Professor Yi-Yuan Tang’s meditation research can help a student increase concentration, decrease anxiety and resist substance abuse. His research, performed in China and analyzed at the University, is about to be published by the National Academy of Sciences.
In October 2007, visiting professor Tang and the University’s psychologist, Michael Posner, first documented the positive results of 86 undergraduate Chinese students practicing Integrative Body-Mind Training prior to a mental math test at Dalian University of Technology.
In each experiment, participants who had not previously practiced meditation received either IBMT or general relaxation instruction for 20 minutes a day for five days. While both groups experienced some benefit from the training, those in IBMT showed dramatic differences based on brain imaging and physiological testing.
The tested group showed lower levels of anxiety, depression, anger and fatigue than students in a relaxation control group. In these times of economic stress, Tang’s research and results heightened public interest.
University alumna Janine Goodwin first read about IBMT in Oregon Quarterly.
“It sounded like a great combination of empirical research and spiritual practice,” Goodwin said.
Goodwin graduated in 1984 with a degree in music. She also suffered from intense stage fright and was interested in techniques that could help her focus and calm her nerves.
“Since I taught – and still teach – private music lessons, I also wanted to help my students learn complex physical skills easily, practice good body mechanics and avoid the injuries that cut my performing career short, and enjoy performing for audiences,” Goodwin said.
Goodwin is one of hundreds who have inquired about this meditative practice.
“After the first news release in October 2007, I received hundreds of e-mails, mostly from the United Kingdom,” said Jim Barlow, director of science and research communications at the University. “There is tremendous interest in IBMT.”
Last week, Tang and Posner’s new research was released online ahead of publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and specifically documents the physiological changes caused by IBMT.
“The subjects of the study significantly improved their attention ability, so they could concentrate and focus for a long time,” Tang said. “(Meditation) improved their positive moods and dramatically decreased the stress hormone called Cortisol.”
IBMT was developed from traditional Chinese medicine by Tang in the 1990s, and incorporates several key components shared in mental training methods such as body relaxation, breathing practice, mental imagery and mindfulness.
“The cooperation between the body and the mind is emphasized in facilitating and achieving a meditative state,” Tang said.
Throughout the meditation process, subjects follow practice instructions on a compact disc, with several techniques accompanied by a music background, to enter a deep meditative state.
“We wish to understand and emphasize more about how the method works and what its limitations and benefits are,” Posner said. “We hope to learn more from it about how the human mind and brain work.”
Tang is testing a large number of American undergraduates to see if they obtain the same changes that have been found in China, but Posner says Tang has plans to expand.
“Dr. Tang also may develop studies for special populations such as children, elderly, and those with addictions to tobacco and other substances who wish to control themselves,” Posner said. “Right now the main thrust is research.”
Tang is also working on manual and English CDs and DVDs and plans to recruit more subjects for further research next term.
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