reduced crime and sicknessin the
larger society.
The following briefly summarizes the overall
research findings by category:physiological,
psychological, sociological, and ecological.
Physiological Benefits
The original landmark research on the physiological
correlates of theTranscendental Meditation technique
was published in Science, AmericanJournal of
Physiology, and Scientific American in 1970-1972 (papers1, 3, 4).
This research found that the Transcendental Meditation techniqueproduces
a physiological state of restful alertness. During the techniquethe
physiology becomes deeply rested, as indicated by significant reductionsin respiration, minute ventilation, tidal volume,
and blood lactate, andsignificant increases in basal
skin resistance (an index of relaxation).At the same time the physiology is
alert rather than asleep, as indicatedby an increased
abundance of alpha waves in the EEG. These findings ledresearcher
Dr. Keith Wallace to conclude that restful alertness is a fourthmajor
state of consciousness, termed transcendental consciousness, thatis physiologically distinct from ordinary waking,
dreaming, and deep sleep(paper 2).
Many other researchers have confirmed the reality
of Transcendental Consciousness.Moreover, they have found that through regular practice of the TranscendentalMeditation technique, the physiology becomes
more relaxed outside of meditationas well. Baseline
levels of respiration rate, heart rate, plasma lactate,and skin resistance are all lower. The autonomic
nervous system, which regulatesvital internal
processes, becomes more stable, integrated, and adaptable,as indicated by its increased ability to recover
rapidly from the effectsof stress. Brain functioning
becomes more orderly, as indicated by the growthof
physiological correlates of creativity and intelligence, such as shorterlatencies of cognitive evoked potentials, faster
paired H-reflexes, increasedEEG coherence, shorter
inspection time, and faster choice reaction time.Medical
researchers have found a reduction of important cardiovascular riskfactors such as high blood pressure and serum
cholesterol. Large healthinsurance studies have found
that people practicing the Transcendental Meditationand
TM-Sidhi programs, in all age groups combined,
display a 50% reductionin both inpatient and
outpatient medical care utilization compared to controls.Hospitalization
is 87% for heart disease and 55% lower for cancer. And whatis
most remarkable, meditators over 40 years old have
approximately 70%fewer medical problems than others in their age group.
Other research has found that meditating
individuals in their mid-50shave a biological age twelve years younger than
their chronological age,and that people beginning the
practice even at 80 years of age live longerand are
healthier and happier than controls of the same age (see Part I:Physiology in Vols. 1-5, and in the recent research
section).
Psychological Benefits
Numerous studies have found that the practice of
the Transcendental Meditationand TM-Sidhi program increases broad comprehension and improves
the abilityto focus sharply (field independence).
Through regular practice of thisprogram, the
physiology becomes habituated to sustain the experience ofrestful
alertness at all times. Research shows that this is the best meansof reducing anxiety, depression, and anger.
Transcendental Consciousness,the experience of one's
higher Self, becomes a stable internal frame ofreference,
providing an unshakable sense of self even during dynamic activity.Meditators
become better able to see another person's perspective, yet theycannot
easily be swayed by social pressure to do something which they judgeto be wrong. They tend to perceive the world more
positively and holistically.
Creativity increases, as measured by tests of both verbal and pictorialfluency,
flexibility, and originality. Perception becomes more accurateand
less driven by preconceptions and misconceptions. Basic
memory processesimprove. School children who
practice the Transcendental Meditation techniquesignificantly
improve in their basic skills in mathematics, reading, languageand
study skills within a semester. Studies of elementary school students,high school students, college students, and adults
have found significantincreased IQ scores compared to
non-meditating controls over the same period.A
ten-year longitudinal study following meditating college students afterthey graduated found significant increases on holistic
measures of selfdevelopment (ego development)
compared to data sets for graduates of threecontrol
universities matched for gender and age. The meditators
reachedhigher levels of moral reasoning, autonomy and
integration than has everbeen seen before in any
other group. The conclusion of all the researchon
meditation and relaxation techniques in the field of self-actualizationshows
that the Transcendental Meditation technique is unparalleled in itsability to fully develop the unique potential of the
individual. This techniquemakes a person more
self-sufficient, more spontaneous, more productive,better able of meet challenges, and more capable of
warm interpersonal relationships(see Part II: Psychology in Vols. 1-5, and in
the recent research section).
Sociological Benefits
A quantitative review of 198 studies found that the
Transcendental Meditationprogram is the most
effective means of preventing and treating drug andalcohol
abuse. In a study of transient, chronic alcoholics it was foundthat
the technique produced a 65% abstinence rate and another study of highschool and college drug users in a rehabilitation
center found an 89% reductionin drug usage.
A study of war veterans with post-traumatic
adjustment problems foundthat the Transcendental
Meditation technique produced significant decreasesin
emotional numbness, alcohol consumption, family problems, insomnia, unemployment,and overall
post-traumatic stress disorder, in comparison to controls receivingpsychotherapy.
The Japanese Ministry of Labor commissioned a
five-month study of theeffects of the Transcendental
Meditation program on 447 of their employeesin a
major heavy industry. The study found decreased physical complaints,decreased
anxiety, decreased depression, decreased smoking, decreased insomnia,decreased
digestive problems, and a decreased tendency towards neurosisand
psychosomatic problems among those who learned this technique comparedto non-meditating controls.
The Transcendental Meditation program has been
widely used for effectiveprison rehabilitation.
Studies indicate that it produces positive changesin
health, personality development, behavior, and reduced recidivism (lowerreturn to prison) among inmates. One study of
recidivism found that 259inmates of Folsom and San Quentin prisons and Deuel
Vocational Institutein California who learned Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation techniquehad
35-40% fewer new prison terms compared to the matched controls, whereasit is known that traditional prison education,
vocational training, andpsychotherapy do not
consistently reduce recidivism. A large scale studyof
11,000 prisoners and 900 staff officers in Senegal, West Africa in 1987found
that the Transcendental Meditation program markedly decreased prisonviolence, health problems and that it reduced
recidivism to a mere 8% (seePart III: Sociology in
Vols. 1-5, and in the recent research section).
Ecological Changes
Maharishi has brought to light that the most important single ecologicalconsideration is a pervasive field of collective
consciousness-- the collectiveinfluence of the
consciousness of individuals that comprise a society. Stressedindividuals
create an atmosphere of stress in collective consciousness thatreciprocally
affects the thinking and actions of every individual in thatsystem.
Maharishi maintains that crime, drug abuse, armed
conflict, andother problems of society are more than
just the problem of individual criminals,drug users,
and conflicting factions in society. Such problems are morefundamentally
symptoms of stress in collective consciousness.
Maharishi has introduced a new theoretical understanding of society,which
concludes that the only practical way to handle large-scale problemsis
to approach them holistically by creating coherence in collective consciousness.Citing the general principle of science that
the coherent elements of asystem exert an influence
proportional to their number squared, Maharishihas
estimated that 1% of the population practicing his Transcendental Meditationtechnique and as few as the square root of 1%
collectively practicing hisTranscendental Meditation
and TM-Sidhi programs would be enough to createan influence of coherence in collective consciousness
capable of neutralizingthe stresses that are the root
cause of social problems. Extensive scientificresearch
on the city, state, national, and international levels has
confirmedMaharishi's prediction. A study of 160
Research has further demonstrated that when groups
practicing the TranscendentalMeditation and TM-Sidhi program are introduced into a city, state, or countryanywhere in the world that crime decreases, there
are fewer traffic accidents,and the quality of life
improves in that area.
Since 1979, Maharishi
International University (MIU) has had a groupof
Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs
participants that hasvaried in size from a few
hundred to over 8,000. Published research hasshown
that increases in the size of the group have an influence in boththe
This remarkable body of research showing that the
Transcendental Meditationand TM-Sidhi
program produces basic improvements on all levels of life--health,mental
potential, social behavior, and world peace--confirms that this technologyof consciousness operates on the most fundamental
level of Nature's functioning,enlivening the unified
field of Natural Law in the consciousness of theindividual
and in society, so that life may be lived in accord with NaturalLaw,
creating a state of Heaven on Earth (see Part III: Sociology, FindingsReflecting Growth of Coherence in Collective Consciousness
in Vols. 1-5,and in the recent research section).
Refer: http://www.maharishi.org/tm/research/summary.html
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