14 DAY TRIAL // A new scientific study claims that children and teenagers suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can experience a relief in their symptoms through the use of transcendental meditation. The paper also says that, when medical treatments fail, praying and meditating may prove to be a therapy worth trying. In a three-month-long study, the researchers in charge of the new experiment noticed a 50 percent decrease in middle school students’ stress levels, a noticeable change.
"Medication for ADHD is very effective for some children, but it is marginally or not effective for others. Even for those children who show improved symptoms with the medication, the improvement is often insufficient or accompanied by troubling side effects," says study co-author William Stixrud, PhD, a clinical neuropsychologist in Silver Spring, Maryland.
"Virtually everyone finds it difficult to pay attention, organize themselves and get things done when they're under stress. So it stands to reason that the TM technique which reduces stress and organizes brain function would reduce ADHD symptoms," he adds.
"The effect was much greater than we expected. The children also showed improvements in attention, working memory, organization, and behavior regulation. […] Teachers reported they were able to teach more, and students were able to learn more because they were less stressed and anxious," says Sarina J. Grosswald, Ed. D., a cognitive learning specialist at George Washington University, who is also the lead researcher on the new study.
"What's significant about these new findings is that among children who have difficulty with focus and attention, we see the same results. TM doesn't require concentration, controlling the mind or disciplined focus. The fact that these children are able to do TM, and do it easily shows us that this technique may be particularly well suited for children with ADHD," Grosswald concludes, in the paper published online, in the journal Current Issues in Education.