Scientific Studies on the Benefits of Meditation

For centuries, the benefits of meditation have been known in Eastern societies. As meditation has come to the West along with Eastern traditions like Yoga, there has been increasing attention from the scientific community on the potential health and lifestyle benefits of meditation. This guide is a compilation of hard scientific evidence of the myriad benefits of meditation. To be sure, science is only at the very early stage of examining meditation, but these early studies are very promising!

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Naomi Witt

Subject: Alternative Medicine

Tags:Clinical research on meditation, Healing, Health benefits of meditation, Meditation, Meditation benefits, Meditation stress relief, Scientific benefits meditation, Scientific benefits of meditation, Scientific research meditation, Scientific studies on meditation, Stress Relief

Scientific Studies on the Benefits of Meditation

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Inside the Guide

Overview
Studies on Vipassana Meditation
Recent Studies on Meditation

The Physical and Psychological Effects of Meditation
Studies on Tibetan Meditation

Studies on Transcendental Meditation
Studies on Other Types of Meditation

Studies on Zen Meditation
Studies on Famous Meditators: Swami Rama

Overview

Here's a compilation of resources that provide a basic overview of the benefits of meditation as shown through various scientific studies.

By the way, meditation was practiced in the east even in ancient times. The proof -- see this image on the left. It is an ancient seal 1000s of years old, excavated from Harappa, which was part of what is now known as the Indus Valley Civilization. It shows a male figure in classic meditation pose!

Meditation for Health - A National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Backgrounder

http://nccam.nih.gov/health/meditation/overview.htm

Health applications and clinical studies of meditation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_applications_and_clinical_studies_of_meditation

TIME Magazine: The Science of Meditation

http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101030804/#

Psychology Today: The Science of Meditation

http://psychologytoday.com/articles/index.php?term=pto-2191.html

Brain scans show meditation changes minds, increases attention (June 25, 2007)

http://www.news.wisc.edu/13890

Harvard Gazette: Meditation changes temperatures

http://www.hno.harvard.edu/gazette/2002/04.18/09-tummo.html

"In a monastery in northern India, thinly clad Tibetan monks sat quietly in a room where the temperature was a chilly 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a yoga technique known as g Tum-mo, they entered a state of deep meditation. Other monks soaked 3-by-6-foot sheets in cold water (49 degrees) and placed them over the meditators shoulders. For untrained people, such frigid wrappings would produce uncontrolled shivering. "

Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice -- Lutz et al. 101 (46): 16369 -- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/101/46/16369

Meditation Gives Brain a Charge, Study Finds (washingtonpost.com)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43006-2005Jan2.html

Meditation Sharpens the Mind | LiveScience

http://www.livescience.com/health/070507_mental_training.html

"Three months of intense Vipassana helps people spot more detail in life."

Meditation Practices for Health: State of the Research (PDF file)

http://www.ahrq.gov/downloads/pub/evidence/pdf/meditation/medit.pdf

A government healthcare study that finds the scientific studies on meditation need to be more scientifically sound.

Meditation Associated With Increased Grey Matter In The Brain

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/11/051110215950.htm

"Meditation is known to alter resting brain patterns, suggesting long lasting brain changes, but a new study by researchers from Yale, Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology shows meditation also is associated with increased cortical thickness."

The Physical and Psychological Effects of Meditation

The Physical and Psychological Effects of Meditation, by Michael Murphy and Steven Donovan, is an absolutely wonderful work,
summarizing the growing and substantial scientific evidence about
the myriad benefits and positive effects of meditation.You can read it
online (here), or purchase a hard copy from the Institute of Noetic Sciences.

The Physiological Effects of Meditation:
Lower pulse rate, lower blood pressure, increase in alpha rhythms, theta activity, hemispheric synchronization, decreased cortisol and andrenal hormones, decrease in serum cholesterol levels, reduced muscular tension, reduced oxygen and energy consumption -- these are just some of the many effects reported through the practice of meditation.

The Psychological and Behavioral Effects of Meditation:
Improved visual perception, improved memory and recall, improvements in learning ability and intelligence, reduction in acute and chronic anxiety, as well as relief from addictions, neurosis, obesity, claustrophobia, headache, and other forms of distress -- these are some of the wide range of psychological or behavioral benefits of meditation cataloged in the experiments cited in this chapter.

Other Effects:
Other effects such as equanimity, ineffability, detachment, bliss, higher levels of energy and excitement, altered body image and ego boundaries, dreams, extrasensory experiences etc. are also reported through various studies.

An invaluable searchable bibliography is included.

Studies on Transcendental Meditation

One of the most widely researched meditation techniques in Transcendental Meditation, or TM, as it is widely known. Over 200 scientific published studies show that this "technique boosts learning ability and creativity, improves brain functioning, and reduces stress".

You can find an array of charts here, summarizing research findings from the Transcendental Meditation and related TM-Siddhi programs.

These research programs have found that TM can result in improved physiological functioning, development of mental potential, improved academic performance, better health and prevention of disease, reversal of the aging process, reduced anxiety, reduced drug and alcohol use, enhanced job performance and job satisfaction, decreased urban crime, to even help creating world peace

Studies on Zen Meditation

Here are some links to scientific studies done on Zen Meditation.

Zen and the Brain

http://ccbs.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-JHB/jhb94226.htm

MRI Scanning during Zen Meditation (PDF File)

http://zenmanagement.eu/hersenscan.pdf

Pagnoni project studies brainwaves in Zen

http://www.emory.edu/EMORY_REPORT/erarchive/2004/July/er%20july%206/7_6_04zen.html

Psychotherapists and Zen Meditation | Scientific Blogging

http://www.scientificblogging.com/news_account/psychotherapists_and_zen_meditation

"An investigation by researchers published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics indicates the practicing of Zen meditation by psychotherapists matters. The study aimed to examine whether, and to what extent, promoting mindfulness in"

Science and Meditation: Are Mystics just Having a Brain Wave? | Goodlife Zen

http://goodlifezen.com/2008/03/07/are-mystics-just-having-a-brain-wave/

"Is the brain hardwired for mystical experiences? These and other questions are the focus of a new breed of brain scientists."

Science Links Japan | Zen Meditation and Serotonergic Neurons.

http://sciencelinks.jp/j-east/article/200003/000020000399A0829752.php

Zen and the Brain Towards an Understanding of Meditation and Consciousness

http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1468-1331.2001.0311d.x

Studies on Vipassana Meditation

Here are research studies that specifically looked at the effects and benefits of Vipassana, a meditation technique that was taught in ancient India, nearly 2500 years ago.

Meditation Found To Increase Brain Size (Vipassana)

http://www.sciencenewsden.com/2006/meditationincreasebrainsize.shtml

"Researchers at Harvard, Yale, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found the first evidence that meditation can alter the physical structure of our brains."

PLoS Biology - Learning to Pay Attention (Vipassana)

http://biology.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0050166&ct=1

Research Study on Vipassana meditation in Muscat

http://www.squ.edu.om:88/mj/Oct2001/Vipass/

Vipassana Meditation: A Positive Mental Health Measure By Lt. Col. M.B. Pethe and Dr. R.M. Chokhani - Dharmaweb

http://www.dharmaweb.org/index.php/Vipassana_Meditation:_A_Positive_Mental_Health_Measure_By_Lt._Col._M.B._Pethe_and_Dr._R.M._Chokhani

Studies on Tibetan Meditation

Here are resources that deal with research studies on Tibetan meditation, including the continued work of the Dalai Lama with the scientific community.

Mind and Life Institute

http://www.mindandlife.org/

Scientific Study of Tibetan Meditation : In Pursuit of Mysteries

http://www.arcanology.com/2004/07/14/scientific-study-of-tibetan-meditation/

Studies on Other Types of Meditation

Here are links to studies on Osho Active Meditation, Sahaja Meditation and other types of meditation.

Researching meditation - Clinical applications in healthcare Diversity

http://www.scribd.com/doc/489427/Researching-meditation-Clinical-applications-in-healthcare-Diversity?page=2

"Published in Diversity - The magazine of the Australian Complementary Health Association stress meditation sahaja kundalini Quantitative cure adhd asthma sahajayoga Electro Encephalo Gram"

OSHO Active Meditation: Beyond calmness and relaxation

http://www.dhyantara.com/research.htm

"OSHO Active Meditation takes you beyond calmness and relaxation, by using methods based in Western Psychology and Eastern Science, specifically designed for the modern man to fall easily into meditation."

Meditation enhances attention | Wildmind Buddhist Meditation

http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/meditation-enhances-attention

"Scientific American editor Christie Nicholson reports on meditation and the phenomenon known as attentional blink from possibly the most distracting place on Earth, New York's Times Square. In this video podcast she discusses research by Dr. David Richardson of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, that shows how letting go through practicing mindfulness meditation helps us to deal with over-stimulation and to pay attention when things get hectic."

Links to Experiments on Osho Dynamic Meditation

http://www.activemeditation.com/Research/Experiments/Links.html

The Relevance of Meditation to Clinical Practice: An Overview

http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1464-0597.1990.tb01058.x

Buddhist Meditation and Brain Waves

http://www.manitobabuddhistchurch.org/mediation/brainwaves.html

21st-Methodology Of EEG Analysis During Altered States Of Consciousness

http://www.vxm.com/21R.94.html

Studies on Famous Meditators: Swami Rama

The late Swami Rama, from Rishikesh and Himalayas in India was one of the early yogis and meditators who worked with western scientists to demonstrate the powers and benefits of meditation under strict scientific settings. Here are some fantastic articles from the 1970s that tell the story of amazing feats performed in meditative state..

1973 Probe Magazine article on the demonstrations and feats of Swami Rama (PDF file)

http://www.swamij.com/pdf/swamiramaprobe1973.pdf

1973 Article Excerpt from Brittanica Yearbook of Science and the Future: Reports findings from the Menninger Foundation in Topeka, Kansas about their studies with Swami Rama (PDF file)

http://www.swamij.com/pdf/swami-rama-britannica-1973.pdf

1974 Science Year, The World Book Science Annual - Article reports the research done on Swami Rama where he moved objects just with his mind (Large PDF file, over 7MB)

http://www.swamij.com/pdf/swami-rama-world-book-1974.pdf

1977 Article Excerpt from Beyond Biofeedback: About the Menninger Foundation's research work on Swami Rama - where demonstrates total mind over body control, including regulating body temparature, heart rate, brain function and more (PDF file)

http://www.swamij.com/pdf/swami-rama-beyond-biofeedback.pdf

Recent Studies on Meditation

This section contains a compilation of summaries of recent studies as well as noteworthy individual studies on meditation.

Comments

Cynthia Hone (2 years ago)

I feel better just having read this! Calmer, more focused, more enlightened! All good things in this hectic world. WONDERFUL guide, not only for beginners but also for long-time meditators.