Life
Transcendental Meditation alleviates ADHD in Dominica schools
Students practicing the Transcendental Meditation technique at a school in Dominica. PHOTO/PRNewsFoto
(PRNewswire) – Select schools throughout the Caribbean island-nation of Dominica have begun to employ the Transcendental Meditation technique as a stress-management tool to help students reduce symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Teachers and parents have seen a noticeable improvement. But more important, research suggests that Transcendental Meditation practice may alleviate ADHD by actually changing the brain.
Since January, Dr. Lucia John, director of the Dominica Transcendental Meditation Center, has been teaching the technique to children in several towns, with positive feedback from students, parents, and teachers regarding the benefits for ADHD.
ADHD is a neurobehavioral disorder that can cause hyperactivity and difficulty focusing or controlling impulsive behaviors. The Transcendental Meditation technique, an effortless meditation technique practiced while sitting comfortably with the eyes closed, may provide relief by enhancing brain integration.
“The results kids are reporting from the practice include calmer, more collected minds; greater ability to focus; better memory; greater ability to do homework without distractions; and better relationships at home, at school, and with friends,” says Dr. John. “Teachers have also started noticing these positive changes. Parents are experiencing greater calm, more normal blood pressure, and greater happiness with their children.”
While these results are anecdotal, research indicates that there’s good reason to think that the technique is having an important and beneficial effect on the brains of the students.
In recent years certain brain wave patterns, specifically the ratio between theta and beta waves, have been consistently shown to be correlated with severity of ADHD symptoms. In July, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the use of a test to measure this ratio as a way of diagnosing whether children have ADHD. The test, the Neuropsychiatric EEG-Based Assessment Aid (NEBA) System, uses electroencephalography to measure the electrical impulses of the neurons in the brain.
While it is not known exactly what causes high theta/beta ratios in children with ADHD, a 2011 study found that Transcendental Meditation practice decreases these theta/beta ratios in students with ADHD. The random-assignment controlled study published in Mind & Brain, The Journal of Psychiatry (Vol. 2, No. 1) found that within three months of Transcendental Meditation practice, the theta/beta ratios had significantly decreased, and after six months of the practice, theta/beta ratios were within the normal range.
