1. No different than other forms of meditation.
2. No evidence that it works.
3. Harmful side effects.
4. It’s a religious cult.
5. It’s a profit-making organization.
6. You don’t need a certified teacher.
MYTH # 1: No different than other forms of meditation.
FACT: The Transcendental Meditation technique is unique.
Gary Kaplan, M.D, Ph.D., neurologist, New York University School of Medicine: Scientific research studies have shown that all meditation practices are not the same and do not give the same results.
Brain:
Various forms of meditation engage the mind in different ways—they have their own mechanics, usually involving some form of concentration or control of the mind, or else contemplation. These different approaches to meditation necessarily activate different parts of the brain. The operative word in the Transcendental Meditation technique is “transcendental.” During TM practice, one “transcends”—the mind naturally and effortlessly settles down from the surface, active level of the thinking process to experience progressively more settled and refined levels of the mind, until you experience the silent field of restful alertness at the source of thought. Neuroscientists have found that this particular meditative state gained during TM practice is the only experience known to create “global EEG coherence”—a state of highly orderly, efficient functioning throughout the entire brain, leading to increased creativity and intelligence and heightened awareness in daily life.
Relaxation:
The levels of rest gained during the various forms of meditation vary from method to method, according to medical researchers. Published studies show the Transcendental Meditation technique produces a state of rest and relaxation far deeper than all other practices, as measured by changes in oxygen consumption, respiration rate, cardiovascular rest, skin resistance and biochemistry.
Health:
Peer-reviewed scientific studies have compared the effectiveness of various forms of meditation on health factors, and found the Transcendental Meditation technique to be the most effective mind-body practice for lowering blood pressure, reducing anxiety and depression, quitting cigarette smoking, increasing self-actualization and many other health benefits.
Can you get the same results simply by relaxing? >
How is the TM technique different from other forms of meditation? >
MYTH # 2: No evidence that it works.
FACT: The Transcendental Meditation technique is scientifically validated.
Steele Belok, M.D., Harvard University Medical School, faculty: Hundreds of scientific research studies conducted at medical schools and independent research institutions worldwide have verified the Transcendental Meditation technique’s effectiveness for promoting health and personal growth. More than 350 studies have been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, including Science, Scientific American, the American Medical Association’s Archives of Internal Medicine, the American Heart Association’s journals Hypertension and Stroke, and the American Journal of Cardiology.
Government funded studies:
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a total of more than $24 million during the past 18 years for scientists to study the TM technique’s benefits for improved brain functioning and cardiovascular health.
Learned by 5 million people:
During the past 50 years, the Transcendental Meditation program has been validated in the lives of more than five million people of all ages, religions, and nationalities who have enjoyed the benefits of twice-daily practice.
It’s effectiveness in the classroom has been demonstrated by 40 years of in-school programs—with more than 140,000 students around the world now practicing the TM technique as part of school-sponsored “Quiet-Time” programs.
Are the benefits really validated by hundreds of solid, scientific studies? >
Where were these research studies conducted, and by whom? >
MYTH # 3: Harmful side effects.
FACT: The Transcendental Meditation technique is produces only positive, holistic benefits.
Steele Belok, M.D., Harvard University Medical School, faculty: The Transcendental Meditation technique gives rest to mind and body and reduces stress and anxiety. How could increased rest or decreased anxiety be harmful? Research has shown that this program improves creativity and intelligence. How could anyone be harmed by such improvements?
What happens during TM practice is the healthiest thing that can happen to anyone—the brain begins to function more efficiently, more orderly, not only during meditation but also in daily life. This has been shown and replicated through a dozen separate brain research studies published in the International Journal of Neuroscience and other leading, peer-reviewed scientific journals. When the brain is healthier, more integrated and efficient, the whole body is positively impacted because the brain controls everything. There are only positive, life-enriching results.
In addition, we know that most of the major risk factors responsible for cardiovascular diseases, including heart attacks and strokes, are reduced with the Transcendental Meditation program. Because heart attacks and strokes—which we call cardiovascular diseases—are a major cause of sickness and mortality in our country, reducing the risk factor for these illnesses would not be something one would associate with a negative effect. In addition, a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology showed that older individuals who begin the Transcendental Meditation program have a ten-year reduced incidence of cardiovascular mortality of 30%, and a reduction in all cause mortality in ten years of 23% when compared to controls. These are very impressive statistics.
A study published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine found that the rate of admissions to hospitals in essentially all disease categories was reduced in those practicing the Transcendental Meditation technique. This was true not only for physical illness, where researchers reported an overall reduction of up to 50% in admissions, but the research also included striking reductions in admissions for mental illness and substance abuse.
Therefore, from a purely outcomes-related assessment of the published research on the Transcendental Meditation technique, I can strongly say that this program has only a positive—and highly positive—impact on mental and physical health.
Vernon Barnes, Ph.D., Medical College of Georgia, faculty: The scientific evidence overwhelmingly shows that the Transcendental Meditation technique produces only positive, beneficial effects.
Though a couple of “anti-meditation” activists’ websites have questioned the safety of the TM technique, in every case their assertions have been scientifically baseless for one of two reasons: 1) the research cited involved uncontrolled studies that were not about the Transcendental Meditation program, but dealt with other forms of meditation, or, 2) the papers were thinly disguised opinion pieces containing unfounded speculation with no scientific evidence to back the assertions.
There are no well-controlled, peer-reviewed scientific studies suggesting that the technique can be unpleasant or harmful for anyone.
Does TM work for everyone? >
Is it possible that the reported benefits result from suggestion or expectation—in other words, the placebo effect? >
MYTH # 4: It’s a religious cult.
FACT: The Transcendental Meditation technique is a scientific, non-religious technique.
Gary Kaplan, M.D, Ph.D., neurologist, New York University School of Medicine: The TM technique is simply a technique. You don’t join an organization to learn and practice it. You don’t follow anyone or anything, other than your own personal progress.
The organization that teaches the TM program is a professional, non-profit educational organization made up of a diversity of people dedicated to making the benefits and knowledge of meditation available to everyone who wants to learn. Once you learn, you’re not a member of the organization, although the teachers and ongoing programs are accessible if you need them for guidance and support with your meditation.
The TM program is systematic and scientific, compatible not only with best clinical health practices but with any healthy lifestyle.
Steele Belok, M.D., Harvard University Medical School, faculty: The Transcendental Meditation technique does not require that one believe that it works to be successful in the practice. The program is not faith-based, and this is why it is not a religion. Any explanations about how the technique works are not doctrines to be believed in but principles that are verified through direct personal experience and scientific research. Thus there is no dogma—other than to be true to yourself and your experience.
William Stixrud, Ph.D., clinical neuropsychologist, Children's National Medical Center, Washington,D.C., adjunct faculty : The TM technique is not a form of mysticism, mind control or hypnosis, and does not induce a trance—components often associated with cults. Millions of people practice the TM technique to enjoy a better quality of life. I’ve known adults who have meditated for thirty years and have no knowledge of any philosophy associated with the Transcendental Meditation program and would have no interest in that at all. In my own case, when I learned to meditate, someone had the objection that it may be some kind of disguised Eastern mysticism. I’ve been enjoying the benefits for 33 years and have no involvement with any elements of Eastern religion.
Sandeep Chaudhary, M.D., Medical Director of Wellspring Endocrinology at Scripps Memorial Hospital: This is a silly notion, that TM is a cult—it is medically unfounded, biased and disingenuous. Think about it: how many so-called cults offer a technique that has been
• awarded over $24 million in research grants by the National Institutes of Health;
• verified by research studies in hundreds of peer-reviewed medical and scientific journals, including the American Medical Association and the American Heart Association’s own publications;
• approved by the American Medical Association for a continuing education course for physicians;
• regularly featured in presentations at the American Psychological Association’s annual conferences;
• showcased for its benefits to cardiovascular health at the annual convention of the American College of Cardiology.
Will TM conflict with my religion? >
Is TM related to India’s spiritual or religious traditions? >
What is the “mantra”?
MYTH # 5: It’s a profit-making organization.
FACT: The TM technique is taught through a non-profit, educational organization.
Gary Kaplan, M.D, Ph.D., neurologist, New York University School of Medicine: Instruction in the Transcendental Meditation technique is offered through a professional, non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) educational organization that exists solely to make the benefits of the practice available to everyone. The organization has been training certified instructors for over 40 years, maintaining the TM technique’s original effectiveness through systematic, standardized teaching procedures.
Your tuition helps others learn.
All TM course fees go to sustain teachers and support the organization’s teaching activities, helping fund meditation programs in inner city schools and developing nations—where the organization offers the technique at no charge through grants and scholarships.
Why must there be a course fee to learn the TM technique? >
2. No evidence that it works.
3. Harmful side effects.
4. It’s a religious cult.
5. It’s a profit-making organization.
6. You don’t need a certified teacher.
MYTH # 1: No different than other forms of meditation.
FACT: The Transcendental Meditation technique is unique.
Gary Kaplan, M.D, Ph.D., neurologist, New York University School of Medicine: Scientific research studies have shown that all meditation practices are not the same and do not give the same results.
Brain:
Various forms of meditation engage the mind in different ways—they have their own mechanics, usually involving some form of concentration or control of the mind, or else contemplation. These different approaches to meditation necessarily activate different parts of the brain. The operative word in the Transcendental Meditation technique is “transcendental.” During TM practice, one “transcends”—the mind naturally and effortlessly settles down from the surface, active level of the thinking process to experience progressively more settled and refined levels of the mind, until you experience the silent field of restful alertness at the source of thought. Neuroscientists have found that this particular meditative state gained during TM practice is the only experience known to create “global EEG coherence”—a state of highly orderly, efficient functioning throughout the entire brain, leading to increased creativity and intelligence and heightened awareness in daily life.
Relaxation:
The levels of rest gained during the various forms of meditation vary from method to method, according to medical researchers. Published studies show the Transcendental Meditation technique produces a state of rest and relaxation far deeper than all other practices, as measured by changes in oxygen consumption, respiration rate, cardiovascular rest, skin resistance and biochemistry.
Health:
Peer-reviewed scientific studies have compared the effectiveness of various forms of meditation on health factors, and found the Transcendental Meditation technique to be the most effective mind-body practice for lowering blood pressure, reducing anxiety and depression, quitting cigarette smoking, increasing self-actualization and many other health benefits.
Can you get the same results simply by relaxing? >
How is the TM technique different from other forms of meditation? >
MYTH # 2: No evidence that it works.
FACT: The Transcendental Meditation technique is scientifically validated.
Steele Belok, M.D., Harvard University Medical School, faculty: Hundreds of scientific research studies conducted at medical schools and independent research institutions worldwide have verified the Transcendental Meditation technique’s effectiveness for promoting health and personal growth. More than 350 studies have been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, including Science, Scientific American, the American Medical Association’s Archives of Internal Medicine, the American Heart Association’s journals Hypertension and Stroke, and the American Journal of Cardiology.
Government funded studies:
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a total of more than $24 million during the past 18 years for scientists to study the TM technique’s benefits for improved brain functioning and cardiovascular health.
Learned by 5 million people:
During the past 50 years, the Transcendental Meditation program has been validated in the lives of more than five million people of all ages, religions, and nationalities who have enjoyed the benefits of twice-daily practice.
It’s effectiveness in the classroom has been demonstrated by 40 years of in-school programs—with more than 140,000 students around the world now practicing the TM technique as part of school-sponsored “Quiet-Time” programs.
Are the benefits really validated by hundreds of solid, scientific studies? >
Where were these research studies conducted, and by whom? >
MYTH # 3: Harmful side effects.
FACT: The Transcendental Meditation technique is produces only positive, holistic benefits.
Steele Belok, M.D., Harvard University Medical School, faculty: The Transcendental Meditation technique gives rest to mind and body and reduces stress and anxiety. How could increased rest or decreased anxiety be harmful? Research has shown that this program improves creativity and intelligence. How could anyone be harmed by such improvements?
What happens during TM practice is the healthiest thing that can happen to anyone—the brain begins to function more efficiently, more orderly, not only during meditation but also in daily life. This has been shown and replicated through a dozen separate brain research studies published in the International Journal of Neuroscience and other leading, peer-reviewed scientific journals. When the brain is healthier, more integrated and efficient, the whole body is positively impacted because the brain controls everything. There are only positive, life-enriching results.
In addition, we know that most of the major risk factors responsible for cardiovascular diseases, including heart attacks and strokes, are reduced with the Transcendental Meditation program. Because heart attacks and strokes—which we call cardiovascular diseases—are a major cause of sickness and mortality in our country, reducing the risk factor for these illnesses would not be something one would associate with a negative effect. In addition, a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology showed that older individuals who begin the Transcendental Meditation program have a ten-year reduced incidence of cardiovascular mortality of 30%, and a reduction in all cause mortality in ten years of 23% when compared to controls. These are very impressive statistics.
A study published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine found that the rate of admissions to hospitals in essentially all disease categories was reduced in those practicing the Transcendental Meditation technique. This was true not only for physical illness, where researchers reported an overall reduction of up to 50% in admissions, but the research also included striking reductions in admissions for mental illness and substance abuse.
Therefore, from a purely outcomes-related assessment of the published research on the Transcendental Meditation technique, I can strongly say that this program has only a positive—and highly positive—impact on mental and physical health.
Vernon Barnes, Ph.D., Medical College of Georgia, faculty: The scientific evidence overwhelmingly shows that the Transcendental Meditation technique produces only positive, beneficial effects.
Though a couple of “anti-meditation” activists’ websites have questioned the safety of the TM technique, in every case their assertions have been scientifically baseless for one of two reasons: 1) the research cited involved uncontrolled studies that were not about the Transcendental Meditation program, but dealt with other forms of meditation, or, 2) the papers were thinly disguised opinion pieces containing unfounded speculation with no scientific evidence to back the assertions.
There are no well-controlled, peer-reviewed scientific studies suggesting that the technique can be unpleasant or harmful for anyone.
Does TM work for everyone? >
Is it possible that the reported benefits result from suggestion or expectation—in other words, the placebo effect? >
MYTH # 4: It’s a religious cult.
FACT: The Transcendental Meditation technique is a scientific, non-religious technique.
Gary Kaplan, M.D, Ph.D., neurologist, New York University School of Medicine: The TM technique is simply a technique. You don’t join an organization to learn and practice it. You don’t follow anyone or anything, other than your own personal progress.
The organization that teaches the TM program is a professional, non-profit educational organization made up of a diversity of people dedicated to making the benefits and knowledge of meditation available to everyone who wants to learn. Once you learn, you’re not a member of the organization, although the teachers and ongoing programs are accessible if you need them for guidance and support with your meditation.
The TM program is systematic and scientific, compatible not only with best clinical health practices but with any healthy lifestyle.
Steele Belok, M.D., Harvard University Medical School, faculty: The Transcendental Meditation technique does not require that one believe that it works to be successful in the practice. The program is not faith-based, and this is why it is not a religion. Any explanations about how the technique works are not doctrines to be believed in but principles that are verified through direct personal experience and scientific research. Thus there is no dogma—other than to be true to yourself and your experience.
William Stixrud, Ph.D., clinical neuropsychologist, Children's National Medical Center, Washington,D.C., adjunct faculty : The TM technique is not a form of mysticism, mind control or hypnosis, and does not induce a trance—components often associated with cults. Millions of people practice the TM technique to enjoy a better quality of life. I’ve known adults who have meditated for thirty years and have no knowledge of any philosophy associated with the Transcendental Meditation program and would have no interest in that at all. In my own case, when I learned to meditate, someone had the objection that it may be some kind of disguised Eastern mysticism. I’ve been enjoying the benefits for 33 years and have no involvement with any elements of Eastern religion.
Sandeep Chaudhary, M.D., Medical Director of Wellspring Endocrinology at Scripps Memorial Hospital: This is a silly notion, that TM is a cult—it is medically unfounded, biased and disingenuous. Think about it: how many so-called cults offer a technique that has been
• awarded over $24 million in research grants by the National Institutes of Health;
• verified by research studies in hundreds of peer-reviewed medical and scientific journals, including the American Medical Association and the American Heart Association’s own publications;
• approved by the American Medical Association for a continuing education course for physicians;
• regularly featured in presentations at the American Psychological Association’s annual conferences;
• showcased for its benefits to cardiovascular health at the annual convention of the American College of Cardiology.
Will TM conflict with my religion? >
Is TM related to India’s spiritual or religious traditions? >
What is the “mantra”?
MYTH # 5: It’s a profit-making organization.
FACT: The TM technique is taught through a non-profit, educational organization.
Gary Kaplan, M.D, Ph.D., neurologist, New York University School of Medicine: Instruction in the Transcendental Meditation technique is offered through a professional, non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) educational organization that exists solely to make the benefits of the practice available to everyone. The organization has been training certified instructors for over 40 years, maintaining the TM technique’s original effectiveness through systematic, standardized teaching procedures.
Your tuition helps others learn.
All TM course fees go to sustain teachers and support the organization’s teaching activities, helping fund meditation programs in inner city schools and developing nations—where the organization offers the technique at no charge through grants and scholarships.
Why must there be a course fee to learn the TM technique? >
Why is the TM program trademarked? >
MYTH # 6: You don’t need a certified teacher.
FACT: Learning requires personalized, one-on-one instruction from a professionally trained, certified TM teacher.
Steele Belok, M.D., Harvard University Medical School, faculty: The Transcendental Meditation technique is easy to practice, but because the process is effortless, it is delicate, and learning requires personalized instruction adjusted to one’s individual needs with a certified teacher of the TM technique.
When you learn the technique, you receive comprehensive knowledge to stabilize correct practice and verify your progress. You can also take advantage of ongoing, one-on-one support and guidance from the teachers, and continuing advanced classes so that your understanding can grow along with your progress. To ensure maximum benefit, the TM program offers expert follow up and support to everyone who learns—for the rest of your life and at no further cost after you complete the TM course.
Can I learn to meditate online, from a book or CD? >
How do I know that what I’m learning is TM and not a facsimile? >
MYTH # 6: You don’t need a certified teacher.
FACT: Learning requires personalized, one-on-one instruction from a professionally trained, certified TM teacher.
Steele Belok, M.D., Harvard University Medical School, faculty: The Transcendental Meditation technique is easy to practice, but because the process is effortless, it is delicate, and learning requires personalized instruction adjusted to one’s individual needs with a certified teacher of the TM technique.
When you learn the technique, you receive comprehensive knowledge to stabilize correct practice and verify your progress. You can also take advantage of ongoing, one-on-one support and guidance from the teachers, and continuing advanced classes so that your understanding can grow along with your progress. To ensure maximum benefit, the TM program offers expert follow up and support to everyone who learns—for the rest of your life and at no further cost after you complete the TM course.
Can I learn to meditate online, from a book or CD? >
How do I know that what I’m learning is TM and not a facsimile? >
® Transcendental Meditation, TM and Maharishi are registered or common law trademarks licensed to Maharishi Vedic Education Development Corporation and used under sublicense.