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Transcendental Meditation

ramonmercado

CyberPunk
Joined
Aug 19, 2003
Messages
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Eblana
I think this fits here. Brings The Men Who Stare At Goats to mind.

Transcendental Meditation: Military Application Gaining Acceptance
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/183206.php
23 Mar 2010

A leading scientific journal in Pakistan, The Journal of Management & Social Science,* recently published a paper titled "A New Role for the Military: Preventing Enemies from Arising-Reviving an Ancient Approach to Peace," indicating that the military application of the Transcendental Meditation technique has merit. The paper discusses how militaries worldwide could use the Transcendental Meditation® and TM-Sidhi® program, founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, as a non-religious and scientifically verified way to prevent war and terrorism. When used in a military context, these meditation practices are known as Invincible Defense Technology (IDT).

The paper describes the concept of a "Prevention Wing of the Military," a group of military personnel that practices the advanced TM-Sidhi program twice daily as a group. A group that reaches a critical threshold in size has been scientifically shown to reduce collective societal stress.

The paper hypothesizes that war, terrorism, and crime are caused by collective societal stress. The absence of collective stress translates into the absence of tension between countries, between religious groups, or even within individual terrorists. The paper proposes that, by applying this non-lethal and non-destructive technology, any military can reduce societal stress and prevent enemies from arising. If IDT prevents the emergence of enemies, the military has no one to fight, so the nation becomes invincible.

Over 50 scientific studies have found that when 1% of a given population practices Transcendental Meditation, or when sufficiently large groups practice the TM-Sidhi program together twice daily, measurable positive changes take place throughout society as a whole. The studies show decreased violence, crime, car accidents, and suicides, and improved quality of life in society. The paper reviews IDT research, such as a study published in the Yale University-edited Journal of Conflict Resolution showing that an intervention by a civilian group in Israel resulted in a 76% reduction in war deaths in neighboring Lebanon. Seven subsequent, consecutive experiments over a two-year period during the peak of the Lebanon war found:

* war-related fatalities decreased by 71% (p < 0.0000000001)

* war-related injuries fell by 68% (p < 0.000001)

* the level of conflict dropped by 48% (p < 0.00000001)

* cooperation among antagonists increased by 66% (p < 0.000001)

A follow-up study published in the Journal of Social Behavior and Personality found that the likelihood that these combined results were due to chance is less than one in a quintillion. A global-scale study published in the Journal of Offender Rehabilitation documented a 72% drop in international terrorism when IDT groups were large enough to affect the global population. Terrorism returned to previous levels after the experiment.

IDT's causal mechanism is not completely understood. An explanation of the causality of IDT in biological terms was proposed in a study in the Journal of Social Behavior and Personality (Walton et al 2005, 17: 339-373). Serotonin, a powerful neurotransmitter, has been shown to produce feelings of happiness, contentment, and even euphoria. Research indicates that low levels of serotonin correlate with aggression, poor emotional moods and violence. The study indicated that when the size of a group of IDT experts changed, serotonin production of people in the nearby community changed correspondingly. Since results were statistically significant, this study offers a plausible neurophysiologic mechanism that may explain reduced aggression and hostility in a whole society.

An increase in serotonin activity and a decrease in cortisol appear to be associated with the experience of transcendental consciousness in the advanced individual TM practitioner. During the practice of TM, practitioners experience transcendental consciousness, a proposed fourth state of consciousness with brain activity distinctly different from waking, sleeping and dreaming. The state of transcendental consciousness produces coherence in the brain, and scientists speculate that this enlivens coherence within the unified field. Apparently, the effect is amplified through group practice. Theoretical physicists allude to the unified field as the basis of all laws of nature. IDT appears to work from this fundamental level. Therefore, through the unified field, there is increased coherence in the non-TM practitioner's brain as well. This increased coherence materially involved serotonin.

The paper's author is David R. Leffler, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Center for Advanced Military Science at the Institute of Science, Technology and Public Policy at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, USA. "This paper introduces a new role for the military: 'Prevention Wings' whose purpose is to prevent enemies from arising," said Dr. Leffler. "This new approach, derived from the ancient Vedic tradition of India, is supported by over 50 scientific studies. IDT can create victory before war, and can assist in peacemaking, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding." The size of the Prevention Wing would usually be 2%-3% of a nation's military personnel.

Land-based Prevention Wings were successfully field tested by the militaries of Mozambique and Ecuador in the 1990s. The paper explains that sea-based Prevention Wings are theoretically possible. For example, carrier battle groups supporting IDT experts could be deployed to the Persian Gulf to reduce tensions in the Middle East, without directly penetrating borders.

"Since the military's primary job is to fully protect its country from attack by enemies, both foreign and domestic, all branches of the armed forces should also consider this approach," said Dr. Leffler. The paper concludes that preventing enemies from arising is both doable and economical.

Military-related institutions have shown interest in Invincible Defense Technology. Dr. Leffler first presented his review paper at the "International Sociological Association Research Committee 01 Seoul National University & Korea Military Academy International Conference on Armed Forces & Conflict Resolution in a Globalized World" in Seoul, Korea, in 2008. He also presented the paper at the Korea Institute of Defense Analyses. Dr. Leffler also spoke at the "5th Annual Countering IEDs - Assessing the IED Threat and its Evolution on the Battlefield and in the Homeland" conference in Washington, DC.

The title of his briefing was "Invincible Defense Technology (IDT) as a Means to Prevent the Implementation of IEDs." Dr. Leffler has also given presentations at the Russian Air Force Academy, The Russian Academy of Sciences, and US defense-related institutions such as the Institute of Defense and Business.

Source:
Dr. David Leffler
Center for Advanced Military Science (CAMS)

Edit to amend title.
 
Transcendental Meditation Found To Improve Standardized Academic Achievement
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/219749.php
22 Mar 2011

The Transcendental Meditation® technique may be an effective approach to improve math and English academic achievement in low-performing students, according to a new study published in the journal Education.

The study was conducted at a California public middle school with 189 students who were below proficiency level in English and math. Change in academic achievement was evaluated using the California Standards Tests (CST).

"The results of the study provide support to a recent trend in education focusing on student mind/body development for academic achievement," said Dr. Ronald Zigler, study co-author and associate professor at Penn State, Abington. "We need more programs of this kind implemented into our nation's public schools, with further evaluation efforts."

Students who practiced the Transcendental Meditation program showed significant increases in math and English scale scores and performance level scores over a one-year period. Forty-one percent of the meditating students showed a gain of at least one performance level in math compared to 15.0% of the non-meditating controls.

Among the students with the lowest levels of academic performance, "below basic" and "far below basic," the meditating students showed a significant improvement in overall academic achievement compared to controls, which showed a slight gain.

"This initial research, showing the benefits of the Quiet Time/Transcendental Meditation program on academic achievement, holds promise for public education" said Sanford Nidich, EdD, lead author and professor of education at Maharishi University of Management. "The findings suggest that there is an easy-to-implement, value-added educational program which can help low-performing minority students begin to close the achievement gap," said Dr. Nidich.

The middle school level is of particular concern to educators because of low academic performance nationally. Sixty-six percent of eighth-grade students are below proficiency level in math and 68% are below proficiency level in reading, based on 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress data.

Faculty surveyed as part of the project reported the Quiet Time/Transcendental Meditation program to be a valuable addition to the school. They reported the students to be calmer, happier, and less hyperactive, with an increased ability to focus on schoolwork. In terms of the school environment, faculty reported less student fights, less abusive language, and an overall more relaxed and calm atmosphere since implementation of the program.

Notes:

The study was supported by the David Lynch Foundation.

Study Facts
This study evaluated change in academic achievement in public middle school students practicing the Transcendental Meditation program compared to non-meditating controls. A total of 189 students (125 meditating and 64 non-meditating students), who were below proficiency level at baseline in English and math, were evaluated for change in academic achievement, using the California Standards Tests (CST).
Ninety-seven percent were racial and ethnic minority students.
The Transcendental Meditation program was practiced in class twice a day as part of the school's Quiet Time program for three months prior to posttesting.
The Transcendental Meditation program was taught in the context of a school-wide Quiet Time program in which students voluntarily chose the Quiet Time program in which they wanted to participate.
The Transcendental Meditation technique is a simple, natural, effortless technique that allows the mind to settle down and experience a silent yet awake state of awareness, a state of "restful alertness." Practice of this stress reduction program does not involve any change in beliefs, values, religion, or lifestyle.
Compared to eyes-closed rest, research has found that Transcendental Meditation practice is characterized by decreased activation or arousal of the autonomic nervous system, as reflected in decreased breath rate and lower sympathetic nervous system activity. The Transcendental Meditation program has been shown to increase electroencephalographic (EEG) brain integration and coherence, especially in the frontal area of the brain, responsible for higher-order processing.
Other published research on high school and college students has shown reduced psychological distress, improved positive coping ability, decreased blood pressure, reduced cardiovascular reactivity to stressful stimuli, reduced absenteeism, and decreased school suspensions.
Results of the current study indicated improvement for meditating students compared to controls on English scale scores (p = .002) and math scale scores (p < .001). A greater percentage of meditating students improved at least one performance level in math and English compared to controls (p values < .01).

A matched-control subgroup of 50 students in each group yielded similar results.

Source:
Ken Chawkin
Maharishi University of Management
 
Meditation can cut heart attacks by as much as half
Transcendental meditation, the relaxation technique made famous by the Beatles, can cut heart attack and stroke death rates by up to 50%, new research has found.
By Richard Alleyne
9:00PM BST 27 Jun 2011

The practice, which involves the continual repeating of a mantra, was found to reduce high blood pressure, cholesterol and thickening of the arteries. It is also protects against diabetes.

"This is a seminal finding," said Dr Norman Rosenthal of the American government's National Institute of Mental Health.
"The prevention of heart attack and stroke and actual lengthening of lifespan by an alternative
treatment method is exceedingly rare, if not unprecedented.
"If Transcendental Meditation were a drug conferring so many benefits, it would be a billion-dollar blockbuster."

Stress is a major factor in heart disease and meditation experts say the technique can help control it.
Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin followed 201 men and women with an average age of 59 who suffered from the narrowing of arteries in their hearts for nine years.
Half of the group were taught Transcendental Medication along with their normal treatment while the others just received advice on how to modify their diets and exercise routines.

They found that those who regularly meditated reduced their chances of dying or having a heart attack or stroke by 47 per cent compared with those who received traditional care.
In those who were particularly enthusiastic about the mediation or unusually susceptible to stress, the results were even stronger.
They showed a two-thirds reduction in chances of dying during the trial.

Professor Theodore Kotchen, the co-author of the £2.5 million trial, said: "These findings are the strongest documented effects yet produced by a mind-body intervention on cardiovascular disease.
"The effect is as large or larger than major categories of drug treatment for cardiovascular disease."
"This study builds on previous research findings showing that the Transcendental Meditation program reduces high blood pressure, high cholesterol, insulin resistance, psychological stress, and atherosclerosis, and takes it to the next step — lower rates of death, heart attack, and stroke," explained Dr Robert Schneider, co-author.

The research was carried out in the African American population but there is no reason that the same results would not be repeated in the wider world.
Cardiovascular disease is Britain's biggest killer accounting for almost 200,000 deaths a year.
The researchers said that meditation technique should be used as a complement to the usual drug treatment and not as an alternative.

Transcendental meditation. which is based on an ancient tradition of enlightenment in India, involves sitting quietly and concentrating to focus the mind inwards by silently repeating a mantra – a word or phrase.
The practice, which is carried out for 20 minutes, twice a day, is said to induce inner peace by allowing thoughts to flow in and out of the mind.
It was popularised in the 1960s through the Beatles who learnt the technique through their guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

The study was due to appear in Archives of Internal Medecine but last night its editor said publication was being delayed while last minute data provided by the research team was analysed.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healt ... -half.html
 
More on the above article.
Journal pulls meditation paper after "additional data" surfaces - June 27, 2011

A journal said today that it was pulling a paper linking transcendental meditation to lowered rates of death from heart attack and stroke after its authors provided additional data “less than 24 hours” before the article had been slated to be published online.

The Archives of Internal Medicine notified reporters of the decision via email at 2:48 pm Chicago time on 27 June - twelve minutes before the article had been scheduled to be published. The decision was too late for some media outlets that had prepared stories based on an embargoed press release about the paper. The Telegraph ran a story about the paper online in which the paper's senior author, Theodore Kotchen of the Medical College of Wisconsin, said: "These findings are the strongest documented effects yet produced by a mind-body intervention on cardiovascular disease. The effect is as large or larger than major categories of drug treatment for cardiovascular disease." (Update, June 28: Maureen Mack, director of media relations at the Medical College of Wisconsin has notified us that the Telegraph misattributed this quote. It should have been attributed to the paper's first author, Robert Schneider of the Maharishi University of Management.)

The Telegraph also quoted one scientist at the US National Institute of Mental Health who described the paper as a "seminal finding."

"The prevention of heart attack and stroke and actual lengthening of lifespan by an alternative treatment method is exceedingly rare, if not unprecedented. If Transcendental Meditation were a drug conferring so many benefits, it would be a billion-dollar blockbuster," the NIMH's Normal Rosenthal told the Telegraph.

Archives spokeswoman Jann Ingmire said she had asked the Telegraph not to run the story in its print edition on 28 June.

Ingmire said she could not recall another situation in which the journal had decided at the last minute to pull a paper that had been scheduled to be published. However she said the journal was placed in a difficult position after the authors of the paper submitted additional data about the paper so close to its publication date. She said it was unclear whether the new data changed the paper’s conclusions.

“It became apparent that there was additional data not included in the manuscript that was about to be published, and the editor of Archives thought that the information was significant enough that it needed to be included as part of the paper, and then re-analyzed and verified, so she made the last-minute decision not to publish it,” Ingmire said. The editor of the journal is Rita F. Redberg of the University of California at San Francisco.

Ingmire said: “It’s an unusual situation, but the bottom line is that our journal wants to make sure that the information we put out is as accurate as can be.”

Larry Husten at Forbes points out that the paper’s "first author, Robert Schneider, is the Dean of the College of Maharishi Consciousness Based Health Care at Maharishi University of Management and Director of the Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention, which is funded by the NIH’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.”

The full text of the email from Archives is pasted below.

"The editorial office of the Archives of Internal Medicine has made the decision not to publish, “Stress Reduction in the Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Transcendental Meditation and Health Education in African Americans,” by Schneider et al, and the accompanying Commentary by Mehta and Bairey Merz that was to post Online First at 3 PM central time today.

The decision is to allow time for review and statistical analysis of additional data not included in the original paper that the authors provided less than 24 hours before posting. We apologize for the short notice, but hope you will understand and not run your stories on this study today."

Update, June 28: The online Telegraph story has been removed.
http://blogs.nature.com/news/2011/06/journal_pulls_meditation_paper.html
 
Perhaps the practice would gain more credibility if it were to be renamed. 'TM' has so many flaky associations. Many of a society's ills might be salved by regular and deliberate deep relaxation of the mind amongst the citizenry. I'd have it on every school health and PE curriculum.
 
This newly published study provides new claims about TM and cardiovascular health - this time focusing on abnormal heart enlargement.

NOTE: The research was done at / through Maharishi University.
Transcendental Meditation prevents abnormal enlargement of the heart, reduces chronic heart failure

A randomized controlled study recently published in Ethnicity & Disease in their Autumn 2019 Hypertension issue found that the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique helps to prevent abnormal enlargement of the heart compared to health education (HE) controls. Also known as left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), it can lead to chronic heart failure and death, and is especially prevalent among African Americans. ...
FULL STORY: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-12/miu-tmp122419.php
 
The TM folks have a well-funded and well-organized marketing department aimed at selling their product. I have run across them also selling packaged meditation services for kids to school systems. There probably is a link between a steady meditation process and some kinds of health improvements, but TM doesn't have a patent on something special. (Well I suppose they have a trademark.) I've been told by those who attended classes that for long-term regulars it operates something like Scientology where more and more money can be paid for higher levels of something. It also does have a new name and face that starts off as a business-networking self-actualization "club". I can't find the name right now, but a friend who attended a meeting of this networking organization and had done TM in his youth said that it was clearly a TM operation. I'll post it if and when I can locate it.
 
The TM folks have a well-funded and well-organized marketing department aimed at selling their product. I have run across them also selling packaged meditation services for kids to school systems. There probably is a link between a steady meditation process and some kinds of health improvements, but TM doesn't have a patent on something special. (Well I suppose they have a trademark.) I've been told by those who attended classes that for long-term regulars it operates something like Scientology where more and more money can be paid for higher levels of something. It also does have a new name and face that starts off as a business-networking self-actualization "club". I can't find the name right now, but a friend who attended a meeting of this networking organization and had done TM in his youth said that it was clearly a TM operation. I'll post it if and when I can locate it.
The one detail I retain from a sceptical article I read way back when - I must have been in my early teens, and I have a sneaking suspicion the article would have been in my Grandma's Reader's Digest, rotten reactionary rag that I now recognise it to have been - was that each trainee was given their own mantra. Now, even at the time I smelt a rat - my guess is there was a hat with ten or so mantras in, and these were plucked out at random *ahem* "personally customised to fit the individuals' traits". Can anyone confirm or deny?
 
The one detail I retain ... was that each trainee was given their own mantra. Now, even at the time I smelt a rat - my guess is there was a hat with ten or so mantras in, and these were plucked out at random *ahem* "personally customised to fit the individuals' traits". Can anyone confirm or deny?

My understanding (from conversations with TM practitioners and trainers back in the 1970s) was that the mantra wasn't personally unique in the sense of being a novel thing customized for the particular person alone, but more like "prescribed as the most effective" for a given individual based on their experience and progress through the standard training / development regimen.

To use a pharmaceutical metaphor ... The personal mantra isn't a custom-concocted potion, but rather a selection "off the shelf" from a large range of known items - each of which has particular features or affordances.

As I recall, there's supposed to be a large set of mantras derived from ancient Vedic sources. The student is prescribed one which is found (through experience during training) to be most effective in aiding him / her to attain the intended meditative state.
 
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