A training programme involving automatic self-transcending meditation in late-life depression: preliminary analysis of an ongoing randomised controlled trial - RETRACTED

Abstract

Late-life depression affects 2–6% of seniors aged 60 years and above. Patients are increasingly embracing non-pharmacological therapies, many of which have not been scientifically evaluated. This study aimed to evaluate a category of meditation, automatic self-transcending meditation (ASTM), in alleviating symptoms of depression when augmenting treatment as usual (NCT02149810). The preliminary results of an ongoing single-blind randomised controlled trial comparing a training programme involving ASTM with a wait-list control indicate that a 12-week ASTM programme may lead to significantly greater reductions in depression and anxiety severity. As such, ASTM may be an effective adjunctive therapy in the treatment of late-life depression.Declaration of interestR.I.N. is Director of Research and Health Promotion for the Art of Living Foundation, Canada and supervised the staff providing ASTM training.Copyright and usage© The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2016. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Non-Commercial, No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) licence.

Psychobiological factors of resilience and depression in late life

“…Psychobiological factors include endocrine, genetic, inflammatory, neural, and cardiovascular processes that bidirectionally interact to affect LLD risk. Intervention research suggests that MBTs (including yoga 299,330,331 , MBSR 332 , tai chi 333,334 , qigong 302 , and meditation 335,336 ) have potential for improving HPA axis regulation 299 and depressive symptoms in older adults with depression 283,300–302 as well as in non-depressed older adults 330–332,334–336 .…”

Sahaj Samadhi meditation vs a Health Enhancement Program in improving late-life depression severity and executive function: study protocol for a two-site, randomized controlled trial

“…Additionally, SSM was found to be easy to learn, can be taught to a group, and is scalable. As such, SSM can, therefore, be positioned to be offered as an augmentation therapy to TAU for individuals with LLD and TR-LLD [37, 39].…”

“…Additionally, participants’ qualitative feedback included remarks stating that SSM is easily learned and can be practiced as part of a daily routine. The observed practical benefits of SSM included relative affordability, the ability to be taught in a group setting, and easy transferal to community/clinical settings [37, 39]. SSM may additionally ameliorate the cognitive impairments associated with LLD and TR-LLD as other transcendental meditation techniques – practiced twice a day, 2 days per week, for 12 weeks (as in the present study) – have shown improvements in this domain [41].…”

Default Mode Network, Meditation, and Age-Associated Brain Changes: What Can We Learn from the Impact of Mental Training on Well-Being as a Psychotherapeutic Approach?

“…In addition, small-world brain architecture was stronger in long-term Yoga practitioners and meditation practitioners combined (16 of each practice type) compared to fifteen controls who were similar in age, education, exercise, and engagement in cognitive activities [127]. In an experimental study carried out by Vasudev et al, 24 elderly with depression were randomized to practice automatic self-transcending meditation based on mantra repetition (a form of FA) during a 12-week program, and were compared to 23 waitlist controls, with both groups receiving normal treatment for depression [128]. Depression and anxiety improved in meditation practitioners compared to treatment alone.…”