Page 53 - Demo

51Trait anxiety refers to how anxious a person usually is. A major review done at Stanford University (a meta-analysis of 146 studies), published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, found that the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique is the most effective technique known for reducing trait anxiety. It is more than twice as effective as all other meditation and relaxation techniques, including Progressive Relaxation, Concentration Meditation, the Relaxation Response (Benson%u2019s technique), EMG Biofeedback, and placebo techniques.A placebo technique is a sham treatment, such as a sugar pill, which has no active ingredient. However, expectations of good results from placebos do have healing effects, as seen in this study. Placebos illustrate the power of mind over matter and doctors recognize how important it is to give the patient hope and to encourage them to be positive, because it helps the healing process. TM was the only technique that produced a stronger effect than the placebo techniques. This is because TM produces a wide range of specifi c physiological changes which, taken together, are the opposite of the stress response. (Reference 1)Similarly, more recent meta-analyses have found that TM produces stronger reductions in trait anxiety than mindfulness meditations and other meditations. (Reference 2) Meta-analysis of 146 studiesTM TechniquePlaceboOther RelaxationRelaxation ResponseOther MeditationPMREMG BiofeedbackMantra MeditationConcentrationEfiect Size: Standardized Mean Difierence (Cohen%u2019s d)0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0TM: The most efiective technique for reducing anxietyInterpretation of efiect sizes: 0.2 = small efiect, 0.4 = medium efiect, 0.8 or more = large efiect p < .005tm-021LESS ANXIETY & WORRYReference 1: Eppley, K., Abrams, A. I., & Shear, J. (1989). Differential effects of relaxation techniques on trait anxiety: A meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 45(6), 957%u2013974. Reference 2: Sedlmeier, P., Eberth, J., Schwarz, M., Zimmermann, D., & Haarig, F. (2012). The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 138(6), 1139%u20131171. Orme-Johnson, D. W., & Barnes, V. A. (2013). Effects of the Transcendental Meditation technique on trait anxiety: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 20(5), 330%u2013341.