A new study published in Health Care for Women International investigated the impact of Transcendental Meditation on self-esteem, self-efficacy, and gratitude to empower young women in Uganda.
“Our study is about the empowerment developmental impact of the Transcendental Meditation® (TM®) technique in the lives of young women in Uganda,” said study author Leslie Goldstein. “These young women live in poverty in the slums of Kampala, Uganda, and have extremely difficult lives. We wanted to find out whether this technique was an effective tool they could use on themselves to increase their overall sense of well-being, improve their self-esteem, self-love, self-confidence, and improve their lives.”
Goldstein’s previous research with Ugandan mothers had found improved quality of life in terms of reduced stress, increased self-efficacy, more energy, clarity of thought and improved coping skills. This time, Goldstein wanted to focus on the impact of TM in terms of women’s personal empowerment, especially since she sees this as such a critical developmental period in women’s lives.
“Based on the vast amount of existing research on the benefits of TM for mental and physical health, we had two theoretical ideas in mind,” Goldstein says. “First, we thought about the nature and mechanics of the technique: effortlessly calming a busy, active mind to a deep level of stillness and peace.”
this is Transcend; It takes you beyond the usual busy, active mind and into a deep, calm place inside. Researchers have also considered the value of TM for developing the mind-body connection.
“It was interesting to us to explore the possibility that these young women might experience the quiet, vibrant source of life within themselves, and we hoped that this would allow for a growth in consciousness in terms of mental and physical rejuvenation and integration, and inner and outer strength,” Goldstein said. “So our theory was, Transcend And for people who practice TM all over the world, we’ve seen very significant positive effects in building a stronger mind-body connection.”
Goldstein’s passion is working with women, and her co-authors share this passion: helping women, especially those in developing countries, reduce stress, find peace of mind, feel better, and be stronger.
“We chose to study female adolescents because they typically lack adequate access to proper care and nutrition, adequate social and mental health support resources, and education at such a critical time in their lives,” Goldstein said.
“This group of young women already wanted to learn TM because they had seen amazing benefits and changes in the lives of their friends and family. This study grew from there, and we decided to work with leaders of women’s organizations in Uganda to evaluate the success of the programs being offered. It was a great team.”
The research team conducted a longitudinal study to evaluate the value of the TM program on a group of 137 female youth using a standard and widely used quantitative questionnaire that is considered a good option for measuring youth empowerment in particular. They tested all of them with the same questionnaire at the start of the project and again five months later to see if TM was making a difference in their lives.
We wanted to measure self-esteem because women living in poverty, in particular, often feel worthless and hopeless at a young age when they are growing up and trying to figure out who they are and what life is all about.
“We also tested self-efficacy, which is a valuable secondary indicator of one’s ability to cope with life’s challenges,” Goldstein said. “We also tested gratitude, which is something that develops in life when people feel good about themselves and have a stronger, more positive self-image. When self-love develops and people feel they can cope in difficult circumstances, they tend to value themselves and others more and begin to see the bigger picture in the world around them.”
The research team also included assessment questions. Tired. Goldstein’s experience working with women in Uganda and interviews with leaders in the country who serve these young women repeatedly revealed that stress and fatigue from survival anxiety are major concerns that affect their physical and mental health. Fatigue To evaluate whether TM techniques result in greater energy and vitality.
“Additionally, we discovered that alcohol abuse is a big problem among young people in Uganda, so we developed some questions around alcohol use,” Goldstein said. “When girls feel unworthy, they engage in behaviors that impede their growth and progress. Often these girls can’t find a way out, so they turn to alcohol, run away with boys, or get pregnant thinking the man will take care of them. But more often than not, these girls end up being left alone at a young age, taking care of their own children. It’s a vicious cycle.”
To determine the long-term effects of TM, the research team administered follow-up surveys to participants after they had meditated for eight months, allowing them to comment on any changes they had noticed in their lives (changes in physical health, mental health, etc.) They also asked whether and how TM had affected their relationships with others.
“We got significant results showing positive changes in all of the above: increased self-esteem, self-efficacy and gratitude, and reduced fatigue, alcohol use, worry and exhaustion,” Goldstein said. “Participants reported less stress, better health, greater peace of mind, greater happiness and improved relationships with parents, siblings and friends. Additionally, participants noted that they enjoyed meditating together in groups whenever possible and that they had developed deeper friendships and more compassion for each other and their community.”
The research team was surprised and pleased by the positive results on the self-esteem measures – this is the first time that the effect of TM on self-esteem has been measured, and they were thrilled to find that such a subtle yet crucial aspect of our inner lives could be improved in just five months.
“We weren’t the only ones surprised,” Goldstein says. “The organization serving these youth, Empowered Women, noticed that their job became much easier because the girls felt stronger and happier from the inside. They were pleasantly surprised by how creative, resourceful and engaged the girls became in the programming offered to them. They said TM became a valuable addition to their programming because the girls responded to their compromises and became more proactive in their own care and personal growth.”
Results show that TM gets to the heart of the matter and energizes young women from the core, allowing their true selves to shine through: increased self-esteem, improved ability to deal with the problems they face, greater peace of mind, less fatigue, and more dynamic power to influence all their activities.
“This seems like a win-win scenario,” Goldstein said. “My co-authors and I all believe that these findings will go a long way in demonstrating to the world the strength of young women to draw on their inner strength, which will bring more peace and harmony to their communities and nations.”
The research team believes the results provide knowledge and understanding that TM is a viable and important tool for self-care – something you can do on your own to feel better and increase your independence, resilience and motivation.
“Strong, confident girls make strong, confident women,” Goldstein said. “And that’s what the world needs. Men are no exception. They’re empowered by the power of women. They’ll argue less with men, be more independent, and know what they want in life. And I think this makes the world a better place for them all. Strong girls make strong mothers/teachers for their children, guiding them to make the right choices for themselves and the environment.”
Patricia Tomasi is a mother, maternal mental health advocate, journalist and speaker. She is a regular contributor to Huffington Post Canada and focuses primarily on maternal mental health after suffering from severe postpartum anxiety twice. Her Huffington Post biography can be found here. Patricia is also a patient expert advisor for the North American based Maternal Mental Health Research Collective and founder of the Facebook Postpartum Depression and Anxiety Support Group, an online peer support group with over 1,500 members worldwide. Blog: www.patriciatomasiblog.wordpress.com
Email: tomasi.patricia@gmail.com
