David ,has there been any studies done that found TM or similar tecniques to be more effective than breath awareness type meditations?
thankyou

CHRIS,

There are not as many studies comparing TM with breathing techniques as comparing TM with techniques that were competitive in the second half of the last century, such as exercise, listening to music, Jacobsen's progressive relaxation technique, and alpha wave biofeedback. I could be wrong, and I welcome contributions to this discussion by others. One study, Transcendental Meditation, mindfulness, and longevity: An experimental study with the elderly. published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (1989), found a longer lifespan, better cognitive flexibility, and lower blood pressure from TM, less so for mindfulness training, and still less for relaxation. However, it should be pointed out that this study was conducted by researchers biased toward the TM program.

A Google search using the terms "transcendental Meditation" "breathing" revealed studies showing the significant effect of TM on reducing breathing (which is a side effect of deep meditation), such as Effect of transcendental meditation on breathing and respiratory control from the Journal of Applied Physiology (1984).

Transcending (as happens in TM and NSR Meditation) produces a measurably unique state of physiology, corresponding to a fourth major state of consciousness (in addition to waking, dreaming, and deep sleep). Practicing this state of consciousness for a few minutes a day has a vast beneficial influence on many areas of life. Unfortunately, there is little scientific or experiential evidence that breathing techniques (pranayama) or breathing awareness techniques (mindfulness) have as profound an influence, as compared to transcending. As far as I am aware, such comparatively superficial techniques don't bring the depth of refreshment, measurable reduction in anxiety, and feelings of bliss associated with transcending for most practitioners.

David Spector
NSR Meditation/USA

david ,thankyou for your response,I guess i was hoping that breath awareness practice came out ok because thats what I feel most comfortable doing,i do practice NSR but it never sits so well for me as breath awareness,i guess thats just a personnel thing.

CHRIS,

Yes, it may be simply a personal preference. You may very well be right.

Or, more probably, it may be that you are not practicing NSR correctly. If you are not transcending very much, the result will be that you will not experience enjoyment and you will not get noticeable benefits in your daily life. If this is the case, we can hardly blame NSR.

NSR/USA offers email and phone/Skype consultations to help those who need some extra support. We have had great success helping those with lackluster sessions really start enjoying their practice. You are welcome to make use of our private, in-depth consultations.

David Spector
NSR Meditation/USA

An important article published in the well-respected, peer-reviewed, academic Journal of Clinical Psychology in 1989, compared the effect of several relaxation and meditation techniques, including Transcendental Meditation and Benson's "Relaxation Response", on trait anxiety.

Benson's "Relaxation Response" is a meditation technique based on breathing control, that can be considered a simplification of Yogananda's Hong So meditation. Benson, in his book "The Relaxation Response" (a bestseller that sold 5 million copies since 1975), stated that his technique was as effective as Transcendental Meditation, and he suggested that he had "unlocked" the TM secret (in other words, he thought he had created a technique which was very similar to TM).

Later, several studies have shown that TM is actually more effective. This meta-anlysis by Eppley et al is the most important among those studies. It shows that "effect size" in reducing trait anxiety (based on 146 independent studies) after 10 weeks of regular practice is around 0.77 for Transcendental Meditation, and less than 0.40 for the other techniques, including Benson's Relaxation Response (that is quite valid, almost reaching the 0.40 value).

This is reported in the first academic article ever on NSR meditation, published in 2007 in the peer-reviewed journal Psychological Reports, which found an effect size of 0.67 after two weeks of regular practice in a pilot study on NSR meditation. New, unpublished studies on NSR, found an effect size greater than 0.70 after eight weeks.

Fabrizio Coppola
Istituto Scientia
http://www.natural-stress-relief.com


References and Abstracts:


Eppley, K, Abrams, A., Shear, J. (1989). Differential effects of relaxation techniques on trait anxiety: a meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 45, 957-974.
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/112457231/ABSTRACT?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2693491
For more information also read:
http://www.tm.org/stress/stress.html
Abstract:
Hand and computer searches located studies on the effects of relaxation techniques on trait anxiety. Effect sizes for the different treatments (e.g., Progressive Relaxation, EMG Biofeedback, various forms of meditation, etc.) were calculated. Most of the treatments produced similar effect sizes except that Transcendental Meditation had significantly larger effect size (p <.005), and meditation that involved concentration had significantly smaller effect. [...]
The difference in effect size between treatments was maintained both when only published studies were included and when only the studies with the strongest design were included. [...]

Coppola, F. (2007). Effects on Natural Stress Relief meditation on trait anxiety: A pilot study. Psychological Reports, 101, 130-134.
http://ammons.ammonsscientific.com/php/doi_temp.php?doi_value=PR0.101.5.130-134&tiff_name=PR-August-2007_0018&t=EFFECTS%20OF%20NATURAL%20STRESS%20RELIEF%20MEDITATION%20ON%20TRAIT%20ANXIETY:%20A%20PILOT%20STUDY
For more information also read:
http://www.naturalstressreliefusa.org/research.php
Abstract:
Natural Stress Relief (NSR) meditation, a mental technique which is practiced for 15 minutes twice a day, aims to reduce stress and anxiety by eliciting a specific state of physiological rest along with mental alertness. The meditation is taught in a self-administered program, requiring a one hour training training during the first three days, followed by the regular twice-daily practice. Each 15 minute session consists in sitting quietly with closed eyes while applying a specific mental procedure. To test the effectiveness of NSR meditation in reducing trait anxiety, Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was administered to 25 participants four times over a three week period: one week before starting to practice NSR meditation, a few hours before starting, one week after, and two weeks after. The difference in trait anxiety score in the week before starting the practice was not significant, while it was significant both after the first week of practice (Cohen’s d = .46) and after the first two weeks of practice (d = .67).

Benson, H. (1975). The relaxation response. New York: Morrow.

ok giving NSR a fair chance by stopping any other practice.

thanks for those links