By Sarina J. Grosswald, Ed.D., edited by Jim Luce
New York, N.Y. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is far more prevalent than we realize. In recent years it has come to public attention because of the large number of our service members returning from war baring the scares of that experience. But even setting that situation aside, it is estimated that about 8% of Americans will experience PTSD at some point in their lives.
Dr. Sarina Grosswald addressing the symposium “Women, Violence, and Meditation.”
Photo: David Lynch Foundation.
PTSD does not discriminate. It affects people of all ages, sex, and marital status. In any given year, approximately 5.2 million people in the U.S. have PTSD. Though the prevalence in children has not been studied extensively, more than five million children are exposed to some form of extreme trauma every year. Thirty percent of these children develop symptoms of PTSD.
These numbers are staggering enough, but what is especially distressing is that women and girls are twice as likely as men to suffer from PTSD. Yet we hear very little about PTSD in women. Even among the returning military, the focus is almost always on men.
But that will not be the case for much longer. Many of the women in this room are committed to ending the silence, and raising awareness of the extent to which women are victims of trauma, whether it be physical or psychological trauma, trauma from natural disasters or geopolitical forces, or trauma from poverty and homelessness, it is time to recognize the problem and focus on the solutions.
No matter the cause, PTSD has severe effects on the mind and body. It interferes with sleep, with the ability to concentrate, it creates difficulty with organizing, causes memory problems, and difficulty with anger control, to name a few – all issues that can create challenges in carrying out just normal, simple responsibilities in life. It also creates a sense of hopelessness. And when there is hopelessness, it is very difficult to make use of even the most basic tools and resources that might be offered.
But the Transcendental Meditation technique helps from the inside out. It gives a woman or girl the internal foundation to take control of her life, and to begin to start anew.
The Transcendental Meditation technique allows the mind to settle down to the quite reservoir of inner strength. That ability to transcend, to experience pure silence and peace, and to experience a state of deep rest has a very profound effect on the mind and body.
Numerous peer-reviewed published studies have shown the effectiveness of the T.M. technique to reduce stress, anxiety and depression; reduce symptoms of PTSD; and improve the quality of life in military veterans, college students, children and adolescents, and the general population.
I want to highlight just a few of the results from these studies. In a randomized controlled study of Vietnam veterans in the 80’s, those practicing the T.M. technique showed dramatic reductions in symptoms within three months. In contrast, the control group, receiving usual care, showed no significant changes, and some cases the symptoms got worse. The T.M. group had a 54% reduction in PTSD symptoms; 54% reduction in depression; 45% reduction in anxiety; 40% reduction in emotional numbness. There were also very large improvements in sleep, and a huge reduction in self-medicating by alcohol.
Dr. Sarina Grosswald (blue scarf) sat on the symposium high-powered panel in New York.
Photo: David Lynch Foundation.
A pilot study of veterans returning from the Iraq/Afghanistan wars showed 50% reductions in PTSD symptoms in just 8 weeks, and a 23% improvement in quality of life.
A pilot study of stressed children, suffering from psychological disorders, showed a 50% decrease in anxiety problems, and 53% reduction in symptoms of anxiousness and depression.
Other parts of the world populations are subjected to trauma every day. In Africa, tens of millions have been victims of violence, or have witnessed the horrors of wars that have often targeted women and children.
In 2011, the African PTSD Relief Project was founded to address this epidemic crisis. Working in collaboration with the David Lynch Foundation, the African PTSD Relief Project plans to partner with top humanitarian organizations to help survivors of war reclaim their lives by overcoming the effects of traumatic stress and re-establishing a positive state of physical, emotional and social well-being through the Transcendental Meditation program.
In the first year program plans to provide the Transcendental Meditation technique to 5,000-10,000 Africans, with the ultimate goal of expanding it to one million Africans over five years.
Sarina J. Grosswald, Ed.D., is Director of Research for Operation Warrior Wellness (link).
The symposium “Women, Violence, and Meditation” was held at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City, March 31, 2012 sponsored by the David Lynch Foundation and Third Fire Films. Every nine seconds, a woman is assaulted or beaten in the U.S. One in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime around the world. Most often, it is a member of her own family. Over 19,000 women veterans have been victims of military sexual assault during the past year.
Healing and Empowering Women and Girls. For more information on how you can help secure funds to support outreach to women and girls, please contact the David Lynch Foundation’s Women’s Initiative, 654 Madison Avenue, Suite 805, New York, N.Y. 10065 or by e-mail.
Women, Violence & Transcendental Meditation Series
Dr. Sarina Grosswald: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (video)
Ms. Joni Steele Kimberlin: Filmmaker: Get Real Wise Women Speak (video)
Dr. Pamela M. Peeke: Empowering Women & Girls with Mind-Body Fitness (video)
Ms. Soledad O’Brien: Opens Women, Violence & Meditation Symposium (video)
Tara Jones Wise: Transcendental Transition from the Military (video1, video 2)
Plus: African Relief (video) | COTN (video) | Children on the Night (video)
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