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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1979

The self-concepts of regular transcendental meditators, dropout meditators, and nonmeditators.

Regular meditators, dropout meditators, and nonmeditators were administered the Tennessee Self Concept Scale twice over a six month period (N = 32 Australian men and women). Results showed that regular meditators as compared to dropout meditators were found to have significantly fewer of the characteristics associated with psychosis. Nonmeditators as compared to dropout meditators were found to have significantly fewer characteristics associated with psychosis and personality integration. Regular meditators as compared to nonmeditators have a more positive perception of their behavior. The findings provide a personality description of the dropout meditators which may be useful for screening prospective meditators.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

The effect of transcendental meditation on right hemispheric functioning.

This study reports two experiments investigating the effects of transcendental meditation on right hemispheric functioning. The task used in both experiments was the Seashore Tonal Memory Test. In the first experiment a non-meditator group and an experienced meditator group were run. The design involved three periods: a pretest, a meditation or rest period, and then a posttest. The results showed the experienced meditators were significantly better in both pretest and posttest performance. There were no pretest-posttest differences. The second experiment was done to replicate the first experiment and to control for possible selection bias. The design was the same as the first experiment, except that an additional group of inexperienced meditators was included. The results again showed significantly superior performance for the experienced meditators compared to the non-meditators. In addition, the experienced meditators were superior to the inexperienced meditators. There were no significant differences between the non-meditators and the inexperienced meditators. These results support the hypothesis that meditation facilitates right hemispheric functioning. Alternative explanations, such as selection bias, are also discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

The effect of transcendental meditation on iconic memory.

Three experiments investigated the effects of transcendental meditation (TM) on iconic memory. The task involved reporting of digits shown tachistoscopically, using Sperling's partial-report technique. Experiment 1 was a pilot study involving a meditation group and a nonmeditation gropu. All subjects were run in a pretest/treatment/posttest design. During the treatment phase the meditation group practiced TM for a 20-minute period and the nonmeditation group relaxed with eyes closed. The results showed that the treatment increased performance in meditators, but not in nonmeditators. In this experiment important controls such as individual administration of the task, extrinsic rewards, subject pacing, and adequate practice were lacking. Experiment 2 was a replication of the first, with these controls added. The results no longer showed a superiority for the meditation treatment. In fact, the meditation group performed worse on each day of running. Experiment 3 was a replication of Experiment 1, to assess whether the meditation effect of Experiment 1 was due to (a) differential increased attention of the meditators (minimized in subject-paced Experiment 2), (b) a gain early in learning for the meditators that was eliminated due to practice in Experiment 2, or (c) a lack of proper control procedures in Experiment 1. The performance of the meditators was, again, significantly lower. This research illustrates the importance of careful control when investigating the effects of meditation on behavior. It also suggests that the effects of meditation may depend on which hemisphere is dominant in performing the task.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Psychophysiological correlates of the practice of Tantric Yoga meditation.

Autonomic and electroencephalographic (EEG) correlates of Tantric Yoga meditation were studied in three groups of subjects as they progressed from normal consciousness into meditation. Groups differed in their level of meditation proficiency. Measures of skin resistance, heart rate, respiration, autonomic orienting responses, resting EEG, EEG alpha and theta frequencies, sleep-scored EEG, averaged evoked responses, and subjective experience were employed. Unlike most previously reported meditation studies, proficient meditators demonstrated increased autonomic activation during meditation while unexperienced meditators demonstrated autonomic relaxation. During meditation, proficient meditators demonstrated increased alpha and theta power, minimal evidence of EEG-defined sleep, and decreased autonomic orienting to external stimulation. An episode of sudden autonomic activation was observed that was characterized by the meditator as an approach to the Yogic ecstatic state of intense concentration. These findings challenge the current "relaxation" model of meditative states.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Sympathetic activity and transcendental meditation.

Ten male advanced meditators and ten male long-term meditators subjected themselves four times to slight physical exercise following a period of rest, meditation or reading. Daily urine excretions of catecholamines and VMA were determined in both groups. On the experimental days 4-hour urine specimens, one before and one after the experiments, were again collected for analysis. During the experiments blood pressure and heart rate were measured continuously and blood samples were taken for plasma catecholamine levels immediately before and after the physical exercise. Daily catecholamine and VMA excretions showed to be higher in advanced meditators. During the experiments the pattern of noradrenaline, adrenaline and VMA excretions were different in both groups, long-term meditators showing a higher adrenaline excretion after exercise. After the resting period there was in both groups a similar increase of plasma catecholamine levels during exercise. However, after meditation the advanced meditators showed a significant increase in plasma noradrenaline and no further increase in plasma noradrenaline level during the following physical exercise. Also after the reading period differences between both groups in plasma catecholamine levels during exercise could be observed. In advanced meditators heart rate reduction after meditation was about 9% and diastolic blood pressure was slightly raised. The preceding conditions of rest, meditation or reading had a significant different influence on the behaviour of heart rate and blood pressure during the following physical exercise and this pattern was different for both groups.

Adult↗
PubMed2026

Adverse Experiences in Brief Meditation Practices: Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Meditation has become increasingly popular in recent decades. However, relatively little remains known about the prevalence of and risk factors for adverse experiences related to a single meditation practice. OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to examine adverse experiences associated with 3 brief, digitally delivered meditation practices (mindfulness, self-compassion, and gratitude) relative to using the internet as usual, as well as to investigate whether preintervention characteristics could predict such outcomes. METHODS: In a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial using samples that were representative of the US and UK adult populations with regard to ethnicity, sex, and age, we examined adverse experiences associated with 3 brief (ie, 5 or 10 minutes) meditation practices (ie, mindfulness, self-compassion, and gratitude) relative to using the internet as usual. We also investigated the potential of using preintervention characteristics to predict such outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 5049 participants completed all preintervention measures and were randomly assigned to meditation or control conditions. Across the sample, 4.1% (204/4925) of participants reported having a distressing experience during the intervention, and 7.1% (348/4908) of participants experienced an increase in negative affect from before to after the intervention. The results showed that participants who were randomized to a brief meditation intervention were no more likely to report a distressing experience than those who were randomized to use the internet as usual (odds ratio [OR] 1.05, 95% CI 0.76-1.47; P=.76). The results also showed that participants who were randomized to a brief meditation intervention were less likely to report clinically relevant increases in negative affect relative to using the internet as usual (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.50-0.80; P<.001). Notably, participants in the 10-minute condition had a significantly higher likelihood of reporting a distressing experience than those in the 5-minute condition (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.07-1.89; P=.02). Preintervention characteristics showed acceptable discrimination ability to predict a distressing experience (area under the curve=0.73) and slightly lower ability to predict increased negative affect (area under the curve=0.67). CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, we found that the brief, digitally delivered meditation practices tested in this study carry risks of adverse experiences that are comparable to or lower than those of typical activities on the internet; 10-minute condition was more likely to result in distressing experiences than 5-minute condition; and adverse responses to a brief meditation practice can, at least to a certain degree, be predicted using preintervention characteristics. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Open Science Framework 94HKS; https://osf.io/94hks/overview.

Humans↗
PubMed1977

Metabolic and EEG changes during transcendental meditation: an explanation.

Two experiments were conducted to measure the oxygen uptake (Experiment II) and the carbon dioxide production (Experiment I) during transcendental meditation. A control group of non-meditators and a few meditators listening to music was used for both experiments. In Experiment I, a controlled group of fasting meditators was also included. A drop in oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production, found by previous authors during transcendental meditation, was confirmed. It was, however, possible to show that these drops were physiologically of small significance, and were of the magnitude to be expected from muscle relaxation. EEG recordings were taken during Experiment II in the meditating group. The EEG results showed transcendental meditation to be a method of holding the mediator's level of consciousness at stage 'onset' sleep. No evidence could be found to suggest that meditation produced a hypometabolic state beyond that produced by muscle relaxation and there was no evidence that the EEG changes were different from those observed in stage 'onset' sleep. No support was found for the idea that transcendental meditation is a fourth stage of consciousness.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1977

Reactions of transcendental meditators and nonmeditators to stress films. A cognitive study.

To experimentally test the claimed stress-reducing effects of Transcendental Meditation (TM), two stress films were shown to a group of 60 meditators and nonmeditators. Stress response was observed through the use of cognitive and affective measures employing content analysis techniques and self-ratings. The meditators did not show less stress response than the nonmeditators. On several self-rating scales, a group of subjects who had signed up to be initiated into TM rated themselves significantly more stressed and emotionally distressed than either a control group or meditators. There was a trend for meditators who meditated during the experiment to show less stress response to the films than meditators who were told not to meditate; however, this difference was significant on only one measure, a subjective stress scale.

Cognition↗
PubMed1975

EEG responses to photic stimulation in persons experienced at meditation.

The EEG responses to intermittent photic stimulation were examined in a group of subjects experienced in meditation, and compared with those of a control group. The meditators exhibited a significantly smaller decrement in alpha activity and alpha blocking over the course of the experiment than did the control group, and alpha induction occurred earlier and more frequently in the meditators. These findings support the hypothesis that experienced meditators spontaneously enter the meditative state on closing the eyes, and also the view that physiologically the meditative state is one of prolonged drowsiness. An alternative interpretation, that meditation is a state of sustained attention, is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A physiological and subjective evaluation of meditation, hypnosis, and relaxation.

Ss were monitored for respiratory rate, pulse rate, blood pressure, skin resistance, EEG activity, and muscle activity. They were monitored during the alert state, meditation (TM or simple word type), hypnosis (relaxation and task types), and relaxation. Ss gave a verbal comparative evaluation of each state. The results showed significantly better relaxation responses for the relaxation states (relaxation, relaxation-hypnosis, meditation) than for the alert state. There were no significant differences between the relaxation states except for the measure "muscle activity" in which meditation was significantly better than the other relaxation states. Overall, there were significant differences between task-hypnosis and relaxation-hypnosis. No significant differences were found between TM and simple word meditation. For the subjective measures, relaxation-hypnosis and meditation were significantly better than relaxation, but no significant differences were found between meditation and relaxation-hypnosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Renin, cortisol, and aldosterone during transcendental meditation.

The effects of transcendental meditation (TM) on plasma renin activity (PRA) and plasma concentrations of aldosterone, cortisol, and lactate were studied by measuring these variables before, during, and after 20--30 min of meditation. Subjects, who rested quietly rather than meditating, served as controls. There were no differences in the basal values for these variables between meditators and controls, but controls, in contrast to meditators, showed a significant increase in cortisol between the first (A) and second (B) samples of the control period. PRA increased slightly (14%) but significantly (p less than 0.03) during TM, but not during quiet rest in controls. Cortisol decreased progressively (after sample B) throughout the experiment to the same degree in both groups. Aldosterone and lactate did not change. The data do not support the hypothesis that TM induces a unique state characterized by decreased sympathetic activity or release from stress, but do suggest that meditators may be less responsive to an acute stress.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Secondary prevention of drug dependence through the transcendental meditation program in metropolitan Philadelphia.

Using mailed questionnaires, the Transcendental Meditation program was investigated as an approach to the secondary prevention of substance dependence. Significant differences were found between a random sample of meditators and matched control subjects in usage levels and percentage of users for almost all legal and illegal drugs. Meditators had used more prescribed psychoactive medications before learning meditation, but usage levels returned to normal soon after starting. Former users of alcohol, cigarettes, or illegal drugs achieved remarkable abstinence records. For most substances the amount of decrease was positively correlated with degree of participation in the program and the length of time meditating.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Auditory evoked potentials and transcendental meditation.

Auditory evoked potentials to tone stimuli were recorded from 8 practised meditators before, during, and after meditation, and also during light sleep. No consistent changes were noted between baseline and meditating AEPs, or between meditating and sleep AEPs.

Attention↗