Transcendental meditation is a deceptively simple meditation technique that uses a mantra — a repeating word, phrase or sound — to help a person clear their mind and attain a deep state of relaxation or awareness. If mindlessness is our automatic reaction to everyday events and interactions with others, transcendental meditation seeks to go beyond such reactions,
to experience the source of thought — pure awareness, also known as transcendental consciousness. This is the most silent and peaceful level of consciousness — your innermost Self. In this state of restful alertness, your brain functions with significantly greater coherence and your body gains deep rest.
Transcendental meditation is practiced twice daily for 20 minutes at a time. Transcendental meditation (TM) is one form of meditation that’s been in practice in the U.S. now for nearly 50 years. As many forms of meditation have a fair amount of research conducted on them, apparently so does TM. While not many of the studies done on TM are randomized controlled trials, some are.
So is the most recent study that examined the effects of transcendental meditation. It examined the brain waves via EEG of participants practicing TM. During the 3-month study, researchers found students could more highly activate the brain’s “default mode network,” a theorized natural “ground state” of the brain. It’s an interesting hypothesis, but I’m not entirely sure what to make of it.
So I went to Wikipedia to see if it could be of any assistance. Oops!
Although Wikipedia articles are not supposed to be openly biased or hostile, it’s clear that whoever wrote the section on “Health effects” in TM research has an axe to grind. The entire section is written by cherry-picking research to support the authors’ point of view that TM has no research basis. Here’s a simple but emblematic example of the sloppy writing here:
A 2003 review that looked at the effects of TM on cognitive function said that many of the 700 studies on TM have been produced by researchers directly associated with the TM movement and/or had not been peer reviewed. [106]
Perhaps the citation is wrong, but the citation points to a review of the research into the cumulative effects of TM only. The researchers say, “Most [studies they looked at] were excluded because they used no controls or did not randomize subjects between interventions” and the main finding was that, “The claim that TM has a specific and cumulative effect on cognitive function is not supported by the evidence from randomised controlled trials.” Strangely, the main finding is not reported in the Wikipedia article, only secondary comments made by the authors. But it’s no wonder the research section of this article makes little sense, as a quick look at the Discussion tab makes clear feuding editors battling for control about tone and focus.
I don’t know what to make of transcendental meditation personally, but I find studies like the recently published one interesting. I know people who use it and swear by its positive effects (but I also know people who use other techniques and methods and swear by them as well). I suspect some of the skepticism comes from the pseudo-religious nature of technique, or the fact that it costs money to learn it. But in my experience, many things worth learning cost money (look at my graduate education, for instance). My only concern is that if it is something that is “simple, natural, effortless, and easily learned,” why does it cost $1,500 and an entire day to learn?
I’ve read enough to consider trying it now for some time, but I really think that virtually any meditation, twice daily, is going to help a person become more introspective, relaxed, and mindful.
Read the full news article: Transcendental Meditation Resets Brain
Learn more about: Meditation techniques of TM
34 comments
I do believe that the “ground state” of increased alpha waves can also be produced by watching television, especially shows like Teletubbies.
Much cheaper than paying for TM.
Great article!
Re: above comment, FYI: research suggests that watching TV produces a state of mind and body similar to a coma–and very different from TM. And people easily spend $1500 or more for a TV set. Also, there are many rates for learning TM. I learned while a grad. student, at a rate which was equivalent to what I would otherwise spend on liquor and lattes in a few months. And there are grants and scholarships available for anyone who wants to learn it.
By the way I love Teletubbies.
For a good independent resource on TM from an ex insider, go to: http://www.truthabouttm.org//truth/Home/index.cfm
Greetings friends,
I felt compelled to post as a TM practitioner. I’ve lived the majority of my life with extreme Anxiety and Depression which I would manage by self medicating with Cannabis and alcohol. I had heard about TM from different sources over the years and decided to take the plunge. I told my local teacher that as a student I didn’t have a lot of money and my teacher said ” No problem, whatever you can do..” I ended up paying $200, not $1500. After the first day of learning I gave up drinking and smoking. Within a week I had enrolled in college and have never been so focused and driven in my life. My anxiety was non existent within days of beginning meditation and my depression hasn’t shown up in since. I am in NO WAY affiliated with the TM movement and I can honestly say I think that they do come off as dogmatic and too secretive. But the fact that this technique has literally changed my life drastically, for the better is priceless. If money is ever an issue my teacher said they will never turn you a way. I just wanted to share my story and hope that people won’t let internet negativity turn you away. I’m sure TM is not for everyone, but in my experience TM does wonders. I do hope that psychologists investigate this issue further and in the meantime check out the book “Transcendence” by Dr. Norman E. Rosenthal who sheds more scientific light on the subject.
Interesting article. Maybe the Wiki folks will eventually figure out facts and fictions. Seems on ongoing struggle for many things in life.
What I mainly find interesting in your article is the link to the citation of the cumulative effect study interesting. If I read the citation correctly, it states that out of the 10 trials that met the inclusion criteria, 4 were positive and 6 were negative; ie: “[…] 4 reported large positive effects of TM on cognitive function, four were completely negative, and 2 were largely negative in outcome.[…]”
It seems to me with those results, a fraction of the $1500 would be better spent trying Benson’s Relaxation Technique or some of the techniques from The HeartMath Institute. Or maybe Teletubbies on a cheap TV! 😀
Rusty mentions the one truth about TM website. Following is another ‘truth about TM’ website:
http://transcendental-meditation-honestly.blogspot.com/
Personally I always liked the Mr. Rogers show better than Teletubbies.
It’s a wonderful day in the neighborhood… 🙂
The link given in one of the comments above that supposedly “gives the truth about TM” is a blatant sham site in favor of TM that ignores reality.
For example, they talk about how an experiment showed that TM reduced global conflict, even though it is impossible to accurately measure. The reality is that the statistics we do have indicates that one of the worst periods of violent crime in the city the study was conducted in happened during their experiment… so, if you look at the actual stats we have, it could be argued that TM encourages violent crime.
I have been practising TM since 1971 and teaching it since 1974. I find it somewhat unreal to hear people who do not have any experience of the practice of Transcendental Meditation passing judgement in ignorance.
The truth is not complicated. TM is simple, but many simple things are easily missed if someone doesn’t point you in the right direction. I can drive a car, it’s simple, but you pay to learn. After learning TM you need to understand the nature of its action and the experiences that occur as a result. This requires trained teachers and time. I follow people up for 6 months, all included in their initial course fee.
I taught a man just before Christmas who was recommended by his medical consultant. After one month his blood pressure was down to normal, his blood sugar was normal, his anxiety and depression had gone, and his consultant was very pleased with the results, as was the man himself.
It seems to me that scientists are always changing their minds and arguing with each other and the rest of us find it very incomprehensible. Meanwhile, we down-to-earth types get on with using what works. TM works marvelously. You scientist chappies ought to try it yourselves. It will help you think more clearly and be better scientists and then we might find you a bit more credible.
As I said, I don’t quite know what to make of TM. I would like to try it, but the initial cost is a little off-putting to an ordinary person like me. I wish there was a “learn a little about TM” for a few hundred.
The cost for a person with insurance who goes to psychotherapy here in the U.S. is usually a co-pay of around $25/session. After 20 sessions (a time where much change could occur), that’s $500. Go for a year, and you’re up around $1200. So to me, it has to be equivalent to about a year’s worth of psychotherapy.
Which is not unthinkable (obviously, since millions have done it). But it does take some time to get comfortable with the amount of money you’re spending all at once (for good reason, as when you spend $25 here or $25 there, it seems like a lot less).
And for the record, I would never spend $1500 for a TV (but I know that there are many people who do).
I admit I only practiced TM for around 1-1/2 years back in the 70’s.
I still find other practices have as much benefit as I got back then.
I didn’t have a bad experience with TM. Just ran its course I reckon. I did have an ‘odd’ experience when I went to one weekend of rounding.
I’ve been wondering if TM initiations still require the new person learning the technique to bring fresh flowers, fresh fruit, and a handkerchief?
Jeff, I agree with you regarding the price of the TM course. It’s much too costly for the average person. I have no argument regarding the technique itself as I believe it sounds like a very good one; just not worth the $1500.00. There were two times in my life that I was motivated to take TM, but each time the cost was not in my budget.
As far as getting to that “ground state” of mind I learned the technique for free in another form of meditation called Sahaja Yoga. I’ve also taken Silva Mind Method, which was not free but much more reasonably priced, and learned to go to the alpha state using that technique.
Over the last 20 years I’ve developed a simple meditation that quiets the mind very effectively – and it’s free. I go to a state free of mind chatter and access a deep well of peacefulness and clarity with ease. I’ve posted a “how-to” article on my blog.
I also just wrote about TM at length in a post not more than a week ago.
$1500 for a tool that promotes good health, clear thinking and spiritual evolution throughout life. Think about all the $1500 you may have spent before and perhaps you may settle for this.
I am against TM having had a bad experience of it. At the age of 14 I read a book called ‘Tranquility without Pills’ which was all about Transcendental Meditation. I was extremely inspired and set about trying to find someone who could initiate me into the technique. I found someone who could teach me the technique for about £300, and although this must have represented my entire paperound salary for ten weeks I don’t remember being put off by this (and have nothing to say one way or the other on this count).
Anyway, I went along to learn about it and was taught about the different levels of mind and how we normally sought to solve problems on the conscious level of mind which just ended in us going around in conceptual circles. Instead, I was taught, we needed to solve our problems by absorbing into an subtler level of mind.
TM, I was taught, was different from other forms of meditation in which the emphasis was on concentration in that it taught people to reach a subtler level of mind, which wasn’t possible with concentration alone.
I was taught a mantra which I was requested to promise to keep secret (a promise I have kept and I have no particular problem with this either), and I was taught to meditate on this mantra by relaxing into it and allowing it to become subtler and subtler.
Definitely TM induces and extremely relaxing state of body and mind, but it induces mental fogginess. From a Buddhist point of view it is basically training in mental sinking which is a state of meditative concentration in which we have hold on the object of meditation but in which our clarity of it is fading. Mental sinking is a form of faulty concentration and yet is the essence of the practice of TM.
The effect of TM on me was to make me increasingly angry and confused. I started shouting at my family more and more. Eventally after a year and a half or so I decided to give it up without knowing quite why – a decision I am very grateful for.
Susequently I started going to Buddhist classes and was taught a very simple breathing meditation which has helped me far more than TM ever did. Although the money has never been an issue of me, it is perhaps worth noting that for the Buddhist classes I was only charged £4 per class – significantly less than I paid for TM.
What really was significant for me was that the simple breathing meditation taught to me through Buddhism was far better for me in terms of gaining a sense of clarity of mind than TM had ever been. Also of vital significance was that far from telling me that conscious though was the problem Buddhism taught me to use conscious thought to understand and resolve my problems, both in and outside of meditation.
People need to be discerning customers when it comes to meditation as not all meditations are the same. Any meditation technique can be harmful if practised over-zealously.
If people want a simple meditation that will enable them to develop and maintain peace of mind I would recommend that they try to attend introductory classes on Buddhist meditation which will introduce them to breathing meditation as taught in most traditions of Buddhism.
Regarding Adam… I am sorry to hear you gave up TM and seem to have a rather jaundiced view of it. I believe I know why you felt angry and were shouting at your family, but can assure you that this is not the effect of correct practise of TM and that you ought to have returned to your teacher and pointed out exacty what was happening. TM does not produce fogginess either but quite the opposite and what you describe would be more in line with something incorrect in your practise. I would be very happy to see you to discuss this anytime and make sure that you get the correct experience of the practise and good results at no cost you you whatsoever.
It’s perfectly reasonable to spend money to learn a meditation technique in-depth from experienced practitioners. You can do trainings and retreats with Jon Kabat-Zinn and learn mindfulness meditation, for example, and it would money well spent. But you can also start practicing mindfulness meditation right now, for free, because the basic technique can be described very simply and straightforwardly: “Pay attention to your breath. When thoughts carry your attention away from the breath, gently bring it back.”
Why else would TM keep the basic technique veiled in mystery, other than to get your money? Focus on a word instead of the breath. There you go. Because TM used to be the only meditation technique in town that had any kind of scientific evidence base behind it, people tended to buy the marketing and assume it was somehow the “best” technique. And maybe it is really good technique, and the 1500 bucks gets you high quality in-depth instruction that’s on par with say, a Kabat-Zinn mindfulness retreat. But now there’s a boat-load of research (and more by the day) supporting the benefits of basic mindfulness practice. Read Elisha Goldstein’s blog or google “mindfulness”, and in less than a minute you can start meditating, using an evidence-based technique, for free. And then there are countless books and teachers out there that can help deepen your practice, if you want to spend some money. That’s my two cents worth.
Dear Lewis, it is really very sweet and kind of you, but things have moved on for me a lot since then. I am now 34 and have been practising Buddhist Meditation for 15 years and am very happy with it.
I don’t doubt the sincerity of TM practitioners and teachers, and do not agree with those who suggest that it is a money-making technique. I know that my teacher was very sincere. It is just that it is not for me. I prefer Buddhist meditation to TM as I feel that I get more out of it.
Thank you very much for you kind and sincere offer all the same, and I wish you the very best with your chosen path of personal development.
Actually a good number of independent reviews have showed that TM research is not only biased (it’s often performed or paid for by TM Org employees or followers), it’s most often of poor quality. That’s what the University of Alberta found when the US Govt. asked them to investigate TM’s claims.
For the honest truth about TM, including a review of the recent study on the brain alleged “ground state” (an old TM theme since the 70’s) written mostly by Maharishi University of Management employees check out:
http://transcendental-meditation-honestly.blogspot.com/
BTW, the “great article” ditto heads are all TM Org tag teams tasked at targeting web comments. Check out the Wikileaks article which discusses their web plans. Best of luck.
“As I said, I don’t quite know what to make of TM. I would like to try it, but the initial cost is a little off-putting to an ordinary person like me. I wish there was a “learn a little about TM†for a few hundred.”
I learned TM years ago for cheap ($75). I later learned Mindfulness for free at a Shambhala Center. I found it much more balancing and it has great science to back it up.
I no longer recommend TM or Zen but instead recommend Mindfulness Meditation. I also took the MBSR course after I saw it on Bill Moyers. I also highly recommend it. Jon Kabat-Zinn rocks.
Adam thank you for your insights. I always wondered about the fogginess that TM produced, along with the feeling of disconnection from my body, but I never knew what it was or what to call it. What you describe is exactly my experience. Thanks for putting descriptive words from the meditation tradition to this experience. I will definitely be looking into this more. It’s almost as if TM conditions one towards a lack of clear focus and a type of dissociation, what some people think of as bliss. It’s really addictive if you let it go.
I found the lack of focus made me feel withdrawn and aloof, which wasn’t actually very helpful in my life.
I believe people have various levels of intelectual capacity and inclinations. TM is best suited for ordinary people who would find it difficult to do say a Zen meditation or fully grasp a session with Jon Kabat-Zinn . It is easy ,simple and it works ! . That is why it is easy for doing studies with , since the researches will get a lot of practitioners . But sure I would some intellectually oriented people will like other forms of meditation and may dislike TM
Unlike my friends, I like being quiet. I don’t mind being alone and don’t need to surround myself with constant activity. As I continue my practice of Transcendental Meditation I realize that I have been given an invaluable tool for self-fulfillment: a gift I could never pay for in dollars and cents.
Great post, John. Yes, I too have met individuals who seem to want to discredit research on TM entirely, which doesn’t make much sense to me. There’s no doubt that much of the TM research has holes in it, but not all of it. Some of it is quite impressive. Developmental psychologist Charles Alexander, for example, conducted a number of highly respected studies showing that TM practice was correlated with higher levels of ego development. He used Jane Loevinger’s ego development model and the Washington University Sentence Completion Test to conduct his study.
In my opinion, Transcendental Meditation is a good thing to learn provided you have enough money to spend. Basically it involves chanting of Mantras which are very good tools for achieving a meditative state and in all likelihood, you will be benefited from it. However, use your own discretion while reading various TM recruiting literature (which is full of charts and graphs demonstrating “scientifically” the wonders of TM. You will find things like metabolic rate, oxygen consumption rate, bodily production of carbon dioxide, hormone production, brain waves, etc. all measured and charted and graphically presented to suggest that TM really takes a person to a new state of consciousness.)
You make some good points, in particular, “virtually any meditation, twice daily, is going to help a person become more introspective, relaxed, and mindful.” Nothing could be truer. I mean, the TM movement has a monopoly on peace of mind or spiritual development do they?
Whoops, I mean’t:
the TM movement DOESN’T have a monopoly on peace of mind or spiritual development do they?
thanks for sharing this. i just hope i could have an improved concentration. this will definitely help me release all the negative entities due to stress. hehe 😀
Swarup is sooooo right. TM is great for those with a certain mentality. (I call it the “sheep” type – no offense to sheep.) I practice TM and dislike it. I have had my brain tested by the TM people and according to my results, I’m doing something right. However, I don’t enjoy it.
The dirty little secret of TM is that when you’re practicing TM, a lot of the time all that happens is that you get a lot of regular thoughts popping in. If a thought pops in, it’s just there and may continue for a while. I’m not allowed to reveal the technique of TM, but I can say that about it. TM’rs call this “stress release,” but in practice, it’s usually just sitting around for 20 minutes at a time with a lot of annoying thoughts in your head.
Many people who practice TM have very few sessions in which they feel that they’ve reached a peaceful or transcendent state. Some people have a natural affinity for the technique and it works great for them. Some do it for years and just continue to do it because they are devotees, even though it doesn’t feel that amazing (I had one TM’er say to me that he wasn’t even sure he “did it right” for the first 15 years – because of invasive thoughts.)
The hidden aspect of TM is the Movement. This is a collection of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi devotees who have devoted much of their life to following Movement ideology, which includes learning “advanced techniques” (reciting vedic literature in sanskrit), wearing beige because black is negative(??), and working in Movement-related jobs for next to nothing. There is a program called “Invincible America” which pays TM Sidhas to meditate for several hours each day, six days a week. Those who learn TM risk being hounded by devotees who wish to proselytize them.
In contrast, because mindfulness and Zen-type meditations require some measure of focus, those meditations are far less polluted by stressful thoughts (and I have personal experience with all of these techniques). I agree that Kabat-Zinn is great; I worked at a place where he did seminars, but never took one. Another great person to study from is Pema Chodron. She is very down-to-earth and has some great books. The advantage of these two is that they do not promote a dogmatic belief system like TM Movement people do.
Do what you will, but just be informed.
The Transcendental Meditation- technique may be an effective approach to reduce symptoms of depression, according to two new studies that were presented at the 31st Annual Meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine in Seattle, Washington April 9th, 2010.
The studies, conducted at Charles Drew University in Los Angeles and University of Hawaii in Kohala included African Americans and Native Hawaiians, 55 years and older, who were at risk for cardiovascular disease. Participants were randomly allocated to the Transcendental Meditation program or health education control group, and assessed with a standard test for depression-the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) inventory over 9-12 months.
The effects / findings were profound.
I really like the topic of this blog and this post reminded me of a study that was just published in a professional psychology journal that discusses the changes that you have mentioned. The study showed that after 8 weeks of mindfulness meditation, actual structural changes have been observed using Fmri imaging techniques
“A mindfulness meditation training program can trigger measurable changes in brain areas associated with awareness, empathy and sense of self within eight weeks, a new study has found.”
Here is a link to the actual study if anyone is interesting in more information.
http://wisecouncil.blogspot.com/2011/01/meditation-appears-to-cause-changes-in.html
Thanks
I like your point about costing $1500 hundred to learn something simple and natural. Its the inherent nature of us humans to distrust something that we get so easily – there has to be an investment to feel like we are getting some value. Be a Buddhist and growing up in a Buddhist country it saddens me how such simple, readily available and free teachings have been commercialized – but then again if people do get s value from it, in their perspective is well worth it….right?
Meditation is good. Meditation is free. TM® is a pure simple thing turned into a big business machine. What a smart shrewd guy (self-appointed) Maharishi, Mr Mahesh was – he conned the western world beautifully.
I agree with the good Dr Grohl that ‘virtually any meditation, twice daily, is going to help a person’.
I started TM and quickly worked out that it was not for me after 1 session, but do you think the TM corp would consider any compensation. Ha. They shroud there methods in mystery – that you and your mantra are special, unique (wrong again). Every step of getting you in is perfectly planned from the first interview through the course. It was for me an expensive lesson in business workings not meditation.
Also as Adam above said TM ‘induces mental fogginess’.. i couldnt see it at first but my teacher, a gentle lovely soul, seemed very calm and together, but in time i started feeling she was like in a dream, under a spell; and she’d been doing for it 18 years religiously.
Her immediate superior tho is a violent man, i felt when talking to him. And hes a TM teacher too.
Dont pay for it. There is a great journey of inner peace thats free. Trust yourself i wish i had.
I don’t necessarily agree with some voices on the internet that TM can vastly improve your physical health, but I wholeheartedly believe that it can improve your mental/psych health. If nothing else, regular meditation relieves a lot of my day-to-day stress. I would recommend it to anyone looking to relax, the only thing is that I found it hard starting out. I would recommend attending sessions or going to a website that offers Free Guided Meditations when first starting out. I used both and they helped a lot.
“I know people who use it and swear by its positive effects (but I also know people who use other techniques and methods and swear by them as well).”
If you have an “also,” then you don’t need an “as well” on the end.
Hope this helps.
I’ve never tried TM but have used other meditation practices for over 20 years and my experience seems to match everything claimed for TM. There is also a lot of scientific research that backs up the benefits of meditation more generally, not just whatever guarded technique TM offers. I thought I’d try to learn a bit more after hearing Jerry Seinfeld mention that he practices TM. But I’m definitely put off by the high cost before yo even know what you’re paying for. If it requires a teacher in order to really learn the technique, then fine, offer opportunities to pay for that. But let folks know what they are paying for first.
I can get free instruction at my local zen center or vipassana group, and then I can pay to attend classes or retrreas for further instruction, or support the local center if I want to continue to attend regularly. But offering free teaser intros that explain the “value” of the technique and lead you up to the point where you need to pay in order to “really” learn makes TM sound a bit like Scientology (especially with all the celebrity endorsement).
So call me skeptical.
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