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2513.02.52.01.51.00.50Pre-Test Post-TestBrain Integration ScaleIncreased Brain IntegrationIndicator of Cosmic Consciousness During Activityp = .007ControlTMtm-058College student volunteers were randomly assigned to either the Transcendental Meditation (TM) group or a wait-list control group. After testing on both the Brain Integration Scale (BIS) and a stress test, the TM group learned TM and the control group did not. After 10 weeks, both groups were tested again.In only 10 weeks, the TM group improved 59% on BIS measures of Cosmic Consciousness (CC), whereas the control group decreased by 38% over the same time. This indicates that regular TM increases the development of the orderly style of integrated brain functioning characteristic of Cosmic Consciousness.The control group probably decreased on the BIS because the post-test was administered during exam week, a very diffi cult time for most students. This result suggests that stress can reduce brain integration as measured by the BIS. On the stress test, measuring skin conductance responses to loud tones, the control group showed higher stress levels, whereas the TM group stress levels decreased. The study also found that the TM group decreased in sleepiness, as measured by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, from pre-test to post-test compared to increased sleepiness among controls. These results indicate that the progressive integration of Transcendental Consciousness with waking activity through regular TM practice has highly practical benefi ts for students %u2014 increased resistance to stress, more wakefulness, and increased brain integration with its benefi ts of faster and more accurate decisions, more frequent experiences of self-actualization, and higher levels of moral reasoning.INCREASED ORDERLINESS OF BRAIN FUNCTIONINGReference: Travis, F. T., Haaga, D., Hagelin, J. S., Tanner, M., Nidich, S. I., King, C. G., et al. (2009). Effects of Transcendental Meditation practice on brain functioning and stress reactivity in college students. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 71(2), 170%u2013176.