Meditate LA Wildfire Trauma Relief Program

Wildfire relief

County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit) LAUSD (select only if you have a district-wide partnership) San Gabriel Valley West LA

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Peer-reviewed research confirms that exposure to natural disasters like the 2025 LA fires significantly increases the risk of developing dangerous symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as anxiety, depression, and insomnia. A meta-analysis from the National Institute of Mental Health indicates that without intervention, “the psychological impact of disaster begins immediately after the event and may persist for months and sometimes even years.” This study further notes that "There has been growing recognition of the importance of mental health assessments in disaster response strategies.”
Hundreds of peer-reviewed published studies on TM have demonstrated TM to be a highly effective intervention for a range of conditions including PTSD, anxiety, depression and addiction. The National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense have awarded nearly $35 million in grants to research the benefits of TM on PTSD, anxiety, burnout, heart health and resilience.

The grant will support the Meditate LA Wildfire Trauma Relief Program which provides trauma-informed Transcendental Meditation (TM) instruction to people displaced and traumatized by the 2025 LA fires as well as first responders.
DLF has established the program by drawing on our extensive crisis response experience — from supporting healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic to helping Hurricane Helene victims in Asheville, NC.
TM is an easy-to-learn mental technique practiced for 15-20 minutes twice a day that produces a unique neurophysiological state that combines deep metabolic rest with heightened mental alertness.
Peer-reviewed published studies on TM have demonstrated it to be a highly effective intervention for addressing PTSD, anxiety, depression and addiction associated with natural disasters. DLF has successfully delivered the program in LA to hundreds of fire affected residents and first responders with hundreds more waiting to participate when new funding is secured.
Partnerships have included:
LA County Department of Mental Health
USC Trauma Recovery Center
United Firefighters LA City
First Responder Recovery - Malibu
California Teachers Association
LAUSD Foundation
CAA Foundation
Dena Heals
TM practice has been demonstrated to provide the calm and focus essential for rebuilding lives in the aftermath of disaster. As displaced Angelenos face an overwhelming number of challenges, TM helps build the inner reserves and resilience necessary for recovery.

In the aftermath of the 2025 LA wildfires, TM has provided a pathway to healing from trauma for hundreds of LA residents and first responders. The expansion of the current program will bring trauma relief and build resilience to hundreds more. Our long-term objective is to establish TM as a resource to provide "relief from within" in the aftermath of any future California wildfire or disaster so that it can be made widely available.
The intended impact is to continue to see improvement in psychological outcomes that have been achieved to date outlined in this report along with testimonials and videos below:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GaRfkIHuOrydC3FXy7W46UFs0Yt3Px9D_G5_xcsiX3o/edit?tab=t.0
Trauma Relief Program
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqPPkt9p6Zw
Firefighters
https://youtu.be/s5mfbWsNob8
Expected outcomes are similar to these research findings:
San Diego VA clinical trial on veterans with PTSD found 61% had clinically meaningful improvements in PTSD symptoms from TM.