International. An Innovative Solution to Africa's PTSD Crisis
For over a decade, 18 African nations have been ravaged by war, exposing military personnel and civilians to violence and trauma.
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Research has shown that the practice of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique can result in large reductions in PTSD symptoms in short periods of time. In a study on Congolese refugees, 90% of subjects improved into the "non-symptomatic" range within 30 days and stayed that way throughout the 135 days of the research (2). A follow-up study replicated those findings and showed that two thirds of the benefit occurred within 10 days of learning the TM technique (3). Effect sizes were larger than those seen with other behavioral and meditation, relaxation or stress management techniques.
American Vietnam-era veterans with PTSD were taught TM and showed significant reductions in anxiety, depression, and negative personality traits (4). Similarly, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans had a 50% reduction in PTS symptoms in a three-month period after learning the TM technique (5).
TM is a cost-effective, easily learned, effortless mental technique from the ancient meditative traditions of India. Over five million people worldwide have learned this non-religious technique. It is taught in a systematic, highly structured and standardized manner by trained teachers. Over 350 peer-reviewed studies have documented its positive effects on mental and physical health.
TM practice produces a state of "restful alertness" - deep rest that allows for a kind of passive processing of trauma. TM dissolves the deep stresses incurred by trauma on the physiological level and thereby attenuates identification with the trauma on the mental level.
During TM practice brain wave activity becomes highly coherent, an indicator of orderliness and brain integration. Biological age and stress hormones such as cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine decrease. Indices of relaxation and well-being such as serotonin levels, galvanic skin resistance, and immune-modulatory effects all increase (8).
In addition, African military personnel and veterans may be hesitant to seek PTSD treatment because doing so might be viewed as a sign of weakness. TM is a self-sufficient technique, free from the possible stigma of mental health services.
Available data indicate that TM is effective in decreasing symptoms of posttraumatic stress. Delay in its implementation allows that suffering to persist.
By Brian Rees, M.D., M.P.H.; David O'Connell, Ph.D.; and David Leffler, Ph.D.
Military personnel in Latin America, Africa and Asia practice Transcendental Meditation
2. J Counseling and Development 1985; 64, 212-214
3. Military Medicine 2011; 176, 626-630
4. JTraumatic Stress 2013; 26, 295-298
5. J Traumatic Stress 2014; 27, 112-115
6. Hypertension. 2013 June; 61(6):1360-1383. doi: 10.1161/HYP.0b013e318293645f. Epub 2013 Apr 22.
7. J Altern Complement Med. 2014; 20(5), 330-341
8. Multiple references at: Orme-Johnson, D. (2015) http://www.truthabouttm.org/truth/TMResearch/TMResearchSummary/index.cfm
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