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The
beneficial effects of Transcendental Meditation (TM) have been underestimated
by common psychological tests
Jaan Suurküla, M.D. Air Force
Pilots improved remarkably indicating a profound effect
When I assisted the Swedish Air Force as a consultant on TM in 1975 in
their research on the effects of the technique on stress-tolerance in combat
pilots, I experienced one of the earliest scientific demonstrations that TM
can, profoundly and rapidly, improve disturbances that are so deeply
engrained in the psychology that they have been commonly considered more or
less incurable – “parts of the personality”. According to the developer of
the test, called “Defence Mechanism Test” (DMT), military psychologist Thomas
Neumann, Ph.D. said the effects of TM
in one year corresponded to what 20-30 years of psychotherapy can achieve at
best (Suurküla J, 2000). This
differed from the rather superficial effects so far reported using the
available conventional tests. Conventional
psychological tests are too insensitive
From the psychologists at the Military Psychology Institute in Sweden,
I learnt that the common tests (MMPI
and the like) for detecting mental disturbances were useless for selecting
people for combat pilot training. They were unable to reliably detect the
profound, but usually hidden, deeply engrained disturbances, mostly caused by
distressing early childhood experiences, that caused the weakness of inner
security, called emotional basic trust (EBT) that is the very basis of low
stress tolerance. When EBT is low, stress is easily provoked in threatening situations
and this impairs judgment and may provoke panic when the perceived danger is
severe. This is obviously hazardous in flight duty when one must be able to
keep the mind cool and make proper decisions in a split-second. Such
behaviour was found to be the most common cause of flight crashes (dozens
every year). Barring useful conventional tests, the DMT was designed to reliably
reveal low EBT and has done so very successfully (actually, an existing form
of DMT was modified in important respects – so we call it DMT-Neumann). After
introducing DMT-Neumann for selection of combat pilot trainees as well as for
the elimination of unsuitable active pilots, the frequency of crashes due to
psychological mistakes of the pilots, decreased to virtually nil from being a
major cause earlier. The test has now been used by the Swedish Air Force
since over 35 years and is also being used by some other Air Forces. I find it important to point this out as much of the research on TM
has been using the same conventional psychological tests as those proven to
be too insensitive to reveal important, deep disturbances of the psychology
of pilots. No doubt there are several reports using these tests, that
indicate a significant improvement due to TM, but the research on the Swedish
Air Force pilots indicates that the real improvements of TM on the psychology
have probably been greatly underestimated by the conventional tests. Other
indicators of profound improvement of the psychology
As conventional tests are not sufficiently reliable, are there other
indicators in addition to DMT-Neumann that may give a more realistic idea of
the effects of TM on the psychology? I think that what one should look for
are indirect indicators - disorders that are known to be associated with a
low EBT/ low stress tolerance. 1
Hypertension
The first obvious candidate for such an indicator of low EBT is
stress-related hypertension, the major form of chronic elevated blood
pressure. Recent research especially into the Metabolic Syndrome (also called
Syndrome X and a number of other names), that is associated with
stress-related hypertension, has found that this condition even seems to
bring about anatomical changes in the brain, of the same kind as found in
chronic stress cases with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Such brain
changes have recently been abundantly found for example in American war
veterans with PTSD (Georgopoulos A 2009) . A key
characteristic of PTSD is extremely low EBT – a very pronounced sense of
insecurity evoking a persistent sense of being endangered in ordinary life
situations. The well established connection between chronic stress and chronic
hypertension gives reason to believe that most people with this disorder have
a significantly decreased EBT (though probably in most cases not as much as
in PTSD) though not detected by the common psychological tests only because
of their insensitivity (which has confused stress and hypertension
researchers in this respect). See also Suurküla J, (2008). So I find it justified to believe that chronically elevated blood
pressure is a good indirect indicator of low EBT. It is interesting to note that the best scientifically confirmed beneficial
effect of TM is a significant, persistent reduction of high blood pressure
and a considerable decrease of its sequelae,
including a 23% lower mortality (Schneider R 2008 – not listed here yet).
James W Anderson did a Meta-analysis that confirmed the effectiveness of TM
in improving hypertension, and he actually found that TM was the only mental
technique or stress-reduction method that did so (Anderson JW 2008). The great prevalence of hypertension, for example about 70% of
Americans at the age of 70 have chronically elevated blood pressure,
indicates that sufficiently low EBT to generate chronic stress is a very
prevalent condition (see Suurküla J, 2008). The National Institute of Health (NIH) of USA, that is very cautious
with its funding of studies, requiring good documentation already before they
start supporting research into a certain method, has so far sponsored
TM-research on stress-related
hypertension with over 24 million USD because of the repeated significant
positive effects. - A strong confirmation of both the high quality and the
great significance of this research. 2 Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder
A second category is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder itself.
Unfortunately only one, but a well-made study has been made on the effects of
TM here. It found that TM reduced the various symptoms of PTSD significantly
already within four months of practice. No other method has, to my knowledge
yielded improvements of such a dignity (Brooks JS 1985). As a consequence the
Veterans Administration has sponsored the TM-course for veterans with PTSD. 3 Severe
criminality
A third category of severe EBT disturbances considered to be of
similar dignity as PTSD is severe criminality or “psychopathy”.
It has been well established that psychopatic
behaviour to a large extent is associated with severe traumatic childhood
conditions. It is interesting to note that TM has been reported, in several
studies, to reduce criminal recidivism to a great and unprecedented extent.
(for example Abrams 1978, Alexander CN 1982, Bleick 1987) 4
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
A fourth category that seems to be associated with chronic stress and
low EBT is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Recent research
indicates that this may simply be a chronic stress disorder. TM brought about
a 50% reduction of stress symptoms, and along with it a considerable
improvement of the ADHD condition including improved school performance and
social relations (Grosswald SJ 2009). 5
Psychotic disorders
A fifth category that has been reported to be associated with severe
childhood traumas and consequent low EBT is severe psychiatric disorders -
psychoses (see review of Ross RJ 2003). It is notable to find that even
psychotic inpatients have improved through TM (Glueck BC and
Stroebel CF 1984). Other research indicates
that it effectively prevents the outburst of psychosis (Suurküla, J 1989.
Suurküla J 2001) Unprecedented safety
Compared to various psychological interventions and therapies
(including psychiatric treatments), TM has an unprecedented safety (see Suurküla J, 2001). This is because it does not artificially
manipulate the mind, but acts by exposing the brain to a natural state of
deep harmony and peace which is associated with highly orderly and integrated
functioning of the brain. By repeated experience of the pattern of neural
(synaptic) connections associated with this state, the brain learns to
function in this orderly and harmonious way, and this apparently eliminates
the unhealthy synaptic connectivity patterns upholding low EBT. Conclusion
Conventional psychological tests, though reporting substantial
improvements of the mental health trough TM, are apparently too insensitive
to make justice to what TM really brings about. More reliable and sensitive indicators of the real value of TM in
psychology are tests and investigations that, directly or indirectly,
demonstrate the effects of TM on the deeply engrained memories of stressful
experiences in childhood causing decreased inner security, or low so-called
Emotional Basic Trust (EBT). We have presented research indicating that TM brings about
considerable improvements in six different categories that seem to be useful
indicators of low EBT, including DMT-Neumann, High Blood pressure, Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder, Criminality, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder and Psychosis. Taken together, these results
mutually support the following conclusion: TM does not just bring about a
reduction of anxiety and improved emotional stability as indicated by conventional
psychological testing. TM-practice has a far more profound effect. It causes
a stable change, a curative effect, on deeply engrained personality
disturbances (low EBT) so far considered more or less incurable or requiring
decades of psychotherapy. This means that TM is of great
societal value and immense socioeconomical importance, because this
improvement brings about a considerable reduction of chronic stress, a very
common condition in modern society, that is the without comparison most
important single cause of disturbed and asocial behaviour, common ailments,
serious illness and premature death in modern society. As the programme is
very simple to apply, it can be rapidly implemented at a large scale which
would, if widely used, likely yield economically important savings enabling
significant tax reductions.
Published on References
Abrams AI, Siegel LM (1978), The
Transcendental Meditation Program and rehabilitation at Folsom state prison:
A cross validation study; Criminal Justice and Behavior
5:3-20, 1978; Alexander CN, (1982) Anderson JW (2008) "Blood Pressure Response to Transcendental
Meditation: A Meta-analysis". Am J Hypertens;
21:310-316; 2008. Bleick CR, Abrams
AI (1987); The Transcendental Meditation Program and Criminal Recidivism in Brooks JS, Scarano T; (1985) Transcendental
Meditation in the treatment of Post-Vietnam Adjustment. Journal of
Counselling and Development 65:212-215. 1985. Georgopoulos A, et al (2009) "Altered neural interactions assessed
by magnetoencephalography (MEG) in veterans with
PTSD.". Presented at the International Society for Traumatic Stress
Studies’ annual meeting in Grosswald SJ (2009). Use of the Transcendental Meditation
Technique to Reduce Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
(ADHD) by Reducing Stress and Anxiety: An Exploratory Study. 2009 (submitted
to publication). Ross RJ (2003). “Psychological
trauma and psychosis: another reason why people diagnosed schizophrenic must
be offered psychological therapies.” J
Am Acad Psychoanal Dyn Psychiatry. 31:247-68, 2003. Quote: This
article summarizes the research literature documenting the high prevalence of
psychological trauma, including childhood sexual and physical abuse, among
people diagnosed psychotic in general and schizophrenic in particular. A
review of the relevant literature indicates that childhood trauma may in some
cases be causally related to the development of psychotic symptomatology
later in life, Suurküla, J (1989). "The Transcendental Meditation technique and
the prevention of psychiatric illness." In Scientific research on Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program: Collected papers, vol. 2, Paper 127 Suurküla J, (2000). “Research on Transcendental Meditation (TM) at the
Swedish Airforce.” Suurküla J, (2001). “The Safety of the TM technique”. (last
updated 2010) Suurkula, J, (2008). "Chronic stress is highly prevalent" Travis F, Shear F. (2010). "Focused Attention, Open Monitoring
and Automatic Self-Transcending: Categories to Organize Meditations from
Vedic, Buddhist and Chinese Traditions". "Consciousness and
Cognition, 2010. In Press. This research summarizes brain research on
different common techniques and compares the methods. It concludes that TM is
fundamentally different than other techniques. Quote: These explicit differences between meditation techniques need to be
respected when researching physiological patterns or clinical outcomes of
meditation practices. If they are
averaged together, then the resulting phenomenological, physiological, and
clinical profiles cannot be meaningfully interpreted. Back to home page.
To Swedish Start
page/Guide Swedish Physicians for Transcendental
Meditation (SPTM)
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