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Reversal of Previous Decline
in
Abilities Among the Elderly
Research shows that previous losses in ability due to aging can also be reversed. Individuals in homes for the elderly who learned the Transcendental Meditation® program (average age 81 years) showed improved learning ability, increased cognitive flexibility, increased behavioral flexibility, reduced systolic blood pressure, improved mental health, and increased longevity, in contrast to those assigned to various control groups (56, 62). (Please refer to chart on the right.) These results suggest that previous age-related decline in brain functioning, or reduction in the integration and balance of cortical, subcortical, and peripheral structures, can be reversed through the practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique.
The broad array of findings in this section thus demonstrates improvement in the total functioning of brain, peripheral nervous system, and neuroendocrine processes through the Transcendental Meditation program.
Increased Longevity in the Elderly
Through Transcendental Meditation
This follow-up study of a group of elderly people (average age 80.7 years) who were randomly assigned to either learn the Transcendental Meditation program or to three control groups found that those who learned the Transcendental Meditation program showed a significant increase in longevity (survival time) in comparison to the other three groups.
Reference:
Circulation 93: 629 (Abstract), 1996.
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