New York: For people suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), here comes a good news: Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique can significantly reduce the stress disorder in flat 10 days.
In experiments on Congolese war refugees living in Ugandan camps, researchers found these fascinating results.
“An earlier study found a similar result after 30 days where 90 percent of TM participants dropped to a non-symptomatic level. But we were surprised to see such a significant reduction with this group after just 10 days,” said lead author Colonel Brian Rees from US Army Reserve Medical Corps.
The researchers tested 11 participants after 10-days and 30-days TM practice. After just 10-days, PTSD symptoms dropped almost 30 percent.
“What makes this study interesting is when we tested them in the 90 days before they began the TM technique, their PTSD scores kept going up,” said co-author Fred Travis, director of the Center for Brain, Consciousness and Cognition at Maharishi University of Management situated in Iowa, US.
“The Transcendental Meditation technique is increasingly being seen as a viable treatment by the US military,” added Rees.
According to the researchers, during this particular meditation technique, one experiences a deep state of restful alertness.
Repeated experience of this state for 20 minutes twice a day cultures the nervous system to maintain settled mental and physical functioning the rest of the day.
This helps minimise disturbing thoughts, sleep difficulties and other adverse PTSD symptoms, said the study published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress.
