How an individual sees things and how he or she handles them makes a big difference in terms of how much stress he or she experiences. Research has shown that hormones and other biochemical compounds in the blood indicative of stress tend to decrease during TM practice. These changes also stabilize over time, so that a person is actually less stressed biochemically during daily activity. This reduction of stress translates directly into a reduction of anxiety and tension. Literally dozens of studies have shown this.
Chronic pain can systematically erode the quality of life.
Although great strides are being made in traditional medicine to treat recurring pain, treatment is rarely as simple as prescribing medication or surgery. Anxiety decreases the threshold for pain and pain causes anxiety. The result is a vicious cycle. Compared with people who feel relaxed, those under stress experience pain more intensely and become even more stressed, which aggravates their pain. Meditation breaks this cycle.