Education News: Top Stories

New study shows Transcendental Meditation improves brain functioning in ADHD students

Innovations-Report Translate This Article
27 July 2011

On 27 July 2011 Innovations-Report reported: A random-assignment controlled study published recently in Mind and Brain, The Journal of Psychiatry (Vol 2, No 1) found improved brain functioning and decreased symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, ADHD, in students practicing the Transcendental Meditation technique. The paper, ADHD, Brain Functioning, and Transcendental Meditation Practice, is the second published study demonstrating TM's ability to help students with attention-related difficulties. It is a joy for Global Good News service to feature this news, which indicates the success of the life-supporting programmes Maharishi has designed to bring fulfilment to the field of education.

The first exploratory study, published in Current Issues in Education, followed a group of middle school students diagnosed with ADHD who meditated twice a day in school. After 3 months, researchers found over 50% reductions in stress, anxiety, and ADHD symptoms. During the study, a video was made of some students discussing what it felt like to have ADHD, and how those experiences changed after 3 months of regular TM practice.  

In this second study, lead author, neuroscientist Fred Travis, PhD, director of the Center for Brain, Consciousness, and Cognition, joined principal investigator Sarina J. Grosswald, EdD, a George Washington University-trained cognitive learning specialist, and co-researcher William Stixrud, PhD, a prominent clinical neuropsychologist in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA, to investigate the effects of Transcendental Meditation practice on task performance and brain functioning in 18 ADHD students, ages 11-14 years. . . .

''We chose the Transcendental Meditation^® (TM) technique for this study because studies show that it increases brain function. We wanted to know if it would have a similar effect in the case of ADHD, and if it did, would that also improve the symptoms of ADHD,'' said Dr. Grosswald. . . .

There is substantial research showing the effectiveness of the TM technique for reducing stress and anxiety, and improving cognitive functioning among the general population. ''What's significant about these new findings,'' Grosswald said, ''is that among children who have difficulty with focus and attention, we see the same results. The fact that these children are able to do TM, and do it easily, shows us that this technique may be particularly well-suited for children with ADHD.'' 

Click here to read the complete article on the innovations-report website.

© Copyright 2011 innovations-report
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