Use of the Transcendental Meditation technique to reduce ADHD

January 15, 2009

Use of the Transcendental Meditation technique to reduce symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) by reducing stress and anxiety: An exploratory study

By:

Sarina J. Grosswald
SJ Grosswald & Associates

William R. Stixrud
William Stixrud and Associates

Fred Travis
Center for Brain, Consciousness and Cognition
Maharishi University of Management

Mark A. Bateh
University of Phoenix

Abstract

This exploratory study tested the feasibility of using the Transcendental Meditation® technique to reduce stress and anxiety as a means of reducing symptoms of ADHD. Students ages 11-14 were taught the technique, and practiced it twice daily in school. Common ADHD inventories and performance measures of executive function were administered at baseline and three months later. Results showed statistically significant reductions in stress, anxiety, and improvements in ADHD symptoms and executive function.

Citation Information

Grosswald, S. J., Stixrud, W. R., Travis, F., & Bateh, M. A. (2008, December). Use of the Transcendental Meditation technique to reduce symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) by reducing stress and anxiety: An exploratory study. Current Issues in Education [On-line], 10(2). Available: http://cie.ed.asu.edu/volume10/number2/

Read the complete article…

Keywords: adhd, transcendental meditation, stress, anxiety

Filed under: MIND | Comments (0)

A New Diet Villain

December 3, 2008

Americans are spending about $2 billion a year on gluten-free products, which advocates claim can help with everything from autism to ADHD, but is the trend more about hype than health?

About six years ago, Diane and Jim McConnell and their son, James Jr., 11, embarked on a dramatic diet change. They decided to give up foods containing gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Sticking to the regimen is no easy feat—gluten is ubiquitous in the American diet, as well as in other nonfood products. Not only is it in almost every kind of commercially baked good and pasta, it’s even in medications, lipsticks and Play-Doh.

Read the complete article by Karen Springen | Newsweek Web Exclusive…

Keywords: adhd, celiac, ibs, irritable bowel, autism, diabetes, down syndrome, gluten, wheat, protein

Also see Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic by Peter Green and Rory Jones  "Gas, burps, stomachaches, and bloating are standard fodder for comedy routines-because of their frequency as much as the discomfort and embarrassment they cause…"

Filed under: BODY, MIND | Comments (0)

No Buddha Required

September 7, 2008

Nancy Muriello, 37, decided a few years ago that she wanted to “empty all the junk” from her mind. So she began studying meditation techniques and practicing breathing and mindfulness, or being aware of the present moment. Now Muriello spends 15 minutes per day clearing her head of clutter. “You can really picture it as a reversal,” says Muriello, who owns Big Apple Power Yoga in New York City. “All the junk, all the stimuli are pouring out of you, so you’re left with a clearer, lighter mind and body. You feel very refreshed, very relaxed, and you have more capacity to take on new things.”

Read the complete article by Tina Peng…

Keywords: meditation, concentration, depression, brain-imaging, stress, well-being, attention-deficit, hyperactivity, ADHD, anger, heart disease, social-anxiety

Filed under: BODY, MIND | Comments (0)

Study: Zen Meditation Really Does Clear the Mind

September 3, 2008

The seemingly nonsensical Zen practice of "thinking about not thinking" could help free the mind of distractions, new brain scans reveal.

This suggests Zen meditation could help treat attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (so-called ADD or ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety disorder, major depression and other disorders marked by distracting thoughts.

"What I find really interesting in this approach is that it stands to regulate the mind by regulating the body — posture, breathing," Pagnoni said. The neural circuits for controlling posture are quite distinct from those responsible for higher brain functions, "and perhaps shifting one’s attention to posture or breathing facilitates a temporary quelling of mental chatter."

Read the complete article by Charles Q. Choi, Special to LiveScience.com…

Keywords: behavioral therapy, mindfulness, neuroscience, Alzheimer, Giuseppe Pagnoni, Emory University Atlanta, National Institutes of Health

Filed under: BODY, MIND, SPIRIT | Comments (0)

Computer game to ease ADHD symptoms

June 16, 2008

COMPUTER games may have received a bad rap for fostering behavioural problems among young children, but one child psychologist has discovered some games have therapeutic benefits.

Andrew Campbell, a lecturer in psychology with the University of Sydney, has been researching ways to treat ADHD with therapeutic computer games, The Australian reports.

Read the complete article by Lauren Wilson…

Keywords: adhd, anxiety, biofeedback, child psychology , meditation, nexon, stress, University of Sydney

Filed under: BODY, MIND | Comments (0)

Study: Meditation Against ADHD

May 27, 2008

A fascinating new study suggests the benefits of mindfulness meditation for adolescents and adults with attention deficits.

Travel back, in your mind’s eye, to a time when you felt a healthy exhaustion after hiking, biking, playing sports.., and let you re-live that moment as vividly as you can.

Read the full article by Alvaro Fernandez …

Keywords: Sharon Begley, David Rabiner, Adhd, ADHD Medication, Adolescents, Attention Deficits, Brain Training, Cognitive Therapy, Meditation, Memory, Neurocognitive

Filed under: MIND | Comments (0)