Natural stress relief meditation as a tool for reducing anxiety and increasing self-actualization
Main Article Content
Natural Stress Relief (NSR) Meditation, a mental technique practiced for 15 minutes twice a day, reduces stress and anxiety by inducing a physiological state of deep rest. Regular practice of this technique appears to reduce trait anxiety and to develop qualities associated with self-actualization, such as inner peace, satisfaction, and creativity. This article reports new research that documents this effect using psychometric measures. A group of 31 practitioners showed, after four weeks of regular practice, a significant reduction of trait anxiety as measured by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI; Spielberger, Gorsuch, Lushene, Vagg, & Jacobs, 1983) (effect size d = .69, calculated following Cohen), and a significant increase of self-actualization as measured by the Jones and Crandall (1986) Short Index of Self-Actualization (SISA; effect size d = .47).
In recent years, psychologists and other scientists have studied certain standardized forms of meditation such as Transcendental Meditation (TM) and Natural Stress Relief (NSR) Meditation. The results of these studies indicate that these forms of deep meditation hold therapeutic promise not only as techniques for dissolving stress but also for increasing many characteristics associated with self-actualization, including autonomy, creativity, inner satisfaction, focus, alertness, and productivity.
These forms of deep meditation, although only mental techniques, appear to generate a unique and reproducible state of physiology in which the mind displays increased alertness without an object of perception (we call this mental experience transcendence) while the body gains an unusually deep state of rest. Wallace, Benson, and Wilson (1971) were among the first to identify this unique physiological state, which they called “a wakeful hypometabolic state”. However we name it, transcendence allows the nervous system to dissolve stress (stored abnormalities in response to stressors), as documented in several physiological and psychological studies, such as Wallace and Benson (1972) and Dillbeck and Orme-Johnson (1987).
Abraham Maslow, a father of humanistic psychology, believed that people have the capability of showing love and creativity in interactions with others, and that malicious behavior is a reaction to frustration (1954). We postulate that his concepts of transcendence and of plateau experience, presented as a means for achieving personal growth and fulfillment (1971), are similar to the state we call transcendence that can be reached during deep meditation.
We postulate that the regular practice of suitable deep meditation develops a reproducible and lasting state of self-actualization in the practitioner. Several studies since the 1970s have shown the effectiveness of Transcendental Meditation (TM) in increasing self-actualization (e.g., Alexander, Rainforth, & Gelderloos, 1991; Seeman, Nidich, & Banta, 1972). The instrument used in those studies was the Personal Orientation Inventory (POI) (Shostrom, 1964), which attempts to measure qualities such as spontaneity, self-acceptance, self-regard, inner reference, and capacity for intimate contact. However, Ray (1984) noticed that the POI did not have good psychometric characteristics and validity. Recent research in the field of personality psychology has included use of the Short Index of Self-Actualization (SISA; Jones & Crandall, 1986), which has proven to be a better instrument, has a high correlation with the POI (r = .67) and has been shown to exhibit better psychometric qualities (Richard & Jex, 1991).
Istituto Scientia developed NSR Meditation (Istituto Scientia, 2003; Natural Stress Relief, Inc., 2006) in an attempt to replicate the results obtained by TM in increasing self-actualization and reducing trait anxiety (summarized in Eppley, Abrams, & Shear, 1989) independently and inexpensively. Unlike TM, NSR meditation is self-taught using a manual and an audio file or CD. Over two thousand people, mostly in Italy and the USA, have learned NSR Meditation.
In September 2005, measurements of skin electrical resistance performed on six subjects showed a strong increase during NSR sessions (Istituto Scientia, 2005). A study conducted in December 2006 and January 2007 on 25 subjects with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI; Spielberger, Gorsuch, Lushene, Vagg, & Jacobs, 1983), suggested that NSR is as effective as Transcendental Meditation in reducing trait anxiety (Coppola, 2007). The amount of anxiety reduction was highly significant and comparable to that achieved by TM, with a remarkable effect size d (calculated following Cohen, 1988) of .67 after only two weeks, while most meditation and relaxation techniques barely reach .30 or .40 after ten weeks.
The same author conducted a further study in March and April 2007 on 31 subjects, again with the STAI, and with the Short Index of Self-Actualization, (SISA; Jones & Crandall, 1986), which confirmed the remarkable effectiveness of NSR in reducing state anxiety and showed its capability to increase self-actualization. The main findings of this study are reported here.
Method
The STAI questionnaire (Italian version, Pedrabissi & Santinello, 1989) was administered three times to 31 voluntary subjects in Italy, 25 males and 6 females: the first time one week before instruction in NSR Meditation (Week -1), the second time immediately prior to instruction (Week 0), and the third time after four weeks of regular practice (Week 4). The participants entered the experiment independently from each other, at different times.
The control was the Week -1 score for each participant, at which time the NSR practice had not yet started. Then each participant started to practice NSR Meditation regularly every day. The experimental result was the difference in scores between Week 4 and Week 0. At the end, we performed a statistical analysis for paired data.
Supposing that the real effect size of STAI score reduction is .70, and fixing alpha = .05 (one-tailed), at least 30 subjects are required to reach a statistical power greater than .95 (Cohen, 1988). Participants in this experiment totaled 31.
We also administered an Italian translation of the SISA, with a 4-point Likert scale, to the 31 participants, once immediately prior to learning NSR practice (Week 0) and again after four weeks of regular practice (Week 4). There was no control in this case, but only the experimental result.
Results
The measured effect on anxiety was significant, with a remarkable reduction in the mean trait anxiety score after four weeks of regular practice (the results are summarized in Table 1). One week before instruction, the mean STAI score was 49.03 (SD = 9.79). Just before instruction, the mean score was 49.61 (SD = 9.56). As expected, the difference during the pretreatment week (+0.58) was not significant. After four weeks of practice, the mean STAI score dropped to 43.23 (SD = 9.03). The difference from the pretreatment score was -6.39 (standard error = 1.18). The t test results for paired data showed high significance (t = 5.42, p < .00001). The effect size d was .69, comparable to that shown by the large meta-analysis of transcendental meditation research by Eppley et al. (1989).
Table 1. Trait Anxiety Scores on the STAI (N = 31)
The measured increase in the Short Index of Self-Actualization score was also significant, with an increase in the mean SISA score after four weeks (results are summarized in Table 2). The mean initial score was 39.19 (SD = 5.52). The mean score after four weeks of regular practice was 41.71 (SD = 5.20). The difference was +2.52 (SE = 0.77). The t test results for paired data showed high significance (t = 3.27, p < .005). The effect size d was .47. The correlation coefficient with the STAI data, in absolute value, was r = 0.47 (p < .01).
Table 2. Self-Actualization Scores on the SISA (N = 31)
Conclusion
Regular practice of NSR Meditation appears to correlate with the development of self-actualization, both self-reported and measured. We postulate that this is a natural consequence of the elimination of stress and anxiety through deep rest while remaining mentally alert. NSR Meditation appears to be a valuable tool for psychologists, researchers, and clinicians interested in exploring and enhancing human capabilities.
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Table 1. Trait Anxiety Scores on the STAI (N = 31)
Table 2. Self-Actualization Scores on the SISA (N = 31)
Appreciation is due to anonymous reviewers.