Dr. Carla Brown

A Larger Lens: Medical Students Benefit from Consciousness-Based Self-Care

Tony Nader, MD PhD, Richard Carroll, MD, Fred Travis, PhD, James Bray, MD,
Gregory Gruener, MD, Stuart Rothenberg, MD, Duncan Brown, MA, and Carla Brown, EdD

Abstract

Job burnout is a serious problem in medicine, leading to lost productivity, costly attrition, loss of well-being and even loss of life through suicide. A major US medical school introduced a 2-credit elective course that featured the Transcendental Meditation® (TM®) technique to try to address this problem. This chapter reports on an 8-year study of medical students’ experiences with this course.

Multiple research studies have found that the TM technique has been shown to reduce burnout and improve self-care and well-being through the development of consciousness. In this study, authors use a qualitative grounded theory approach to explore students’ written reflections.

Dr. Nader et al. report three major benefits:

1. Students addressed their most pressing need: reducing stress and anxiety. 135 of 143 students in the sample (94%) described a reduction in anxiety.

2. Across all cohorts, students reported multiple positive benefits relating to many facets of their health and well-being, including:

· Greater mental clarity and improved focus

· increased resilience, energy, stamina and efficiency

· Increased confidence, sense of control and adaptability

· Increased emotional stability, compassion, and empathy

· Improved memory, recall, learning and ability to synthesize

· Improved sleep and relief from physical symptoms of anxiety

· Improved relationships and teamwork

3. TM students reported gaining 2-5 hours more productive time every day, plus improved relationships and teamwork.

Keywords: Consciousness, Transcendence, Transcendental Meditation, Medical Education, Self- care, Burnout, Stress, Productivity, Relationships, Consciousness-Based Education

Additional content, including interviews with students involved

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For more information, please send your contact information and inquiry to the corresponding author: Carla Brown EdD