Heal the Healers Now

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“HEAL THE HEALERS NOWSM” UK

Providing full and partial scholarships to NHS workers to learn Transcendental Meditation following the COVID-19 pandemic

To Reduce Anxiety, Boost Resilience, Heal Trauma

Even before the pandemic, stress levels amongst NHS staff were causing concern. A 2019 NHS survey found nearly 40% had felt unwell due to work-related with knock-on effects including higher levels of bullying, harassment and discrimination.

Today, with the unprecedented pressures of the coronavirus pandemic, the situation is far worse, and demands proven, effective remedies.

“Transcendental Meditation® is an evidence-based, non-pharmacological intervention which is easy to learn and use, and which has an excellent track record in rapidly alleviating the effects of trauma and stress,” says Lindsey Crockett, a Suffolk-based GP who has personal experience of the technique and has recommended its use to patients and colleagues.

Transcendental Meditation has been used worldwide for many years by first responders, including police, firefighters, and military personnel. Several thousand traumatised US veterans of conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere have found relief from PTSD with Transcendental Meditation, which is now taught at US Veterans Administration hospitals.

“Our doctors, nurses and other healthcare providers are today on the frontline of a different kind of war, but they are likewise risking their lives on a daily basis in the fight against this pandemic,” says Dr Crockett. “Our doctors deserve the very best in terms of protection—effective PPE for their work, and a powerful stress-reducing technique to boost resilience and remove mental, emotional and physical strain.”

Deep relaxation and stress reduction

Transcendental Meditation is easy to learn, enjoyable and effortless to practice, and provides mind and body with deep rest and refreshment.

In the US, TM® has already been offered widely in hospitals and clinics and results have been rapid. We’re already seeing significant reductions in physician burnout, insomnia, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress in the first three months in those practising TM.

“I found TM easy to learn and practice, and it provides a wonderful sense of well-being. TM has tremendous potential for healthcare providers to reduce burnout and increase job satisfaction and productivity.” — Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD; Nash Family Professor of Neuroscience and Director of the Friedman Brain Institute; Dean for Academic and Scientific Affairs; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY

“Like the rest of the nation, we are deeply grateful to all those on the front-line of medical care, and all those who are supporting them in so many ways,” says Deirdre Parsons, Executive Director of the David Lynch Foundation UK. “ We are honoured to offer these heroic healers this practical approach to strengthen their resilience and support their wellbeing during this challenging time.”

Enquire About Scholarships

HEALTH AND
WELLNESS DIVISION

David Lynch Foundation UK
DavidLynchFoundation.org.uk

•

Contact Deirdre Parsons at
Info@davidlynchfoundation.org.uk
0845 605 8660

COMMENTS FROM HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

Dr Lindsey Crockett, BSc (Hons), MBBS, MRCGP, DFSRH. Senior Partner, Peninsular Practice, Suffolk, UK

“Transcendental Meditation is highly effective in providing deep rest and removing stress. I have experienced the benefits for myself, and after fifty years of scientific research has validated its results, I have no hesitation in recommending the widespread use of TM to help NHS staff recover their wellbeing and develop their resilience.”

Dr Donn Brennan MB BCh BAO DCh D Obs MRCGP Founding President of the Ayurvedic Practitioners Association, UK

“Forty years of practising TM has brought me increasing resilience, peace and joy over the years. It has transformed my medical practice as insight grew, through TM, into the healing potential of patients and how to empower their journey back to health. I have prescribed TM often and had the fulfilment of seeing the beneficial transformations in my patients.”

Fraer Stevenson Senior Emergency Medical Technician,
East of England Ambulance NHS Trust

“Learning TM has been the single most important thing I have done to help with my health, wellbeing, and happiness. There have been many times in my career when I’ve questioned the impact the job has on my health — both mental and physical — I wish that I’d had TM at the start of my career to help support me through those times

I feel TM has helped me in every area of my life to be more me, to keep that connection to the inner stillness and silence within, regardless of what’s going on around me, it helps everything to be calmer, happier, more fulfilling. It washes away the stresses that can build up and get in the way of seeing and experiencing life as it should be — full of kindness, joyfulness, and without fear.

Spending 20 minutes twice a day practising TM has given me more than I’d ever imagined it would; it’s given me back myself.”

Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD Nash Family Professor of Neuroscience and
Director of the Friedman Brain Institute;
Dean for Academic and Scientific Affairs;
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY

“I found TM easy to learn and practice, and it provides a wonderful sense of well-being. TM has tremendous potential for healthcare providers to reduce burnout and increase job satisfaction and productivity.”

Erica Cargill Jones, MD Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine;
Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY

“Nothing can erase the stress and anxiety in our lives, but meditation has taught me how to handle them better. It is important for my patients to know how much it has helped me. I recommend it to everyone to help lower blood pressure and heart rate, help with sleep, and think more clearly.”

Suzanne Steinbaum, MD Director of Women’s Cardiovascular Prevention,
Health, and Wellness at the Mount Sinai Hospital;
Senior Faculty in Medicine and Cardiology,
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY

“As a cardiologist, I am aware of the effects of stress on the development of heart disease. Without managing stress and other issues that drive up inflammation and plaque formation, I would not be adequately caring for my patients. TM is a tool which addresses the root of many of these issues, including stress, anxiety, depression, and unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, that lead to cardiovascular disease. I believe TM should be offered to all patients who are seeing a cardiologist, or even to those who are trying to prevent ever developing heart disease or strokes.”

Hassan A. Tetteh, MD, MBA Command Surgeon, National Defense University;
Chief Medical Informatics Officer, United States Navy;
Associate Professor of Surgery at the Uniformed Services
University of the Health Sciences; adjunct faculty at
Howard University College of Medicine; Washington, DC

“TM is proven to lower stress, high blood pressure, and depression and this can lead to improved health. With improved health, you become more effective in your relationships, at work, and in life. When you are healthy and effective in all the things you are meant to do, you move closer to realizing your real purpose in life, and this ultimately leads to happiness.”

Burnout is a Public Health Crisis

SUPPORTING THE MENTAL WELLBEING OF NHS STAFF through Transcendental Meditation

Overview

The coronavirus pandemic is placing debilitating demands on the professional and personal lives of NHS staff. New tools are required to help alleviate this enormous burden of stress. According to a recent NHS survey, nearly 40% of NHS employees had felt ill in the previous year due to work-related stress. Chronic stress has a negative impact on work satisfaction and performance, as well as being linked to substance abuse and addiction, medical errors, and even physician suicide.

The critical need for scientifically documented, non-pharmacological interventions for this crisis can be effectively addressed through an evidence-based meditation technique known as Transcendental Meditation (TM).

Transcendental Meditation: An Introduction

TM is an easy-to-learn, enjoyable-to-practice mental technique for deep relaxation and stress-reduction. It has been successfully offered in medical schools, academic and Veterans Administration medical centres (in the USA), hospitals, military academies, substance abuse centres, prisons, and other settings worldwide. Transcendental Meditation is practised for 15-20 minutes twice a day. To date, more than ten million people of all ages, nationalities, and religions have learned the technique.

TM practice produces a unique neurophysiological state that combines deep metabolic rest with heightened mental alertness. This state of deep relaxation, which researchers have termed “restful alertness,” is a potent antidote to stress.

Over 400 peer-reviewed published studies on TM have documented improvements in a wide variety of stress-related disorders, as well as significant improvements in cognitive function and overall health and well-being. In the USA, the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense have awarded nearly $30 million in grant support for research on TM.

The TM teaching programme

  • PHASE 1: Introduction to Transcendental Meditation (Group, onsite or remote; 60 minutes) — This session provides an introduction to the evidence-based Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique and a chance to ask any questions about the technique.
  • PHASE 2: Instruction in Transcendental Meditation Four instructional sessions held over four consecutive days. (Either all onsite, or a combination of onsite and remote; 60 minutes each) — The participant is taught by a certified TM instructor in how to meditate correctly for maximum benefit in daily life. The first session is onsite, one-on-one instruction. The remaining three sessions are group sessions that may be done onsite or remotely.
  • PHASE 3: Follow-up seminars Seminars held over a 6 month period after instruction, to help stabilise correct practice of TM and deepen participants’ intellectual understanding of its mechanics and effects.

Reducing Professional Burnout and Promoting Resilience

The TM technique is an effective tool for addressing professional burnout. It has been adopted in numerous healthcare provider wellness programmes as a stand-alone approach or as an adjunct therapy to make existing programmes more effective. These programmes include:

  • Loyola University’s Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago Medical students are offered a for-credit elective programme entitled “Physician Wellness through Transcendental Meditation.” To date, more than 350 medical students have learned TM, with more students learning all the time based on positive reports. A randomised controlled trial of 42 academic faculty physicians at Loyola Stritch performed over a four-month period found significant improvements in overall burnout, depression, and insomnia in the TM group compared to controls.
  • Weill Cornell Medical Center—New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City A pilot study of physicians in the Emergency Medicine Department found significant reductions in physician burnout, insomnia, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress over a three-month period in those practising TM.
  • Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont A six-year study on cadets at America’s oldest military college (and the home of ROTC) has found significant reductions in perceived stress, hypervigilance, and depression, and increases in psychological resilience in TM participants.

Selected Studies

Annotated Overview of Research on TM, Stress, Burnout, and Resilience

Summary

Peer-reviewed published studies have documented that TM practice ameliorates the symptoms of burnout by producing the following effects:

  • Reduction in stress and anxiety
  • Reduced depression
  • Improvement in sleep disorders
  • Reduced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • Increased psychological and emotional resilience
  • Reduction in substance abuse
  • Reduced high blood pressure

Meta-analyses have shown that TM reduces anxiety and PTSD to a significantly greater degree than other forms of meditation or relaxation. Studies have also shown that TM produces clinically meaningful results often within a few days to two weeks.

Reduced Physician Burnout

A 4-Month Randomised Controlled Trial with Faculty Physicians at Loyola Stritch Medical School, Chicago

Reduced Physician Burnout

TM decreases depression, stress, and burnout in physicians Loiselle M, et al. Effect of Transcendental Meditation on Physician Burnout, Depression, and Insomnia: A Randomised Controlled Study. In preparation for publication, 2020.

Effects of TM on Trait Anxiety

Meta-Analysis of 16 randomised Controlled Trials in Individuals with High and Moderate Anxiety

Effects of TM on Trait Anxiety

Orme-Johnson DW, Barnes V. Effects of the Transcendental Meditation Technique on Trait Anxiety: a Meta-Analysis of randomised Controlled Trials. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 20 (2013): 330-341.

Reduced Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms

A 3-Month Trial with Emergency Medicine Physicians at Weill Cornell Medical Center—New York Presbyterian Hospital

Reduced Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms

Increased Personal Accomplishment

A 3-Month Trial with Emergency Medicine Physicians at Weill Cornell Medical Center—New York Presbyterian Hospital

Reduced Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms

ANNOTATED RESEARCH OVERVIEW

REDUCED STRESS, ANXIETY, AND BURNOUT

  • A three-month randomised controlled study of secondary school teachers in Vermont found that TM practice significantly reduced perceived stress, depression and overall teacher burnout. Charles Elder MD, MPH, FACP et al, Effect of Transcendental Meditation on Employee Burnout: A randomised controlled study. The Permanente Journal, 2014 Winter; 18(1):19-23.
  • Two months of regular TM practice significantly reduced perceived stress and mood disturbance in family caregivers, including reductions in anxiety, depression, anger, confusion, and fatigue, and increase in spiritual well-being. Nidich S et al. Stress reduction with the Transcendental Meditation program in caregivers: A pilot study. International Archives of Nursing and Health Care Perspectives (2015): 1(11): 1-4.
  • A randomised controlled study of 42 attending physician faculty at Loyola Stritch Medical School in Chicago over a four-month period found that TM practice was associated with significantly reduced levels of physician burnout, depression and insomnia. Loiselle M, et al. Effect of Transcendental Meditation on Physician Burnout, Depression, and Insomnia: A randomised Controlled Study. In preparation for publication, Academic Medicine 2020.
  • In a pilot study of 27 hospital-based nurses, quantitative measures were assessed at baseline and 4 months after instruction in the TM technique. Post-test results showed statistically significant improvements in resilience and the 3 subscales of the compassion fatigue questionnaire: nurse burnout, secondary traumatic stress and compassion satisfaction. Bonamer J, Aquino-Russell C. Transcendental Meditation Reduces Compassion Fatigue and Improves Resilience for Nurses. Journal for Nurses in Professional Development (2019); 35(2);93-97.
  • In a pilot study, 13 emergency medicine physicians (6 faculty and 7 residents) at Weill Cornell Medical Center-New York Presbyterian Hospital were instructed in Transcendental Meditation. Results on standardized measures of physician burnout, post-traumatic stress symptoms, and insomnia showed significant improvements at 1 month and 3 months following instruction. Department of Emergency Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical Center (NYC), unpublished data (2019).
  • A meta-analysis of 16 randomised controlled trials found TM to be especially effective in reducing anxiety in people with elevated anxiety, including prisoners, war veterans and war refugees, with rapid reductions in anxiety within the first two weeks of practice. Orme-Johnson DW, Barnes V. Effects of the Transcendental Meditation Technique on Trait Anxiety: a Meta-Analysis of randomised Controlled Trials. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (2013);20:330-341.
  • A meta-analysis of 30 studies found that TM was more effective in reducing trait anxiety than mindfulness or other meditation techniques. Sedlmeier P, et al. The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin 2012; 138, 1139–1171.
  • Cadets at Norwich Military Academy who learned TM showed significant increases in psychological resilience and decreases in perceived stress, hypervigilance, and depression relative to controls after two to six months of TM practice. Bandy, C., Fleming, K., Meyer, M., Dulmage, J. & Grosswald, S. (2013). Unpublished data.
  • A meta-analysis of 32 physiological studies found that the TM technique produced over twice the effect size as ordinary rest (sitting with eyes closed) on objective markers of relaxation, including respiratory rate, plasma lactate, and basal skin resistance. Dillbeck M and Orme-Johnson D (1987). American Psychologist, 42, 879–881.
  • TM practice has been associated with significant reductions in stress hormones, including cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine, both during and after the practice. Jevning R, Wilson AF, Davidson JM. Adrenocortical activity during meditation. Hormones and Behavior 1978 10(1):54-60. Infante JR, et al. ACTH and b-endorphin in transcendental meditation. Physiology & Behavior 1998;64:311-5. Infante JR, et al. Catecholamine levels in practitioners of the transcendental meditation technique. Physiology & Behavior. 2001;72(1-2):141-6. Werner OR, et al. Long-term endocrinologic changes in subjects practicising the transcendental meditation and TM-Sidhi program. Psychosomatic Medicine 1986;48:59–66.

REDUCED PTSD SYMPTOMS

  • A randomised controlled study of 203 military veterans with PTSD performed at the VA San Diego Healthcare System found TM to be as or more effective than traditional trauma exposure therapy (prolonged exposure) in reducing PTSD symptoms. 61% of veterans assigned to TM experienced clinically meaningful improvement in PTSD symptoms, compared to 42% with prolonged exposure and 32% with health education. Nidich S, et al. Non-trauma-focused meditation versus exposure therapy in veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder: a randomised controlled trial. The Lancet Psychiatry 2018 5:975-986.
  • TM decreased multiple features of post-traumatic stress disorder in US war veterans, with reductions in depression, anxiety, insomnia, severity of delayed stress syndrome, emotional numbness, alcohol consumption, family problems, and difficulty in obtaining employment. Rosenthal JZ, et al. Effects of Transcendental Meditation in veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom with posttraumatic stress disorder: a pilot study. Military Medicine 2011; 176:626-630.
  • TM practice decreased PTSD symptoms in war veterans to below clinical levels after one month, with further reductions after three months. The study found those veterans who practised TM twice a day (recommended schedule) had a 30% greater decline in symptoms of PTSD than veterans who practised TM only once a day, a dose-response effect that suggests causality. Herron RE and Rees B. The Transcendental Meditation Program's Impact on the Symptoms of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder of Veterans: An Uncontrolled Pilot Study. Military Medicine 2017;1:1-7.
  • Active duty military service members with PTSD or anxiety who learned TM showed reduced medication usage and an overall decrease in severity of psychological symptoms. Barnes VA,et al. Transcendental Meditation and psychotropic medication use among active duty military service members with anxiety and PTSD.  Military Medicine 2016; 181:56-63.
  • A randomised controlled study with male prison inmates, a population with one of the highest rates of lifetime trauma of any segment of society, found significant reductions in trauma symptoms after four months of TM. Nidich S, et al. Reduced trauma symptoms and perceived stress in male prison inmates through the Transcendental Meditation program: A randomised controlled trial. The Permanente Journal. 2016;20(4):16-27.
  • A randomised controlled trial with military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) found significant reductions in anxiety, insomnia, depression, and alcohol abuse.  Brooks JS & Scarano T. Transcendental Meditation and the treatment of post-Vietnam adjustment. Journal of Counseling and Development 1985; 64: 212-215.

REDUCED SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER

  • Patients in a residential rehabilitation programme for alcohol use disorder who were closely adherent to twice daily practice of TM (recommended schedule) were significantly less likely than controls to resume any drinking (25% vs 59%) or heavy drinking (0% vs. 47%) post-discharge. Gryczynski, J., et al. Integration of Transcendental Meditation (TM) into alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment (2018); 87:23-30.
  • In meta-analyses, TM was more effective in reducing smoking, alcohol consumption, and illicit drug use than conventional programmes, whether or not these were combined with relaxation techniques. Alexander, C.N., Robinson, P., and Rainforth, M., Treating alcohol, nicotine and drug abuse through Transcendental Meditation: A review and statistical meta-analysis. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 1994; 11: 13-87.

IMPROVED HEART HEALTH

  • A meta-analysis of 107 independent studies on stress-reduction and hypertension found that the Transcendental Meditation programme reduced blood pressure to a significantly greater extent than other mind-body interventions that have been studied in this regard. Rainforth MV, et al (2007). “Stress reduction programs in patients with elevated blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” Current Hypertension Reports, 9 (6): 520–528.
  • A scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA) found evidence that TM reduces blood pressure and states that “TM may be considered in clinical practice to lower BP.” In contrast, the AHA report found insufficient evidence to recommend other meditation techniques for blood pressure reduction. Brook RD, et al. Beyond medications and diet: alternative approaches to lowering blood pressure. A scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Hypertension 2013; 61:1360-1383.
  • A long-term randomised controlled trial of patients with coronary heart disease showed that Transcendental Meditation practice was associated with a 48% reduction in mortality, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and stroke compared to controls over an average of five years follow-up. Schneider RH, et al.  Stress reduction in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease: randomised controlled trial of Transcendental Meditation and health education in Blacks. Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. 5:750-758, 2012.

IMPROVED COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING

  • TM globally increases coherence in alpha1 EEG, distinguishing it from ordinary eyes-closed resting. Other meditation techniques do not have this effect.  Alpha coherence has been found to functionally bind different areas of the brain for creativity, memory, perception, and motor behavior, which explains TM’s effects in enhancing cognitive performance. Travis FT, Arenander A. Cross-sectional and longitudinal study of effects of Transcendental Meditation practice on interhemispheric frontal asymmetry and frontal coherence. International Journal of Neuroscience. 2006;116(12):1519-38.
  • Randomised controlled studies on 362 secondary school students found that those who learned and practised the TM technique over a 6-12 month period showed significant improvements compared to controls in 5 measures of intellectual functioning, including whole-brain creativity, practical intelligence, field independence, mental efficiency, and fluid intelligence; TM subjects also showed decreased anxiety relative to controls. So KT, Orme-Johnson DW. Three randomised experiments on the holistic longitudinal effects of the Transcendental Meditation technique on cognition. Intelligence 29, no. 5 (2001): 419-440.

SUGGESTED READING

Transcendence: Healing and Transformation through Transcendental Meditation by Norman Rosenthal, M.D. (Tarcher-Penguin 2011)

Super Mind: How to Boost Performance and Live a Richer and Happier Life through Transcendental Meditation by Norman Rosenthal, M.D. (Tarcher-Penguin 2016)

Strength in Stillness: The Power of Transcendental Meditation by Bob Roth (Simon and Schuster 2018)