The results of this trial programme indicate that Sahaja Yoga Meditation has potential as
a promising therapy for children with ADHD, when offered via a family treatment
approach and in combination with existing medical treatment. Although results are
limited by the small number of children for whom complete data were available, the
consistency of the findings, which drew on different measures of child outcomes, two
treatment groups, and both parent and child respondents makes a good case for the
benefits of the treatment programme. The results were in keeping with the three aims ofthe study. First, core symptoms of ADHD were improved: parent ratings on the Conners
Parent–Teacher Questionnaire, which assesses attention, hyperactivity and impulsivity,
were significantly reduced over the course of the programme. Children also reported that
they felt calmer, less panicky and more relaxed. Second, associated symptoms of ADHD,
such as anxiety and poor confidence, were reduced; parent ratings of child self-esteem
showed significant improvements in children’s confidence, social abilities and involvement. Third, functional benefits were noted, child–parent relationship quality improved
through a significant reduction in the level of conflicted interactions. Parents reported that
the children’s approach to school and homework had improved during the SYM
programme, and the children themselves said that they were more able to concentrate at
school. Improved sleep was another positive outcome reported by parents and children.
The study design, as a clinical treatment trial, did not include a formal control group,
but the ‘waiting list’ children provided a quasi-control group that provided evidence for
the effectiveness of the SYM intervention, over other possible contributors. For this
group, baseline ADHD scores at recruitment and at week 1 of the treatment programme
(several months later) remained the same, and then decreased significantly over the 6-
week SYM programme. Statistical evidence for the benefits of SYM was also demonstrated in a series of repeated measures analyses, which entered child and family factors
as covariates. These tests showed that the reduction in ADHD symptoms and the
improvements in self-esteem and child–parent relationship quality were not explained
by child age, sex, medication status or cognitive ability, or by family structure, mothers’
age or education.
This initial investigation of SYM for managing ADHD was not able to include the
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design features of a clinical trial, which would allow allocation and comparison of treatment groups such as SYM in combination with pharmacological treatment and SYM
alone. The children who entered the programme also varied in the severity of their
ADHD symptoms and use of medication. Three-quarters of the children were receiving
psycho-stimulant drugs at the commencement of the programme and combined this with
the SYM treatment, whereas the non-medicated children used only SYM. Although the
numbers in the latter group were very small, it was noteworthy that the observed reduction in ADHD symptoms did not differ by children’s initial medication status. Further
evidence that the improvements were attributable to the SYM intervention (and not to
medication) comes from the fact that over half of the children who were taking
prescribed medication had been able to reduce their medication during the course of the
treatment, and these children also showed significantly greater improvements in ADHDrelated behaviours than the children who maintained their initial level of medication.
The fact that the SYM effects occurred regardless of concurrent medication suggests an
interesting corollary to reports from the Multimodal Treatment (MTA) study of children
with ADHD that ‘intensive behavioural treatments are a viable alternative to medication in treatment of ADHD’ (Pelham et al., 2000, p. 523). In the current study, the
treatment was not behavioural, but it was intensive in design, involving parents and
children in twice daily meditation sessions at home and regular clinic sessions with
trainers. Like the MTA findings, the SYM results are encouraging for parents andcommunities seeking ways to minimize child medication
In sum, this is the first study investigating the effect of Sahaja Yoga Meditation as treatment for ADHD behaviours. The study aimed to investigate SYM as an additional familyoriented treatment, alongside any conventional medical treatment that was received by
the children, and the design of the study was not meant to compete with medication treatment. Preliminary findings provide initial evidence of the benefits of SYM in alleviating
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the behavioural symptoms of children diagnosed with ADHD, confirmed through parent
report and children’s own evidence. According to the children, these benefits extended
beyond the immediate environments of the home into the classroom. Future directions
in SYM research would be well served by larger studies that involve teachers as well as
parents in following children’s progress, and longer term studies with follow-up assessments to examine the longevity of the treatment method. Furthermore, the fact that
confirmatory analyses provided evidence that medication did not add significantly to the
changes observed with SYM, it may be of interest for the future to compare the meditation effects in medication-free and medicated children, or even to compare SYM with
other behavioural treatments for ADHD. Rigorously controlled clinical trials on larger
and more homogenous populations would be needed to provide the necessary rigour to
assess the relative effect of SYM as an alternative or complementary treatment for
ADHD. However, the indications are that SYM may offer families an effective management tool for family-oriented treatment of childhood ADHD
https://www.sahajayogaportal.org/papers/manocha.pdf
