Sixty adults with primary alcohol use disorder (AUD) following inpatient treatment were sequentially assigned to either TM or treatment-as-usual group. Those practicing TM twice-daily as recommended were less likely than the rest of the sample to return to any drinking (25% vs. 59%) or heavy drinking post-discharge (0% vs. 47%). Greater regularity of TM practice was inversely correlated with psychological distress, craving, and alcohol use at follow-up.

Research Field Site: Avery Road, VA clinic

Private Foundation Funding

Reference: Gryczynski J, et al. Integration of Transcendental Meditation® (TM) into alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. 2018 Apr.;87:23-30. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2018.01.009.

Two hundred and one African American men and women with coronary heart disease were randomly assigned to Transcendental Meditation (TM) or health education HE) and followed up over an average of 5.4 years. Results indicated that the TM group showed a 48% decrease in heart attack, stroke or all-cause mortality (primary endpoint) compared to HE. A 24% decrease in the secondary composite endpoint of cardiovascular mortality, revascularizations, and cardiovascular hospitalizations was also found in TM participants compared to HE controls. Degree of regularity of practice of the TM program was positively associated with survival. Other findings indicated a reduction of 4.9 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure and a significant decrease in anger expression in the TM group compared to HE.

Research Field Site: Medical College of Wisconsin

Funding: National Institutes of Health - National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Grant RO1HL48107

Reference: Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, 2012, 5, 750-758 (American Heart Association journal)

Sixty hypertensive subjects, randomly assigned to Transcendental Meditation or health education HE) control groups and completed posttesting after 6 to 9 months. The TM group showed a significant decrease of 0.098 mm in intima-media-thickness (IMT), as measured by B-mode ultrasound, compared with an increase of 0.054 mm in the control group. This reduction was similar to that achieved by lipid-lowering drugs and extensive lifestyle changes.

Research Field Site: Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, CA

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Grants HL-51519, HL-51519-S2

Reference: Castillo-Richmond, A. et al. (2000). Effects of stress reduction on carotid atherosclerosis in hypertensive African Americans. Stroke. 2000, 31:568-573.

One hundred and three coronary heart disease patients were randomly assigned to Transcendental Meditation (TM) or health education HE) control group. Over a four-month intervention period, the TM group showed a significant improvement in blood pressure and insulin resistance components of the metabolic syndrome as well as cardiac autonomic nervous system tone compared to HE. These results suggest that TM may modulate the physiological response to stress and improve coronary heart disease risk factors.

Research Field Site: Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and other National Institutes of Health Grants R01 AT00226, 1-P50-AA0082-02, 1-R15-HL660242- 01, R01-HL51519-08

Reference: Paul-Labrador M, Polk D, Dwyer JH, Bairey Merz CN, et al., Effects of a Randomized Controlled trial of Transcendental Meditation on components of the Metabolic Syndrome in Subjects with Coronary Heart Disease. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2006 Jun 12;166(11):1218-24. doi: 10.1001/archinte.166.11.1218..

Twenty-three African American patients hospitalized with congestive heart failure were randomly assigned to Transcendental Meditation (TM) or health education HE) control groups. For the primary outcome of functional capacity, the TM group significantly improved on the six-minute walk test from baseline to six months compared to the HE group. The TM group also showed improvements in mental health, depression, and disease-specific quality of life. The TM group had fewer re-hospitalizations during the six months of follow-up.

Research Field Site: Department of Medicine University of Pennsylvania

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Grant P50-AT00082-05

Reference: Jayadevappa, R, Johnson, J. et al. (2007). Effectiveness of the Transcendental Meditation program for African Americans with congestive heart failure: A pilot randomized control study. Ethnicity and Disease. 2007, 17: 72-77.

One hundred and twenty-seven hypertensive African Americans were randomly assigned to either Transcendental Meditation (TM), Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) or education control (EC) groups and completed three-month posttesting. Results showed reductions of 10.7 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and 6.4 mm Hg in diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in the TM group; these reductions in BP were significantly different from changes found in the other treatment groups. The BP reductions in the TM group compare favorably to the effects found with antihypertensive medication.

Research Field Site: West Oakland Health Center, CA

Private foundation funding

Reference: Schneider, R. Staggers, F. et al. A Randomized Controlled Trial of Stress Reduction for Hypertension in Older African Americans, Hypertension, 1995, 26(5), 820-827.

A randomized controlled trial that evaluated the effect of stress reduction with the TM technique, as compared to health education (HE), in a total of 304 Black adults with high normal blood pressure (BP) and normal BP using international classifications, with BP recorded at 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, 30 and 36 months after baseline. Results showed that after an average of 19.9 ± 11.1 months follow-up, TM participants in the high-normal BP group showed significantly lower posttest SBP (-3.33 mm Hg, p = 0.045) and no difference in DBP (-0.785 mm Hg, p = 0.367) compared to HE participants; in the normal BP group, the SBP and DBP were not different between the TM and HE participants. The hazard ratio for hypertensive events was 0.52 (p = 0.15) in the high normal BP group (7 TM vs 13 HE) with no difference in the normal BP group. Authors concluded that these results may be relevant to reducing health disparities in CVD and related co-morbidities.

Research Field Site: Medical College of Georgia

National Heart Lung and Blood Institute Grant #R01HL060703

Reference: Schneider RH, et al. Randomized controlled trial of stress reduction with meditation and health education in black men and women with high normal and normal blood pressure. American Journal of Preventive Cardiology. 2021 Dec 1;8:100279. doi: 10.1016/j.ajpc.2021.100279.

A randomized controlled trial that evaluated the effects of stress reduction with the TM technique, as compared to health education (HE), on preventing left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in 85 African American adults with hypertension, with testing at baseline and after 6 months for left ventricular mass index (LVMI) by M-mode echocardiography, blood pressure, psychosocial stress and behavioral factors. Found that (a) the TM group had significantly lower LVMI compared with the HE group (-7.55gm/m2, 95% CI -14.78 to -.34 gm/m2, P=.040); (b) both interventions showed significant within group reductions in BP, (SBP/ DBP changes for TM: -5/ -3 mm Hg, and for HE: -7/-6 mm Hg, P=.028 to <.001) although between group changes were not significant; and (c) both groups showed significant reductions in anger (P=.002 to .001).

Research Field Site: Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA

Supported in Part by National Heart Lung and Blood Institute Grant #R01 HL5159

Reference: Schneider RH, et al. Stress Reduction in the Prevention of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Transcendental Meditation and Health Education in Hypertensive African Americans. Ethnicity and Disease. 2019 Oct 17;29(4):577-586. doi: 10.18865/ed.29.4.577.

Fifty-six coronary heart disease (CHD) African American patients were assigned to standard cardiac rehabilitation (CR), CR+TM (Transcendental Meditation), TM alone, or usual care. Testing was done at baseline and after 12 weeks. The primary outcome was myocardial flow reserve (MFR) assessed by 13N-ammonia positron emission tomography (PET). For the 37 patients who completed posttesting, there were MFR improvements in the CR + TM group (+20.7%; ES = 0.64) and the TM group alone (+12.8%; ES = 0.36). By comparison, the CR-alone and usual care groups showed modest changes (+ 5.8%; ES = 0.17 and - 10.3%; ES = - 0.31), respectively. For the combined TM group, MFR increased (+ 14%, ES = 0.56) compared to the combined non-TM group (- 2.0%, ES = - 0.08). These pilot data suggest that adding the TM technique to standard cardiac rehabilitation or using TM alone may improve the myocardial flow reserve in African American CHD patients.

Research Field Site: Columbia University Medical Center

National Heart Lung and Blood Institute Grant HL 100386.

Reference: Bokhari S, et al. Effects of cardiac rehabilitation with and without meditation on myocardial blood flow using quantitative positron emission tomography: A pilot study. Journal of Nuclear Cardiology. 2021 Aug;28(4):1596-1607. doi: 10.1007/s12350-019-01884-9.

Fifty-two high school students from a public high school were randomly assigned to either Transcendental Meditation or silent-reading control group. Both conditions were practiced twice a day in school. Significant reductions in perceived stress, anxiety, anger, depression, and fatigue, and increased self-esteem were found in the TM group compared to controls over a four-month period.

Research Field Site: West Coast high academic-performing public school

Private Foundation Funding

Reference: Professional School Counseling, 2020

Ninth-grade students participating in a program with Transcendental Meditation (TM) (n = 141) were compared to a group of ninth-grade students (n = 53) attending a school that did not participate in this Quiet Time school program. Results indicated that students who learned TM had significantly lower anxiety and higher resilience compared to controls. Regularity of TM practice was associated with higher resilience scores and higher instruction time. TM students, more qualitatively, expressed having better sleep and feeling more happiness, and self-confidence.

Research Site: West Coast public school

Private Foundation Funding

Reference: Contemporary School Psychology, 2015

African American adolescents (aged 16.2 +/- 1.3 years) with high normal systolic BP were randomly assigned to either 4-month TM (n = 50) or health education control (n = 50) groups. Ambulatory 24-h BP measures were recorded at pretest, 2- and 4-month post-tests, and 4-month follow-up. Greater decreases in daytime systolic BP (P < .04) and diastolic BP (P < .06) in the TM group compared with the control group across the visits demonstrate a beneficial impact of the TM program in youth at risk for the development of hypertension.

Reference: Barnes, V, Treiber, F, Johnson, MH. Impact of Transcendental Meditation on ambulatory blood pressure in African American adolescents. Am J of Hypertension. 2004, 17(4):366-9.

Thirty-five adolescents with resting blood pressure between the 85th and 95th percentile for their age and gender were randomly assigned to either Transcendental Meditation (TM) or health education (HE) control groups, with a two-month intervention period. The TM group exhibited a significant decrease in resting systolic blood pressure (SBP) compared to controls. Greater decreases in blood pressure, heart rate, and cardiac output reactivity to stressors were further observed.

Research Field Site: Georgia Health Sciences University

Supported in Part by National Institutes of Health Grant HL62976

Reference: Barnes, Treiber, F, Davis, H. Impact of Transcendental Meditation on cardiovascular function at rest and during acute stress in adolescents with high normal blood pressure, J Psychosomatic Research. 2001, 51:597-605.

Thirty-four college students in South Africa, clinically diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder, learned the Transcendental Meditation technique and were compared to 34 diagnosed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) comparison students. Significant reductions were found in PTSD symptomatology and depression for the TM group compared to controls. Results were significantly associated with regularity of TM practice.

Research Field Site: Private College, South Africa

Private Foundation Funding

Reference: Psychological Reports, 2018

Two hundred and ninety-eight college students were randomly assigned to either the Transcendental Meditation (TM) program or wait-list control, with a three-month intervention period. Results showed significant improvements in total mood disturbance, positive coping, and anxiety, depression, anger/hostility. Significant reductions in both resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure were also observed in the high-risk hypertension subgroup.

Research Field Site: American University

Supported in Part by National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Grant #1P50AT00082

Reference: Nidich, S., Haaga, D. et al. A Randomized controlled trial on effects of the Transcendental Meditation program on blood pressure, psychological distress, and coping in young adults. American Journal of Hypertension. 2009, 22: 1326-31.

Two hundred and ninety-eight college students were randomly assigned to either the Transcendental Meditation (TM) program or wait-list control, with a three-month intervention period. Results showed significant improvements in total mood disturbance, positive coping, and anxiety, depression, anger/hostility. Significant reductions in both resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure were also observed in the high-risk hypertension subgroup.

Research Field Site: American University

Supported in Part by National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Grant #1P50AT00082

Reference: Nidich, S., Haaga, D. et al. A Randomized controlled trial on effects of the Transcendental Meditation program on blood pressure, psychological distress, and coping in young adults. American Journal of Hypertension. 2009, 22: 1326-31.

In this pilot study, 34 young adults were randomly assigned to TM training followed by 8 weeks of meditation practice or a wait-list control condition. 27 participants completed the HPA outcome assessments (41% male). To assess HPA axis functioning, salivary samples to assess cortisol awakening response (CAR) were collected in the morning, both at baseline and at week 4. The results indicate that participants who were randomly assigned to TM had lower awakening salivary cortisol levels and a greater drop in CAR from baseline to week-4 than the control group, suggesting reduced stress levels.

Reference: Klimes-Dougan, B. et al. Transcendental Meditation and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis functioning: a pilot, randomized controlled trial with young adults. Stress, 2020, 23(1):105-115.

One hundred and thirty women were randomly assigned to either the Transcendental Meditation (TM) or education control (EC) group. Measures were administered every six months over an average 18-month intervention period. Significant improvements were found in the Transcendental Meditation group compared with controls in overall quality of life, especially emotional wellbeing, social wellbeing, and mental health.

Research Field Site: St Joseph’s Hospital, Chicago

Supported in Part by National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Grant 1K01AT004415-01

Reference: Nidich, S, Field, J, et al. A randomized controlled trial of the effects of Transcendental Meditation on quality of life in older breast cancer patients. Integrative Cancer Therapies. 2009, 8(3): 228-234.

A 3-month randomized controlled study of secondary school teachers in Vermont. Found that TM practice significantly reduced perceived stress, depression, and overall teacher burnout.

Private foundation funding

Reference: Elder C, et al. Effect of Transcendental Meditation on employee stress, depression, and burnout: a randomized controlled study. The Permanente Journal. 2014;18:19-23. doi: 10.7812/TPP/13-102.

Seventy-eight participants were randomly assigned to the Transcendental Meditation program (n = 39) or to a wait-list control group (n = 39). They were administered the Maslach Burnout Inventory, Resilience Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, and the National Institutes of Health Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System fatigue and depression scales at baseline and at four-month posttest. Intention-to-treat analysis showed significant improvement compared to controls on emotional exhaustion, the main scale of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (p = 0.019), resilience (p = 0.014), perceived stress (p < 0.001), fatigue (p = 0.001), and depression (p = 0.091). Eighty-seven percent were compliant with their meditation home practice.

Field Site: West Coast Public Schools

Private foundation funding

Reference: Valosek, L, Wendt S, Link J, et al. Meditation effective in reducing teacher burnout and improving resilience: a randomized controlled study. Frontiers in Education. 2021; 6:29.

A randomized controlled study with 96 central office administrators and staff at a West Coast Unified School District to test whether TM could increase EEG brain integration, positive affect and decrease psychological distress in government employees. Found at four-month posttest that (a) TM participants significantly decreased on the Profile of Mood States questionnaire (POMS) Total Mood Disturbance and anxiety, anger, depression, fatigue, and confusion subscales, and significantly increased in the POMS vigor subscale (p values <.05); (b) TM participants in the EEG-subgroup also significantly increased in Brain Integration Scale (BIS) scores; and (c) compliance with meditation practice was high (93%).

Field Site: School District Central Office Administrators and Staff

Private foundation funding

Reference: Travis F, et al. Effect of meditation on psychological distress and brain functioning: A randomized controlled study. Brain and Cognition. 2018 Aug;125:100-105. doi: 10.1016/j.bandc.2018.03.011.

Eighty healthcare workers from a southeast medical center were randomly assigned to either Transcendental Meditation (TM) or a usual care control group (with access to wellness resources). The TM group had significant reductions in emotional exhaustion on the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) (P = .006); sleep difficulties, with the Insomnia Severity Index (P = .05); and anxiety, using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (P = .01) over 3 months. Marginally significant differences between groups were found for depression symptoms, with the Patient Health Questionnaire-7 (P< .06) and MBI Depersonalization ((P< .08). Thirty-eight participants (92.7%) in the TM group were compliant in their home practice (defined as meditating at least once a day).

Research Field Site: Duke Medical Center and Mind Path, NC

Private Foundation Funding

Reference: Joshi SP, et al. Efficacy of Transcendental Meditation to Reduce Stress Among Health Care Workers: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Network Open. 2022 Sept 19;5(9):e2231917. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.31917.

Forty academic physicians at a Midwest medical school and affiliated VA hospital were randomly assigned to Transcendental Meditation or usual care control group with a 4-month intervention period. Assessment was conducted at baseline, 1 month, and 4 months. Significant improvements were found for the TM group compared to controls at 4 months in total burnout (p = .020), including the Maslach Burnout Inventory dimensions of emotional exhaustion (p = .042) and personal accomplishment (p = .018), and depression symptom (p = .016). Qualitative interviews supported these outcomes.

Research Site: University of Loyola Stritch Medical School, Chicago, IL

Private foundation funding

Reference: Loiselle, M, Brown, C, et al. Effect of Transcendental Meditation on physician burnout, depression, and insomnia: A randomized controlled study. Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions (JCEHP), Jan. 26, 2023, doi.org/10.1097/CEH.0000000000000472

Thirty-one emergency clinicians (physicians, nurses, and physician-assistants) from 2 urban hospitals were recruited to participate in TM instruction and follow-up for 3 months in this single-arm study. TM participants demonstrated significant reductions in burnout (P < .05; effect sizes, Cohen's d = 0.43–0.45) and in symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep disturbance (P values < .001; Cohen's d = 0.70–0.87). 90.6% (n = 29/32) attended 6/8 TM training sessions and 80.6% self-reported meditating at least once a day on average.

Research Field Site: Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Private Foundation Funding

Reference: Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open; 2021, 2(6), e12619. doi.org/10.1002/emp2.12619

The Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique was provided to 27 nurses across levels and areas of the organization. Findings showed a significant improvement in nurses' compassion fatigue and resilience due to TM practice. A significant inverse relationship was observed between resilience and burnout.

Research Field Site: Sarasota Memorial Hospital

Private Foundation Funding

Reference: Journal of Nurses in Professional Development, 2019

The clinical trial included a total of 104 nurses at three sites, including Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Florida, randomized to either TM or usual care control groups. Measures were administered at baseline, one-month, and three-months. Results indicated significant improvements at both one-month and three-month post-testing. Three month findings showed significant decreases in PTSD symptom severity in the TM group compared to controls (p< .006; between-group effect size d=.67). Flourishing showed a substantial improvement due to TM compared to controls at three months (p< .006; d=.65). Compliance with TM home practice was 90%.

Field Site

Private foundation funding

Reference: Bonamer J, Kutash M, Hartranft S, Aquino-Russell C, & Johnson A. Transcendental Meditation improves clinical nurse-well being: a multi method randomized controlled trial. Journal of Nursing Administration. 2024 54(1),16-24. 

This randomized controlled study of 203 Veterans with PTSD, funded by the Department of Defense and conducted at the San Diego VA, compared the non-trauma-focused practice of Transcendental Meditation (TM) with the “gold standard” trauma-focused prolonged exposure (PE) therapy in a non-inferiority clinical trial, and compared both treatments to a PTSD health education (HE) control. For PTSD symptom severity total scores, using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-IV), both TM and PE were significantly superior to HE, with TM being non-inferior to PE over a three-month period. Similar results were found for depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). In terms of percentages of Veterans exhibiting clinically significant change on the CAPS (equal to or greater than a 10-point reduction), 61% of those receiving TM, 42% of those receiving PE, and 32% of those receiving HE showed clinically significant improvements. Results indicated the effectiveness of TM in decreasing PTSD symptom severity in Veterans and serving as an alternative for those who prefer not to receive or who do not respond to traditional exposure-based treatments of PTSD.

Research Field Site: VA San Diego

Department of Defense Grants W81XWH-12-1-0576, W81XWH-12-1-0577

Reference: Nidich, S., Mills, P., et al. Non trauma focused meditation versus exposure therapy in veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder: a randomized controlled trial. The Lancet Psychiatry. 2018, 5(2), 975-986.

Forty veterans, diagnosed with PTSD, were assigned to TM or Treatment as Usual (TAU) control group. Participants were measured at baseline and after three months. A significant decrease in PTSD symptom severity, using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-5) was found for the TM group compared to the TAU group at three-month posttest (between group effect size Cohen’s d=0.86). Fifty percent of veterans in the TM group no longer met PTSD diagnosis at posttest, compared to 10% in the TAU group (p=.007). Significant reductions were also found for depression, anxiety, and sleep problems for the TM group compared to TAU (Cohen’s d effect sizes ranged from .82 to 1.0).

Research Field Site: Northwell Health, LI, NY

Private Foundation funding

Reference: Journal of Traumatic Stress, 2021; DOI 10.1002/jts

This study included 74 active military with documented PTSD or anxiety disorder not otherwise specified (ADNOS), 37 that practiced TM and 37 who did not. At 1 month, 83.7% of the TM group stabilized, decreased, or ceased medications and 10.8% increased medication dosage; compared with 59.4% of controls that showed stabilizations, decreases, or cessations; and 40.5% that increased medications (p < 0.03). A similar pattern was observed after 2 (p < 0.27), 3 (p < 0.002), and 6 months (p < 0.34). Notably, there was a 20.5% difference between groups in severity of psychological symptoms after 6 months.

Field Site: Fort Gordon, GA

Private foundation funding

Reference: Barnes VA, et al. Transcendental Meditation and psychotropic medication use among active duty military service members with anxiety and PTSD. Military Medicine. 2016 Jan;181(1):56-63. doi: 10.7205/MILMED-D-14-00333.

Twenty-nine veterans were recruited into the study and taught the Transcendental Meditation program. From baseline to posttreatment, participants reported reductions in PTSD symptoms, experiential avoidance, and depressive and somatic symptoms, as well as increases on measures of mindfulness and quality of life. Gains were either maintained or continued to improve through the 2-month follow-up. Compared to baseline, EEG spectral power increased in low-frequency bands (1–7 Hz) at posttreatment and follow-up and only during meditation states suggesting TM-specific changes in brain state associated with the intervention. Following TM practice, veterans with PTSD showed improvements in PTSD symptoms, as well as increased low-frequency (1–7 Hz) EEG power that might reflect enhanced cognitive controls and internally directed attention in participants. These improvements were either maintained or continued to improve through the 2-month follow-up.

Private funding

Reference: Kang SS, et.al. Transcendental meditation for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. 2018 Nov;10(6):675-680. doi:10.1037/tra0000346. Epub 2018 Jul 19.

Trauma events are four times more prevalent in inmates than in the general public and are associated with increased recidivism and other mental and physical health issues. One hundred eighty-one inmates with a moderate- to high-risk criminal profile were randomly assigned to either the TM program or to a treatment-as-usual control group. The TM group compared to controls showed significant reductions in total trauma symptoms, anxiety, depression, dissociation, and sleep disturbance subscales, and perceived stress.

Research Field Site: Oregon State Prison

Private Foundation Funding

Reference: The Permanente Journal, 2016

Twenty-two female inmates at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville, OR, with at least 4 months left of incarceration were randomly assigned to either TM or a wait-list control group. Significant reductions were found over several months on total trauma symptom severity, intrusive thoughts, and hyperarousal, using the well-validated PTSD Symptoms Checklist (PCL-C). Effect sizes ranged from 0.65 to 0.99 for all variables.

Field Site: Oregon State Prison System

Private foundation funding

Reference: Nidich S, et al. Reduced trauma symptoms and perceived stress in female prison inmates through the Transcendental Meditation program: A randomized controlled trial. The Permanente Journal. 2017, 21, 16-0008.

16 studies with a total of 1295 participants with diverse demographic characteristics met entry criteria. The standardized difference in mean, d, for the TM technique compared with controls receiving an active alternative treatment (10 studies) was d= -0.50 (95% CI, - .70 to - 0.30; p = 0.0000005). Compared with controls receiving treatment as usual (wait list or attention controls, 16 studies), d= -0.62 (95% CI, -0.82 to -0.43; p = 1.37E-10). Meta-regression found that initial anxiety level, but not other variables, predicted the magnitude of reduction in anxiety ( p = 0.00001). Populations with elevated initial anxiety levels in the 80th to 100th percentile range (e.g., patients with chronic anxiety, veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, prison inmates) showed larger effects sizes ( -0.74 to -1.2), with anxiety levels reduced to the 53rd to 62nd percentile range. Studies using repeated measures showed substantial reductions in the first 2 weeks and sustained effects at 3 years. No adverse effects were reported. Overall, TM practice was more effective than treatment as usual and most alternative treatments, with larger effects observed in individuals with high anxiety levels.

Private funding

Reference: Orme-Johnson D, Barnes V. Effects of the Transcendental Meditation technique on trait anxiety: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Altern Complement Med 2014; 19: 1–12.

Overall, 163 studies were found that allowed for calculation of effect sizes due to meditation practice. In general, the results for all meditation programs combined found strongest (medium to large effect sizes) for changes in emotionality and relationship issues, less strong (about medium) for measures of attention, and weakest (small to medium) for more cognitive-related measures. However, specific findings varied across different approaches to meditation (transcendental meditation, mindfulness meditation, and other meditation techniques). Comparatively strong effects for Transcendental Meditation compared to a) mindfulness meditation, and b) all other meditation procedures were found in reducing negative emotions, trait anxiety, and neuroticism and being helpful in learning and memory and in self-realization. These findings are consistent with prior meta-analyses that found superior effects of TM in trait anxiety and measures of self-actualization. For mindfulness meditation, such comparatively strong effects were identified in reducing negative personality traits, reducing stress, and improving attention and mindfulness. TM yielded noticeably larger effects than mindfulness meditation for the categories negative emotions, neuroticism, trait anxiety, learning and memory, and self-realization.

Private funding

Reference: Sedlmeier P, et al. The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin. 2012 Nov;138(6):1139-71.