Scientific Research on Transcendental Meditation
More research has been done on Transcendental Meditation than on any other meditation or self-improvement technique. From the very beginning, the founder of Transcendental Meditation, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (who has a degree in physics), has encouraged scientists to objectively verify the benefits of Transcendental Meditation which have been experienced subjectively by millions of ordinary people worldwide.
Transcendental Meditation is distinct from other types of relaxation and personal development techniques. Scientists have verified its benefits in more than 500 scientific research studies conducted at 214 independent universities and research institutes in 27 countries, and published in more than 100 scientific journals. The research confirms that Transcendental Meditation is unique both in terms of the physiological changes brought about during the technique, and in the range and magnitude of its benefits.
SUMMARY OF RESEARCH FINDINGS ON TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION |
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Scientific Charts
You can see a selection of charts of scientific research on TM here.
Published in Major Scientific Journals
This impressive body of research has been published in such major scientific journals as Science, the American Journal of Physiology, Scientific American, Lancet, the Journal of Counseling Psychology, the International Journal of Neuroscience, the Journal of the Canadian Medical Association, the British Journal of Educational Psychology, and the Journal of Conflict Resolution.
All research studies are also published in the Collected Research on Transcendental Meditation, Volumes 1 to 5. Copies of these books may be consulted at your local Transcendental Meditation centre.
Latest Research
- High blood pressure: TM lowers blood pressure in African Americans living in West Oakland compared with other stress-reducing methods (American Journal of Hypertension, 28 January 2005).
- High blood pressure: A study shows that TM can help black teenage African-Americans cut their blood pressure. (American Journal of Hypertension, April 2004)
- Radiology Today, August 2003 - article describes ongoing research on the effect of TM on the ability to cope with stress. [More details]
- Current issue of Journal of Offender Rehabilitation dedicated
to research on TM
This year, the four quarterly issues of the highly respected Journal of Offender Rehabilitation are devoted entirely to studies demonstrating that the Transcendental Meditation programme is effective in treating and preventing criminal behaviour, as well as reducing international conflicts and terrorism.
The four issues of the Journal include research spanning 30 years. There are eight original research papers, two review papers and three case studies. They include a study that followed inmates from two maximum-security prisons; a review that looks at the changes in the brain chemistry of criminals who practise TM; and a new study of the group practice of TM by 7,000 people resulting in the decrease of terrorism and international conflicts worldwide. (August 2003) [More details]
"...These findings challenge a commonly held assumption that all meditation
techniques are equally effective. More than 100 previous studies of the
effect of different techniques of meditation on anxiety... found that TM
reduced anxiety twice as effectively as other techniques."New Scientist, April 1990
How to Find Out More ...
A detailed 16 page paper which summarises 165 major studies on Transcendental Meditation and includes full references is available in several different formats:
- View online - full text without references
- View online - references only
- Download the full document (and save to your hard disk) in Adobe Acrobat format (100k: < 1 min d/l)
- Download the full document (and save to your hard disk) in Microsoft Word format (135k: < 1 min d/l)
- You can see a selection of charts of scientific research on TM here.