Accumulative Effects of Periodic Relaxation

Abstract

Students (17) were tested 2 wk before, 2 wk after and 10 wk after beginning transcedental meditation [TM]. Identical measures were taken on a control group of 7 subjects [Ss] during the same period. Meditators practiced their procedure twice daily for 20 min/session. Control Ss were instructed not to deviate from their normal daily routine. Pulse rate increased significantly over the course of study in experimental and control conditions. When interactions were examined, only 2 substantive effects could be attributed to the relaxation training. A significant decline in marihuana use from daily to semiweekly and reported anxiety level from a mean of 2.44 to 2.06 on a 5-point scale was shown in experimental Ss but not in controls. Relaxation volunteers showed higher baseline activity in both measures than controls prior to the onset of training. Interpretations touting the benefits of TM may have been misleading due to design inadequacies and methodological problems.