1. A study on 298 university students randomly allocated to either TM or wait-list control over a three month intervention period found significant improvements in anxiety, depression, anger/hostility, and coping along with reduced blood pressure in those practising TM. Am J of Hypertension 2009; 22(12): 1326–1331.
2. Natural ADHD Treatment: A randomised controlled trial in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD ) found reduced anxiety, improved attention, impulse control and organisational skills in those practising TM Current Issues in Education 2008;10(2).
3. In a longitudinal study frontal coherence was found to increase significantly over one year of regular TM practice both during TM as well as while performing tasks. Frontal coherence positively correlated with moral reasoning, emotional stability and inner orientation, and negatively correlated with anxiety. (Internat J of Neuroscience 2006; 116(11): 1519-1538)
4. Natural Herbal Sleep Treatment: Randomized, placebo-controlled research found that the herbal compound Blissful Sleep (MA1684) significantly decreased sleep onset latency [Reference: Farag N et al. A randomized-controlled trial of the effects of a traditional herbal supplement on sleep onset insomnia. Complementary Therapies in Medicine (2003), 11, 223?225.].
5. Natural Herbal Treatment for Anxiety Disorder: Placebo-controlled research found that the herbal compound Worry Free (MA1401) reduced anxiety as well as cortisol levels over a 3 month period. [Reference: Mills P et al. Effects of a Traditional Herbal Supplement on Anxiety in Patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, Vol. 22/No 4, pp. 443-4, August 2002.]
6. Building self esteem and self actualisation: A meta-analysis of 42 studies showed that TM was significantly more effective in building self-esteem and increasing self-actualisation than other forms of meditation and relaxation. The effect size for TM was 3 times as large as that of other forms of meditation and relaxation, controlling for the duration of treatment and strength of experimental design. This effect of TM was found to significantly increase with the duration of the practice. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality 1991; 6 (5): 189-247.
7. Natural treatment for anxiety: A meta-analysis of 146 outcomes from 109 separate studies comparing relaxation techniques showed that that TM had a significantly larger effect in reducing trait anxiety. This effect was statistically controlled for the type of population studied, experimental design, expectation of benefits, duration of treatment, experimenter attitude and attrition (drop-out) rate. The effect size of the other relaxation techniques (including progressive muscular relaxation, EMG biofeedback and Benson’s Relaxation Response) and other forms of meditation was similar to placebo (with the exception of meditations involving concentration which had a much smaller effect size). The meta-analysis showed that whereas expectancy or placebo effects wear out over a short period of time, the impact of TM actually increased over time. Journal of Clinical Psychology 1989; 45: 957- 974.
8. A group of 18 Vietnam veterans seeking treatment at an outreach program, were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups – instruction in TM or weekly psychotherapy (the nature of which depended on the therapist’s preference). After a 3 month period of follow up, the TM group reported significant reductions in emotional numbness, insomnia, anxiety, depression, alcohol consumption, family problems, difficulty getting a job and overall symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder whereas the psychotherapy group showed little improvement. The TM participants also demonstrated faster recovery from stressful stimuli as measured by habituation of the skin resistance response after 3 months compared to before learning TM. Seven of the TM group felt that they had improved enough to no longer require the services of the outreach centre. One of the veterans in the TM group reported that, “I feel after I meditate that I no longer have the same intensity of tension, rage and guilt inside – it’s as if a huge burden has been lifted.” Journal of Counseling and Development 1985; 64: 212-15.
