ABSTRACT
This chapter is concerned with clarifying what Transcendental Meditation (TM) is and does through psychological assessment of individuals practicing TM. The scientific investigation of the popular technique of TM has generated equivocation about whether it has a unique effect. The need to further evaluate psychophysiological processes during TM stems from earlier research; however, an assessment of the aptitude for autonomic self-regulation was made as a natural extension of the interest in the psychophysiology of TM practitioners. Inasmuch as the purported benefits of TM effect the whole person in multifaceted ways, the chapter attempts to be sensitive to the major psychological systems within the person. Isolation of the TM condition was attempted with a pre-/posttreatment design, using a 6-month control period in both a meditating and nonmeditating control group. As autonomic stability is taken to refer to a general reduction in autonomic arousal potential, the maintenance of physiological equilibrium is enhanced.
