Electrophysiologic Characteristics of Respiratory Suspension Periods Occurring During the Practice of the Transcendental Meditation Program
Psychosomatic Medicine May 1, 1984 Kheireddine Badawi, Robert K. Wallace, David W. Orme‐johnson et al. 91 citations
During the Transcendental Meditation program, 18 practitioners showed 52 periods of spontaneous respiratory suspension (RS) that sometimes corresponded to experiences of pure consciousness. In 19 artifact-free RS periods from 11 subjects, mean total EEG coherence across all frequencies and nine electrode derivations increased significantly compared to before and after the RS periods. A control group of 30 subjects voluntarily holding their breath showed no significant change in EEG coherence. Heart rate decreased significantly during RS in both groups, while EEG alpha power did not change significantly in either group. These results help characterize the physiological correlates of pure consciousness during the Transcendental Meditation program.