Research
In recent years, an increasing amount of research has been carried out on the psychological and physiological effects of meditation techniques in general and of Acem Meditation in particular.
In his 2004 doctoral thesis from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway, Dr. Erik Ekker Solberg explores the psychobiological effects of Acem Meditation.
One of his studies shows that Acem Meditation reduces heart rate, blood pressure, and muscular tension. The heart rate reduction is stronger and more stable than at ordinary rest. A slow heart rate is usually considered to indicate relaxation.
Dr. Solberg's research also suggests that advanced meditators have higher melatonin levels than non-meditators (though melatonin decreases during long meditation), possibly an effect of long-term relaxation.
In a study of performance under stress, marksmen who had learned Acem Meditation improved their results in competition marksmanship, compared to a control group that did not learn meditation, indicating that Acem Meditation reduces the level of stress in tense and demanding situations.
Another study showed that the meditators had significantly lower blood lactate concentration after physical exercise than the control group, indicating faster recovery.
In a study on the effect of meditation on immune cells, Erik Solberg found that long term practice of meditation may influence absolute lymphocyte counts at rest. Runners practising meditation had lower lymphocyte counts at rest before the race.
Read more about this topic: Acem Meditation
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