Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!decwrl!pyramid!prls!philabs!ttidca!hollombe From: hollombe@ttidca.TTI.COM (The Polymath) Newsgroups: sci.misc Subject: Re: Transedental Meditation.... Message-ID: <2304@ttidca.TTI.COM> Date: 13 Apr 88 18:04:59 GMT References: <1126@maccs.UUCP> Reply-To: hollombe@ttidcb.tti.com (The Polymath) Organization: The Cat Factory Lines: 57 Keywords: TM.... Miraculous... Hokey?.... In article <1126@maccs.UUCP> cs4l3az@maccs.UUCP (....Jose) writes: > > I'm looking for some information on Transendental Meditation, >from people who know something about it.... both PRO and CON.... > > EG: - is it a relgion, a philosopy, or what? > - what kind of psychological/physiological support exists > for it (or against it) > > I saw one of those late night "you don't have to be such >a loser, and here's how we can help you justify your pitiful existance >with our financial/religous/investment/lifestyle/hair-replacment/ >exersize (take your pick) program" shows on TM... And it sounded to good to >be true... (with lots of "scientific" talk and nifty graphs)..... I got dragged into the world of Transcendental Meditation long ago when I was living in England. One of the first things I found out is the people running the organization consider the United States to be the richest country in the world. Therefore, their fees here are 100 times higher than in most other countries. We're supposed to be subsidizing the less fortunate. (The whole initiation procedure cost me 5 pounds sterling in 1974 -- then about $12. I think it's up to $400 here, but haven't checked recently). Whether it's a philosophy or religion is open to debate and pretty much irrelevant unless you're seriously attached to some other religion. What they do, after minor ceremony, is give you a mantra -- a secret word, in Hindi I think, supposedly chosen uniquely for you. You're supposed to meditate by focusing on repeating your mantra for 20 minutes, twice a day. This is supposed to engender a process of "unstressing", releasing all the tensions built up in your mind and body. The mantra is deliberately intended to be meaningless so you won't be distracted by its meaning, hence the use of Hindi. Psychologically, there is some evidence that the technique is useful for relaxation and reducing stress. However, no relation has been found between the nature of the mantra and the degree of effectiveness. In other words, you'd do just as well to say "Coca Cola" or "wugglyump" to yourself for 20 minutes, twice a day, and save the $400. My personal experience was that, at first, the process gave me headaches. I was told this is normal and usually stops after the first week, which it did. Thereafter, I found the experience was indeed restful, but didn't seem to have any other significant effect. I eventually gave it up. Several friends of mine continued with it for years with no outward changes that I could detect. (Obviously, they found it beneficial). In my opionion, for what it's worth, TM is harmless at worst and a useful relaxation technique at best. I wouldn't spend $400 on it. Your mileage may vary. -- The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe, hollombe@TTI.COM) Illegitimati Nil Citicorp(+)TTI Carborundum 3100 Ocean Park Blvd. (213) 452-9191, x2483 Santa Monica, CA 90405 {csun|philabs|psivax|trwrb}!ttidca!hollombe