Teachers and support staff at a therapeutic school for students with severe behavioral problems who learned the Transcendental Meditation program showed significantly greater reductions in perceived stress, depression, and overall burnout after four months compared with a wait-list control group. Effect sizes ranged from 0.40 to 0.94. The program was effective in reducing psychological distress in this employee population.
Oxidative stress, which may contribute to aging and chronic diseases like atherosclerosis, was lower in older adults who practiced the Transcendental Meditation technique compared to those who did not. Long-term practitioners (average 16.5 years) had serum lipid peroxide levels 15% lower than controls, as measured by the TBARS assay. The two groups did not differ in smoking, fat intake, or vitamin supplementation, and the lower red meat consumption among meditators did not account for the difference. These preliminary results suggest that stress reduction through Transcendental Meditation may be associated with reduced oxidative stress, though prospective trials are needed to confirm a causal effect.