Transcendental Meditation - Research

Research

There has been ongoing research into the Transcendental Meditation technique since studies first conducted at UCLA and Harvard University in the early 1970s, with over 340 peer-reviewed studies published. The research has included studies on physiological changes during meditation, clinical applications, medical costs, mental health, addiction, and rehabilitation. TM has been widely utilized in education, and its effects on creativity, intelligence and other aspects of cognition have been studied. Beginning in the 1990s, a focus of research has been the effects of Transcendental Meditation on cardiovascular disease, with over $20 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health.

Research reviews of benefits for the TM technique show results ranging from inconclusive to clinically significant. More research is needed to determine the therapeutic effects of meditation practices. Sources vary regarding their assessment of the quality of research. Some cite design limitations and a lack of methodological rigor, while others assert that the quality is improving and that when suitable assessment criteria are applied, scientific evidence supports the therapeutic value of meditation. According to Canter and Ernst, some studies have the potential for bias due to the connection of researchers to the TM organization. In a published response, TM researchers suggested that these studies were not biased due to the fact that they were conducted in collaboration with independent researchers at several other universities.