Mind over Drugs

For years, increasing numbers of people have found physical calm and mental tranquillity in the practice of various forms of meditation. Now Harvard researchers have confirmed--and gone beyond--earlier studies showing that actual physiological changes sometimes occur during meditation. They concentrated on "transcendental meditation," the yoga-derived techniques taught by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who won fame by briefly attracting the Beatles. But the implications are not confined to the Maharishi's technique, which is only one of many similar disciplines. Meditation, the researchers suggest, may even be of value in alleviating such difficult problems as alcoholism and drug addiction.

Harvard's Dr. Herbert Benson and R. Keith Wallace report in the current issue of the American Journal of Physiology that the metabolic rate of persons engaged in transcendental meditation decreased significantly. The heart pumped less frequently; the electrical resistance of the skin, an indication of emotional tension, increased markedly, showing that the meditator was relaxed; and his body produced smaller amounts of carbon dioxide. The brain's alpha waves increased in intensity--another sign of relaxation--while less lactic acid was produced in the blood, a possible indication of reduced anxiety.

Below Normal. Benson, an internist and cardiologist specializing in hypertension, became interested in the effects of transcendental meditation (TM) while investigating ways to modify high blood pressure. Knowing that the body prepares itself for "fight or flight" by increasing its oxygen consumption, blood pressure, heart rate and secretion of the hormone epinephrine, he theorized that it might be possible to reduce these metabolic factors below their normal rate. Eventually, he and his collaborators conditioned monkeys to lower their blood pressure in order to avoid a slight electrical shock. He then achieved the same result in human volunteers by using a reward technique.

After hearing about Benson's work, several TM practitioners asked to have their blood pressure studied. Wallace and Benson, working independently, then conducted physiological tests on 36 subjects who practiced TM regularly. In a separate study, they asked 1,862 drug users who had also tried TM for at least three months to fill out questionnaires. "It was clear," he says, "that most were at one point heavily engaged in drug abuse. But practically all of them--19 out of 20--said that they had given up drugs because they felt that their subjective meditative experience was superior to what they achieved through drugs. And drugs interfered with their ability to meditate." For those who drank, the experience was the same. To Benson and Wallace, the physiological changes they detected in their laboratory experiments might well help explain why addicts could substitute TM for drugs.

If transcendental meditation is indeed an effective substitute for drugs and alcohol, it could easily be taught to addicts. Unlike true yoga, it requires neither an ascetic life-style nor time-consuming preparations. Four one-hour lessons are enough to teach subjects the basic techniques--and lessons are becoming readily available. Yale University, for example, offers a complete TM course, as do U.C.L.A., the University of Colorado and others. Converts are also spreading the word. TM groups are being organized in cities across the country by an organization called the Students' International Meditation Society.

Benson remains cautious, however, about TM's value to addicts. "I cannot under any circumstances say that TM is an alternative to alcoholism or drug abuse," he insists. He points out that his study is "very biased" because it reported only on people who had learned meditation and continued to practice it; there was no control group of others who tried to end their addiction without the aid of TM. Also, Benson is careful to note, the reports of the 1,862 drug users were subjective--they merely answered Benson and Wallace's questionnaires.

Benson feels that better-controlled studies are needed. "What we're looking at is a behavioral type of approach to various disease patterns," he says, "to see whether changing one's behavior by meditation will help. As kooky as this sounds to many people, it has just got to be investigated." Otherwise, Benson says, no one can tell if TM is indeed useful.

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