Transcendental Meditation and Reduced Trauma Symptoms in Women Inmates

Maharishi International University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

Treatments: Behavioral: Transcendental Meditation program

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02791464

DLF1008

Details and patient eligibility

About

The pilot study investigates the potential benefits of the Transcendental Meditation program in reducing trauma, including PTSD, in female prisoners. Subjects will be randomly assigned to either the TM program or a wait list control group for a period of four months.

Full description

This randomized controlled pilot study will evaluate the effects of Transcendental Meditation ® (TM) on female offenders with trauma. Twenty-two inmates at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville, Oregon, with at least four months left of incarceration, will be enrolled in the study. Subjects will be randomly assigned to either a TM (n=11) or a wait-list control group (n=11). Subjects will be measured at baseline and four-month posttest, using the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian version (PCL-C) Twenty of the subjects (10 in each group) will take part in their treatment assignment and complete post-testing.

Enrollment: 22 patients

Sex: Female

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• female inmates, at least 4 months left of incarceration, signed written informed consent prior to baseline testing

Exclusion criteria

• none

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

---

22 participants in 2 patient groups

wait list control

No Intervention group

Description:

Waitlist control subjects interested in learning the TM program will be asked to wait for 4 months before learning if they were randomly assigned to this comparison group. Controls will receive usual medical care during 4 month intervention period.

Transcendental Meditation

Experimental group

Description:

The TM technique is a simple, effortless, mental technique to reducing stress which allows the mind to experience finer levels of the thinking process to achieve a state of restful alertness. The Transcendental Meditation program will be taught as a standard seven-step program over five consecutive days.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Transcendental Meditation program