Thirty-one emergency clinicians (physicians, nurses, and physician-assistants) from two 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; Cohen's d = 0.43–0.45) and in symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep disturbance (P < .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, Boston, MA
Reference: Azizoddin DR, Kvaternik N, Beck M, et al. Heal the Healers: A pilot study evaluating the feasibility, acceptability, and exploratory efficacy of a Transcendental Meditation intervention for emergency clinicians during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open, 2021;2(6):e12619
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 compared to controls 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 scale (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 scale (P < .08). Thirty-eight participants (92.7%) in the TM group were compliant with their home practice (defined as meditating at least once a day).
Research Field Site: Duke University Medical Center and Mind Path, NC
Reference: Joshi SP, et al. Efficacy of Transcendental Meditation to reduce stress among healthcare 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
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), 2023 Jan. 26; doi.org/10.1097/CEH.472
A randomized controlled trial with 104 clinical nurses over a 3-month period at 3 magnet hospitals in west central Florida showed significant improvements, with medium to large effect sizes, in TM subjects compared to controls in the following mental well-being measures: anxiety, burnout, PTSD symptoms, and flourishing. Compliance with home TM practice was high, with over 90% of TM subjects reporting meditating at least once daily on average.
Research Field Sites: Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Tampa General Hospital, Moffitt Cancer Center
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 (in press).
A controlled parallel population study of 130 healthcare workers at three Miami hospitals at the height of the Covid pandemic found highly significant improvements in the TM group relative to non-meditating controls in depression, anxiety, emotional exhaustion (a key component of burnout), insomnia, and mental well-being beginning as early as 2 weeks after starting TM and continuing throughout the 3-month study.
Research Field Sites: Baptist, Mercy, and Encompass Hospitals, Miami, FL
Reference: Nestor MS, Lawson A, Fischer D. Improving the mental health and well-being of healthcare providers using the Transcendental Meditation technique during the COVID-19 pandemic: A parallel population study. PLOS ONE, 2023;18(3):e0265046. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0265046
This single-arm study evaluated the feasibility and effectiveness of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) intervention in a sample of 32 healthcare clinicians who provided care to COVID-19 patients. At one-month and three-month posttest, statistically significant improvements were observed for the burnout scales of emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment, depression and anxiety symptoms, and overall mental well-being, with large effect sizes on most scales. TM practice was found to be feasible in this population, with high levels of compliance in attendance at training sessions and TM home practice.
Research Field Site: University of Michigan Health, Ann Arbor, MI
Reference: Calarco M, Stratton K. The impact of Transcendental Meditation in reducing burnout and enhancing well-being in frontline healthcare clinicians during the COVID-19 pandemic. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 2023;28(3). doi:10.3912/OJIN.Vol28No03PPT55
A pilot study with 27 nurses found significant improvement over 4 months in compassion fatigue and resilience due to TM practice. Both subscales of compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress and burnout, were observed to decrease. Increased resilience was found to be correlated with reduced compassion fatigue.
Research Field Site: Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Sarasota, FL
Reference: Bonamer J, Aquino-Russell C. Self-care strategies for professional development: Transcendental Meditation reduces compassion fatigue and improves resilience for nurses. Journal for Nurses in Professional Development 2019; 35(2): 93–97.
Thirty-nine students at Georgetown University School of Medicine were assessed at baseline, 1 month and 3 months after instruction in TM. Significant improvements, with medium to large effect sizes, were demonstrated at 3-month post-testing in the following measures: burnout, anxiety, depression, insomnia, resilience, and mental well-being. Overall adherence to home TM practice was high, with 85% of subjects meditating at least once daily on average. A dose-response effect was observed, with strength of effect significantly correlated with frequency of home TM practice (twice daily vs. once daily vs. less than once daily).
Research Field Site: Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC
Reference: James C, Heiman I, and Amri H. A Pilot Intervention to Reduce Burnout and Enhance Resilience through Transcendental Meditation among Georgetown University Medical Students. In review for publication.
Researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine (Emergency Medicine Department), Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Harvard Medical School), Duke University Medical Center, and University of Miami School of Medicine shared encouraging research on ways that TM mitigates emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, insomnia, burnout, and other trauma symptoms among healthcare workers.