Frederick Travis

• PhD
• Head of Faculty at Maharishi International University

Introduction: Burnout is pervasive among physicians and has widespread implications for individuals and institutions. This research study examines, for the first time, the effects of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique on academic physician burnout and depression. Methods: A mixed methods randomized controlled trial was conducted with 4...

Psychedelic use is generally considered safe, and their effects are being equated with those of meditation practices. To assess these conclusions, this paper compares psychedelic and meditation experiences in terms of 1) EEG patterns, 2) brain blood-flow patterns, 3) content of experience, 4) mechanism of action, and 5) therapeutic application. On...

What are the relationships among differentiation of self in Bowen theory, the object-referral/self-referral continuum of self in life-span development theory, and enduring self-states associated with peak experiences during meditation practice? Examining their interactions has practical implications: Can self-development in one system support devel...

Early research into meditation, including Transcendental Meditation (TM), relied exclusively on EEG to measure brain activity during meditation practice. Since the advent of neural imaging, MRI, and later fMRI, have dominated this field. Unfortunately, the use of this technology rests on the questionable assumption that lying down in a confining tu...

Our research on world-class performers in sports, management, and classical music shows that the high performers have almost twice the level of mind-brain development as compared to average performing controls. Thus we have formulated a Unified Theory of Performance which states that higher mind-brain development is the basis of higher performance...

The science of meditation has grown tremendously in the last two decades. Most studies have focused on evaluating the clinical effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions, neural and other physiological correlates of meditation, and individual cognitive and emotional aspects of meditation. Far less research has been conducted on more challengi...

Meditation experiences survey. (PDF)

Meditation experiences survey codebook. (PDF)

Background: Psychological stability and brain integration are important factors related to physical and mental health and organization effectiveness. This study tested whether a mind-body technique, the Transcendental Meditation (TM) program could increase EEG brain integration and positive affect, and decrease psychological distress in government...

Context/background: Many studies showed positive effects of Yoga Asanas. There is no study on Maharishi Yoga Asanas yet. This research replicated and expanded observed improvements on the profile of mood states (POMS) as a result of 2-week Maharishi Yoga Asanas course. Thirteen college students taking part in a 4-week course on Maharishi Yoga Asan...

Background: Across cultures and throughout history, transcendent states achieved through meditative practices have been reported. The practices to attain transcendent states vary from transcendental meditation to yoga to contemplative prayer, to other various forms of sitting meditation. While these transcendent states are ascribed many different...

Management education is seeking creative innovations that can have a real impact on integrity. In this chapter, the authors present our recent research on the relationship between integrity in the brain, as measured by the Brain Integration Scale, and measures of moral reasoning. Further, they summarize research indicating longitudinal growth in co...

Two phases of Transcendental Meditation (TM)—transcending and undirected mentation—were compared to each other and to task-free resting using multichannel EEG recorded from 20 TM practitioners. An EEG microstate analysis identified four classes of microstates which were labeled A, B, C and D, based on their similarity to previously published classe...

This study compared subjective experiences and EEG patterns in 37 subjects when listening to live Vedic recitation and when practicing Transcendental Meditation (TM). Content analysis of experiences when listening to Vedic recitation yielded three higher-order code. Experiences during Vedic recitation were: (1) deeper than during TM practice; (2) e...

This study used subjective reports and eLORETA analysis to assess to what extent Transcendental Meditation (TM) might involve focused attention-voluntary control of mental content. Eighty-seven TM subjects with one month to five years TM experience participated in this study. Regression analysis of years TM practice and self-reported transcendental...

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to examine variables to be included in a measurement instrument which measures workplace learning related to recent research into quality management and brain functioning. Design/methodology/approach A literature review was conducted, investigating measures of workplace learning as well as the connections betwee...

This paper draws from three different bodies of research to discuss the hypothesis that age-appropriate experiences enhance brain and cognitive development throughout the life span. These age-appropriate experiences could be considered as the drivers of development at each age, including drivers to foster development beyond adult abstract thinking,...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore possible connections between brain functioning and quality management. Design/methodology/approach – Five central principles regarding brain functioning according to neuroscience are conceptually described and related to principles and major concepts in quality management with a special emphasis on...

This paper reports findings from two studies that explore the role of a spiritual framework in buffering toxic experiences police officers encounter in the course of their duty. The first study was an interview of 33 police officers who were active in their law enforcement career. The officers responded to eight core questions about their police wo...

This study used canonical correlation analysis to explore the relation among scores on the Torrance test of figural and verbal creativity and demographic, psychological and physiological measures in Swedish product-development engineers. The first canonical variate included figural and verbal flexibility and originality as dependent measures and (a...

This article explores transcendental experiences during meditation practice and the integration of transcendental experiences and the unfolding of higher states of consciousness with waking, dreaming, and sleeping. The subject/object relationship during transcendental experiences is characterized by the absence of time, space, and body sense-the fr...

This follow-up pilot study tested whether Transcendental Meditation® (TM) practice would significantly reduce symptoms of posttraumatic stress in Congolese refugees within 10 days after instruction. The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian (PCL-C) was administered to nonmatched waitlist controls from a previous study 3 times over a 90-d...

This matched single-blind pilot study tested the effect of Transcendental Meditation® (TM) practice on symptoms of posttraumatic stress (PTS) in Congolese refugees. Urban refugees (N = 102) staying around Kampala, Uganda attended introductory meetings. After initial random assignment to the TM group, 30 refugees who revealed that they were unable t...

Purpose In this paper, research leading to quality management success is examined, elaborated, and highlighted in a new profound way by focusing on the most fundamental aspect of the human dimension, the brain. The purpose is to examine the relationship between brain functioning and quality management success. In this examination, the role of core...

This study reports the results of a content analysis of interviews with 28 Norwegian world-class athletes and 28 controls, matched for gender, age, and type of sport. Semi-structured interviews explored their perceptions of their best performance. The interviews were analyzed using the ATLAS.ti and yielded 20 higher-order codes. Nine higher-order c...

During development, the brain creates multilevel feedback loops critical for the generation and maintenance of consciousness. The thalamus has a central role in these circuits. Thalamic core nuclei are part of sensory circuits that give rise to contents of experience; diffuse thalamic matrix nuclei are part of arousal circuits that modulate levels...

This study explored mind-brain characteristics of successful leaders as reflected in scores on the Brain Integration Scale, Gibbs's Socio-moral Reasoning questionnaire, and an inventory of peak experiences. These variables, which in previous studies distinguished world-class athletes and professional classical musicians from average-performing cont...

This random-assignment study compared coherence, amplitude, and eLORETA patterns during practice of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) and the TM-Sidhi programs. The TM technique involves systematic transcending of contents of experience to a state of pure consciousness. The TM-Sidhi program involves sanyama-the simultaneous experience of dhārānā (...

This random-assignment pilot study investigated effects of Transcendental Meditation (TM) practice on task performance and brain functioning in 18 ADHD students, age 11Á14 years. Students were pretested, randomly assigned to TM or delayed-start comparison groups, and posttested at 3-and 6-months. Delayed-start students learned TM after the 3-month...

Management education is seeking creative innovations that can have a real impact on integrity. In this chapter, the authors present our recent research on the relationship between integrity in the brain, as measured by the Brain Integration Scale, and measures of moral reasoning. Further, they summarize research indicating longitudinal growth in co...

Research at the Center for Brain, Consciousness and Cognition has focused on investigating brain patterns of higher states of consciousness in meditating individuals. These experiences are suggestive of the fourth tier of human development, as defined in Cook-Greuter's (2000) full-spectrum model of development. Her model comprises the three tiers i...

A randomized wait-list controlled trial (N = 295 university students) of the effects of the Transcendental Meditation program was conducted in an urban setting. Substance use was assessed by self-report at baseline and 3 months later. For smoking and illicit drug use, there were no significant differences between conditions. For alcohol use, sex X...

We agree with Josipovic that a fundamental differentiating feature of meditation techniques is whether they remain within the dualistic subject–object cognitive structure, or they transcend this structure to reveal an underlying level of non-dual awareness. Further discussion is needed to delineate the basic non-dual experience in meditation, where...

This paper proposes a third meditation-category--automatic self-transcending--to extend the dichotomy of focused attention and open monitoring proposed by Lutz. Automatic self-transcending includes techniques designed to transcend their own activity. This contrasts with focused attention, which keeps attention focused on an object; and open monitor...

The work at the Center for Brain, Consciousness and Cognition is summarized.

Psychological distress contributes to the development of hypertension in young adults. This trial assessed the effects of a mind-body intervention on blood pressure (BP), psychological distress, and coping in college students. This was a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of 298 university students randomly allocated to either the Transcendental Med...

Activation of a default mode network (DMN) including frontal and parietal midline structures varies with cognitive load, being more active during low-load tasks and less active during high-load tasks requiring executive control. Meditation practices entail various degrees of cognitive control. Thus, DMN activation patterns could give insight into t...

This study tested the hypothesis that the degree of psycho-physiological development is related to performance level in world-class athletes. We compared physiological and psychological patterns of 33 Norwegian world-class athletes to patterns in 33 average performing athletes. The subjects were matched for gender, age, and type of sport. Electroen...

This study used a double-blind crossover design to investigate the effect of a small electronic device, the Quantum Companion, on mood, quality of life and anxiety levels. Thirty-four subjects were stratified on age, sex, and current stress levels and randomly assigned to receive either a placebo or a Quantum Companion, and then after a two week "r...

Purpose Today, there is a global need for more effective leaders. The purpose of this paper is to present a model of human development which covers the psychological, physiological, and sociological dimensions of leadership. Design/methodology/approach The authors review three research studies in which they have investigated the relationships betw...

Mindfulness is associated with low levels of neuroticism, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, as well as high levels of self-esteem and satisfaction with life (Brown & Ryan, 2003). As part of a 3-month randomized waitlist-controlled trial of the effects of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) program on university students (N=295), we examined the impa...

This randomized controlled trial investigated effects of Transcendental Meditation (TM) practice on Brain Integration Scale scores (broadband frontal coherence, power ratios, and preparatory brain responses), electrodermal habituation to 85-dB tones, sleepiness, heart rate, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, and P300 latencies in 50 college students. Af...

This exploratory study tested the feasibility of using the Transcendental Meditation® technique to reduce stress and anxiety as a means of reducing symptoms of ADHD. Students ages 11-14 were taught the technique, and practiced it twice daily in school. Common ADHD inventories and performance measures of executive function were administered at basel...

Two studies investigated frontal alpha lateral asymmetry and frontal interhemispheric coherence during eyes-closed rest, Transcendental Meditation (TM) practice, and computerized reaction-time tasks. In the first study, frontal coherence and lateralized asymmetry were higher in 13 TM subjects than in 12 controls. In the second study (N = 14), a one...

Information transfer and integration in the brain that leads to high-level cognitive processes requires neuronal coordination. High phase synchronization (zero-lag) in fast frequencies is implicated in integrating sensory events. Alpha EEG activity, long regarded as a passive “idling” frequency, is now being implicated in this integrative function....

Two longitudinal experiments investigated the impact on cognitive and self-development of techniques for holistic personal growth—the Word of Wisdom technique for young children and the Transcendental Meditation technique. A six-month study with 37 experimentals and 29 controls reported increases in principal components of psychological differentia...

This research extends and confirms recent brainwave findings that distinguished an individual's sense-of-self along an Object-referral/Self-referral Continuum of self-awareness. Subjects were interviewed and were given tests measuring inner/outer orientation, moral reasoning, anxiety, and personality. Scores on the psychological tests were factor a...

Clarifying constructs, methods, and measures for systematic research can advance knowledge about spirituality in organizations. In this paper, we define constructs of pure spirituality, applied spirituality, and spiritual development. We survey research methods for exploring spirituality in organizations – including not only objective studies but a...

The objective of the present study is to test the effects of practice of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique on recognized psychosocial and cognitive risk factors for criminal behavior. The study was conducted at the federal prison on the island of Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles, from August 1994 to June 1995. The 300 male subjects (experim...

Long-term meditating subjects report that transcendental experiences (TE), which first occurred during their Transcendental Meditation (TM) practice, now subjectively co-exist with waking and sleeping states. To investigate neurophysiological correlates of this integrated state, we recorded EEG in these subjects and in two comparison groups during...

This study compared EEG and autonomic patterns during transcending to "other" experiences during Transcendental Meditation (TM) practice. To correlate specific meditation experiences with physiological measures, the experimenter rang a bell three times during the TM session. Subjects categorized their experiences around each bell ring. Transcending...

This study tested the prediction that reading Vedic Sanskrit texts, without knowledge of their meaning, produces a distinct physiological state. We measured EEG, breath rate, heart rate, and skin conductance during: (1) 15-min Transcendental Meditation (TM) practice; (2) 15-min reading verses of the Bhagavad Gita in Sanskrit; and (3) 15-min reading...

This study investigated effects of transcendent experiences on contingent negative variation (CNV) amplitude, CNV rebound, and distraction effects. Three groups of age-matched subjects with few (<1 per year), more frequent (10-20 per year), or daily self-reported transcendent experiences received 31 simple RT trials (flash (S(1))/tone (S(2))/button...

This paper explores subjective reports and physiological correlates of the experience of "consciousness itself"--self awareness isolated from the processes and objects of experience during Transcendental Meditation practice. Subjectively, this state is characterized by the absence of the very framework (time, space, and body sense) and content (qua...

This study used a double-blind crossover design to investigate the effect of a small electronic device, the Quantum Companion, on mood, quality of life and anxiety levels. Thirty-four subjects were stratified on age, sex, and current stress levels and randomly assigned to receive either a placebo or a Quantum Companion, and then after a two week "r...

In this single-blind within-subject study, autonomic and EEG variables were compared during 10-min, order-balanced eyes-closed rest and Transcendental Meditation (TM) sessions. TM sessions were distinguished by (1) lower breath rates, (2) lower skin conductance levels, (3) higher respiratory sinus arrhythmia levels, and (4) higher alpha anterior-po...

This paper explores subjective reports and physiological correlates of the experience of "consciousness itself" - self awareness isolated from the processes and objects of experience during Transcendental Meditation practice. Subjectively, this state is characterized by the absence of the very framework (time, space, and body sense) and content (qu...

The present study investigated the reliability of CNV distraction and rebound effects, and their relation with reaction time. Twenty-four subjects were presented three blocks of trials: (1) a control block--a fixed foreperiod reaction time task consisting of a flash-tone-key press sequence; (2) a divided-attention block--randomly intermixed trials...

This study investigated cortical/cognitive relations in 30 4th, 8th and 12th grade students. All students were administered the Figural Intersection Test, a measure of cognitive development, and performed, three times with different targets, an event-related potential (ERP) oddball/selective-attention task. Two independent factors emerged from the...

This study investigated cortical/cognitive relations in 30 4th, 8th and 12th grade students. All students were administered the Figural Intersection Test, a measure of cognitive development, and performed, three times with different targets, an event-related potential (ERP) oddball/selective-attention task. Two independent factors emerged from the...

Standard ambulatory night sleep electroencephalograph (EEG) of 11 long-term practitioners of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) program reporting "higher states of consciousness" during sleep (the experimental group) was compared to that of nine short-term practitioners and 11 non-practitioners. EEG tracings during stages 3 and 4 sleep showed the e...

In two experiments, we investigated physiological correlates of transcendental consciousness during Transcendental Meditation sessions. In the first, experimenter-initiated bells, based on observed physiological patterns, marked three phases during a Transcendental Meditation session in 16 individuals. Interrater reliability between participant and...

This study compared physiologic pattern during conventional aerobic exercise to those during Invincible Athletics--a program emphasizing balance and comfort during exercise to increase strength, endurance, and mind-body coordination gradually without the negative effects of the stress/recovery cycle. While heart rats were similar during both workou...

A field model of waking, sleeping, and dreaming, called the junction point model, portrays waking, nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, and REM dreaming as expressions of a single, undifferentiated state. EEG data from 7 right-handed men are presented that support this model. In the transitions between waking, NREM sleep, and REM dreaming, bursts of...

The effect of a linked-ears reference on scalp-recorded potentials was investigated in six subjects during an eyes-closed counting task. EEG was recorded from the midline and surrounding electrodes with a linked-ears reference, and from Fz, Cz, and Pz with an active reference three cms anterior (close-bipolar). The linked-ears data were also conver...

This experiment evaluated further our previous finding that substitution of waking for the terminal 3-4 hr of sleep produces little or no increase in either visually scored or computer measures of delta sleep. Eleven young adults (mean age 24.5 yr) were studied on a baseline night, a night with sleep limited to an average of 188 min, and a recovery...

Frontal, central and parietal power and coherence of ten subjects practicing the TM-Sidhi technique of Yogic Flying (YF) were compared to that of ten controls who jumped from a seated position to approximate hopping during YF. All movement artifacts were removed before signal analyses. The most significant group differences were seen in the 2.12-se...

Changes in EEG coherence patterns were used to test a field model that posits a common field of "pure consciousness" linking all individuals. In ten trials, EEG was concurrently measured from pairs of subjects, one practicing Transcendental Meditation (TM) and the TM-Sidhi technique of "Yogic Flying" (YFg)--said to enliven the proposed field of con...

Period/amplitude analysis was used to measure delta (0-3 Hz) electroencephalographic (EEG) waveforms during sleep in 57 subjects ranging in age from 4.2 to 23.7 years. Total integrated amplitude of 0 to 3 Hz EEG in the first 6 h of sleep declined with age (r = -0.82, p < 0.0001) as a result of roughly proportional declines in wave amplitude and inc...

Eighty-three black college students, staff and adults were pretested on EEG coherence, skin potential (SP) habituation to a series of loud tones, psychometric measures of mental health (Tennessee Self-Concept Empirical Scales and Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) and IQ. They were then randomly assigned to one of the three treatment groups...

To study the effects of the practice of transcendental meditation (TM) on creativity, data were gathered from 71 undergraduates. 35 Ss were administered the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking at the beginning of their course of TM instruction and again 5 mo later. 36 Ss who did not receive TM instruction were also administered the test at the same...

Three categories of meditation practices have been proposed: focused attention meditations, which involve voluntary and sustained attention on a chosen object; open monitoring meditations, which involve non-reactive monitoring of moment-to-moment content of experience; and automatic self-transcending meditations, which are designed to transcend the...

Twentieth-century psychology has studied specific active processes of knowing—such as perceptions, thoughts, or feelings—but lacked an understanding of deeper levels of the mind underlying and integrating all active mental processes. Therefore, it has spawned isolated areas of investigation rather than successful grand theories. Maharishi Vedic Psy...

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Maharishi International University, Fairfield (Iowa), 1988. Includes bibliographical references (p. 156-172). Order number 8820230.