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Health Benefits of Transcendental Meditation

INSIGHTS

● A study in Norway found that transcendental meditation can help individuals

who suffer from Fibromyalgia with pain management and fatigue.
● The reported benefits of transcendental meditation include reduced stress
levels, lower blood pressure, reduced episodes of insomnia, lower risk of
heart attack or stroke, reduced anxiety and/or depression, reduction in pain,
increased life expectancy, and increased brain function.

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OVERVIEW

Individuals who practice transcendental meditation (TM) report experiencing major

improvements in health and mood. The reported benefits of TM techniques are reduced stress
levels, lower blood pressure, reduced episodes of insomnia, lower risk of heart attack or stroke,
reduced anxiety and/or depression, reduction in pain, increased life expectancy, and increased
brain function. Over 600 peer-reviewed (4), scientific studies have noted the benefits of TM,
which has led to the increased use of the meditation technique for pain management and to
combat stress-related illnesses. A more in-depth analysis of the aforementioned findings can be
found below.
What Is Transcendental Meditation?
Transcendental Meditation, or TM, is a technique used to avoid distractions (1) that interrupt a
person’s state of relaxed awareness. The technique is a relatively safe process (1) and has been
known to improve one’s quality of life. Before practicing TM alone, individuals first need to be
trained (2) on how to properly practice the meditation technique. Certified TM teachers train
individuals, typically over 4 consecutive days (2), on the proper techniques, sitting position, and
mantra. Once the technique has been mastered, TM can be performed daily (2) for at least 20
minutes (2) to gain the reported health benefits.
Why Do Individuals Practice Transcendental Meditation?
Like any new therapy, TM had to go through a period of skepticism and scrutiny. However, due
to the increased number of scientific studies (5) validating the benefits of TM on mental health,
more people are starting to practice the transcendental technique of meditation. As reported in an
article published by Business Insider, TM has become increasingly more popular (5) because it is
a self-help technique that is easy to learn (7)
and easy to continue (7). Though various meditation techniques have started to rise,
transcendental meditation has soared to new levels. This is largely due to the promotion of TM
(7) by influential people.
What Are The Benefits of Transcendental Meditation?
1). General Health Benefits
Those who have tried TM have reported major benefits after beginning regular sessions.
Individuals who began practicing report reduced feelings of stress (2), anxiety (2), and
depression (2). Essentially, the benefits revolve around improving mental health (4), which in
return decreases hormone levels that cause stress and/or anxiety.
The importance of TM on stress is relevant to the function of the body. As noted by
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Normal E. Rosenthal, MD, a clinical professor at Georgetown University Medical School, stress
relief experienced while practicing TM (2) is indeed a physiological process. In small studies,
meditation was shown to increase blood flow (2) to the brain, which is directly related to the
reduction in stress and anxiety levels.
Outside of anecdotal evidence, numerous peer-reviewed studies on the effects of transcendental
meditation have been published. There have been over 600 studies (4)
that cited positive benefits of the meditation technique. The National Institutes of Health have
invested $26 million (4) in transcendental meditation research over the course of 20 years. Some
of the most recent studies in 2013 and 2012 (9) showed benefits of TM on the cardiovascular
system. In the American Heart Association journal, it was found that TM helped patients with
coronary heart disease (9). The study was conducted in a controlled environment where patients
were studied for the course of 5 years (2). Results from the study revealed that risk of death,
heart attacks, and strokes was reduced by 48 percent (9).
A second study showed significant reductions in high blood pressure. In June 2013 (9), another
study was published in the American Heart Association journal with a focus on the benefits of
TM on hypertension. The study found that with meditation only, patients were able to reduce
high blood pressure (9). The benefits of TM were also seen when used to treat trait anxiety. In
fact, the study published in October 2013 (9) by the Journal of Alternative and Complementary
Medicine determined that TM had a “significantly greater effect” (9) than the usual treatments
such as mindfulness-based therapy (MBT) and relaxation practices.
Studies regarding the benefits of TM have been so successful that even the government is
investing in its research. For example, the Department of Defense invested $2.4 million (2) in a
scientific study to understand the benefits of TM on veterans who suffer from post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD). Astonishingly, the benefits of TM were experienced immediately (2).
Veterans who participated in the study stated the process was also more enjoyable (2) than
alternative psychotherapies.
A separate study conducted by the David Lynch Foundation (2) had similar results to the study
funded by the Department of Defense. In this study, TM not only improved the condition of
veterans, it also reduced the need (2) for veterans to depend on medication. After only 30 days,
the report claimed that an estimated 84 percent of study participants (2) had either reduced the
number of anxiety attacks or stopped them altogether.
One of the most notable benefits of TM is its continued effects during non-meditating times.
According to one study, individuals who practice meditation long-term experience benefits
throughout the day (2). Dr. Rosenthal explains that the continued practice of TM creates a
“coherence” (2) between different regions of the brain, which continues well after the meditation
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Though not definitive, it is thought that transcendental meditation can increase life expectancy
(2). Even though the studies are not recent, previous research found that the mortality risks of
transcendental meditators were decreased by 23 percent (2). Other benefits that have been noted
in smaller studies include reduced episodes of insomnia (3) as well as improved brain function
and memory (3).
2). Benefits for Individuals with Fibromyalgia
Though the evidence is limited to small group studies, the transcendental meditation technique
has shown great promise in improving fibromyalgia symptoms. For instance, a study that was
conducted in Norway, and published in the International Journal of Clinical Rheumatology,
found that transcendental meditation significantly improved symptoms (6) over 2 years.
According to the study, 92 to 97 percent (6) of the 31 female participants saw a significant
reduction in symptoms such as the inability to work, pain, fatigue, morning tiredness, stiffness,
and anxiety. This is significantly higher than the 26 to 44 percent reduction (6) for the
participants who were using purification and herbal treatments.
Conclusion
In summary, TM is a technique used to increase one’s state of relaxed awareness (1).
Transcendental meditation can provide numerous benefits to individuals who suffer from stress
or anxiety-related disorders as well as other illnesses such as heart disease and fibromyalgia. The
recorded benefits of transcendental meditation in peer-reviewed studies include reduced stress
levels, lower blood pressure, reduced episodes of insomnia, lower risk of heart attack or stroke,
reduced anxiety and/or depression, reduction in pain, increased life expectancy, and increased
brain function. Because the benefits have been heavily recorded through scientific data,
individuals have been more open to practicing (5) transcendental meditation.

Link to article online: https://askwonder.com/q/health-benefits-of-transcendental-meditation-

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SOURCES

1) Transcendental Meditation: Benefits, Technique, and More

https://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/transcendental-meditation-benefits-technique
2) This Is Your Brain On Transcendental Meditation https://www.prevention.com/health/this-is-your-brain-on-
transcendental-meditation
3) Benefits of Meditation | TM.org https://www.tm.org/benefits-of-meditation

4) Transcendental Meditation Benefits | Body | Stress Relief https://www.tm-women.org/stress-

relief/
5) Transcendental Meditation, which Bridgewater's Ray Dalio calls 'the single biggest influence'
on his life, is taking over Wall Street http://www.businessinsider.com/wall-street-trend-
transcendental-meditation-2016-10?IR=T
6) Fibromyalgia | Transcendental Meditation Ireland http://tm-ireland.org/fibromyalgia/
7) The Transcendental Meditation technique https://www.tm.org/reduced-stress-and-anxiety

8) How the offshoot of an ancient Hindu practice popularized by the Beatles made its way to
Wall Street http://www.businessinsider.com/history-of-transcendental-meditation-2016-11?IR=T
9) What's the evidence? https://www.tm.org/research-on-meditation
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