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Psychophysiological Responsiveness to Auditory Stimulation during Transcendental Meditation
Author(s) -
Heide Frederick J.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
psychophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.661
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1469-8986
pISSN - 0048-5772
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8986.1986.tb00597.x
Subject(s) - habituation , transcendental meditation , skin conductance , meditation , psychology , heart rate , stimulation , orienting response , audiology , neuroscience , developmental psychology , medicine , blood pressure , philosophy , theology , biomedical engineering
The Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique has been reported to produce cortical states of both steady responsiveness and lack of responsiveness to external stimulation during meditation. The present study examined alpha blocking, skin conductance, and phasic heart rate response to 80dB tones in 17 TM meditators and 17 controls. There were no significant differences between groups in rate of habituation of alpha blocking or skin conductance response, and neither group showed habituation of heart rate responding. Controls displayed a more labile and accelerative cardiac response. Results suggest the possible usefulness of cardiac waveform activity in the study of meditation.