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Worldwide media report effectiveness of Transcendental Meditation in reducing African war refugees' PTSD
by Global Good News staff writer

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19 February 2014

News media in many countries reported on recent research that found Transcendental Meditation highly effective in treating post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in African war refugees.

PTSD is caused by war, violence, abuse, and even natural disasters. It is prevalent throughout the world, but to an extreme degree in Africa. Among the war-torn countries of that continent it is estimated that 25% of the population suffers from PTSD. Even in South Africa, which has never had an outright war, Dr Eugene Allers, president of the South African Society of Psychiatrists, estimates the same percentage to be affected. In all, 100 million Africans are thought to be suffering from PTSD.

Two studies were published on Transcendental Meditation and African refugees. The first, published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress in April 2013, found that 90% of subjects who learned Transcendental Meditation became asymptomatic within 30 days; 100% continued symptom-free after 135 days practising the technique.

A new study, published this February, also in the Journal of Traumatic Stress, replicated these results and further found that 66% of the beneficial effect of Transcendental Meditation practice occurred within the first 10 days of learning the technique.

These statistics have gained recognition and inspired interest in Transcendental Meditation around the world. The publication of the second study, with its especially dramatic results, was announced by both Maharishi University of Management (MUM) in the USA, and by a new nonprofit organization, African PTSD Relief, which organized the project and research in partnership with the David Lynch Foundation.

A news release went out from MUM via EurekAlert!, an online global news service, to 5,000 top science and medical publications around the world. The African PTSD Relief announcement was distributed to 196 venues in the USA and other countries.

The story spread rapidly—many news media picked it up in the days following publication of the research, particularly in the USA. Yahoo Finance, which reaches 52 million people daily, displayed the entire news release on their website.

Major American television networks carried the story, including NBC, ABC, and CBS. It also appeared in the online version of the Atlanta Business Chronicle, the Boston Business Journal, Los Angeles BIZ, and New York Business Journal, to name a few.

The article was also featured in 20 publications in India and several in Latin America, as well as in Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, Denmark, Germany, and other countries.

In its initial stages, Africa PTSD Relief is focussing full attention on Africa. In the meantime the organization has been receiving many responses inspired by news reports on the PTSD research, including inquiries about bringing the programme to countries in other parts of the world where the need is also great.

See related article: Researcher reports on recent studies: Transcendental Meditation reduces PTSD in African war refugees

Copyright © 2014 Global Good News Service

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