David Lynch Foundation
Women’s Health Initiative

An epidemic of violence and abuse

Domestic violence, rape and violent assault are all around us. Consider these facts:

• One out of four women will be assaulted or raped by their spouse or intimate partner during their lifetime, and nearly 3 million children are witnesses to it every year.
• 250,000 children are at risk of becoming survivors of sex trafficking every year.
• In the military, 19,000 incidences of rape and sexual assault against female military personnel were recorded in 2010 alone.

Healing and empowering women and girls

To help combat the epidemic of violence and assault against women and children, the David Lynch Foundation launched a Women's Health Initiative in 2012 that offers Transcendental Meditation®, an evidence-based, alternative therapy shown to heal and empower survivors of abuse. The Initiative partners with leaders in the field of domestic violence and human trafficking across the U.S. and around the world to provide this therapy to women and children who need it most. Key findings from over 340 peer-reviewed studies include:

View references for these findings

Support women and girls in need

Help us bring the profound and scientifically validated mental and physical benefits of Transcendental Meditation to women and girls through Domestic Violence centers, homeless shelters and community projects worldwide.

Become a founding donor of the DLF Women’s Health Initiative 

African PTS Relief

Reducing the horror caused by violence and war

In the past 20 years, 18 African nations have been ravaged by war. It is estimated that up to 100 million Africans have been survivors of war, violence, sexual abuse or natural disasters or witnessed horrific acts of terror and now suffer from post-traumatic stress (PTS).

PTS can be disabling. Its influence ripples out, affecting the lives of friends and families, co-workers, communities- and the nation as a whole. In many ways, PTS keeps affected communities under the shadow of trauma, even after the overt disturbance has passed.

Our approach: rapid and significant reductions in PTS

Traumatic experiences leave an indelible impression in the survivor’s brain leading to persistent flashbacks, inability to relate to others, disassociation, constant fear, hyper alertness, insomnia, isolation, drug abuse and frequent outbursts of uncontrollable anger. Individuals suffering from PTS need a procedure to neutralize this neurophysiological condition.

Two recent peer reviewed studies, published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress demonstrate that the Transcendental Meditation® (TM) technique can help relieve PTS symptoms in African refugees. These studies extend earlier research reporting that TM practice significantly reduces PTS symptoms in Vietnam and Iraq/Afghanistan War veterans.

Study 1

In this 135-day study, 90% of refugees with high levels of PTS symptoms decreased to non- symptomatic levels within 30 days of learning the TM technique. In contrast, the non-meditating control group showed no reduction in PTS symptoms.

Reference: Journal of Traumatic Stress 26: 295-298, 2013.

Study 2

War refugees exhibited clinically significant reductions of PTS symptoms within 10 days of learning TM, technique in this second study. Over the subsequent 30 days, practitioners continued to experience reductions in PTS symptoms.

Reference: Journal of Traumatic Stress 27: 112-115, 2014.

About Transcendental Meditation

Transcendental Meditation (TM) is a simple and natural technique that can be universally learned by anyone regardless of age, educational background or walk of life. TM produces a unique and profound state of rest and relaxation by eliminating stress and restoring healthy, coherent cognitive functioning. TM technique is not associated with any religion, philosophy or doctrine.

Survivors of war, violence, sexual abuse and natural disasters are able to overcome traumatic stress and re-establish a positive state of physical, emotional and social well-being by practicing TM.

African PTS Relief can help survivors of war, violence, sexual abuse, and natural disasters overcome the effects of traumatic stress and re-establish a positive state of physical, emotional and social well-being by making TM available to sufferers of PTS in Africa.

Over 340 published research studies and $26 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health document the efficacy of TM for reducing stress-related disorders and promoting mental and physical health.

Support African PTS Relief

Over the next year, African PTS Relief plans to provide the TM technique to 5,000–10,000 Africans suffering from or at risk of PTS and rapidly scale up over the subsequent years.

African PTS Relief will work with top humanitarian organizations and NGOs to empower the survivors of decades of war and violence in Africa. When people can overcome traumatic stress and overwhelming suffering in their lives, they experience a rapid rise in health, happiness and success.

To support African PTS Relief, please donate today

To find out more about African PTS Relief, please visit the official site.