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DETAILS: critical eye: Meditation Nation

August 14, 2011

Meditation Nation

Power brokers no longer motivate or medicate—they meditate. How Transcendental Meditation returned as the new status symbol.

Photograph by Adam Voorhes
September 2011 Issue

A funny thing happened on the way to enlightenment. The quest got stripped of yogic posturing, Buddhist trappings, and even the last vestige of spirituality and turned into a search for the kind of clarity that might help us all in our worldly pursuits. Which is why movers and shakers are again embracing that seventies mainstay Transcendental Meditation. You’re likely to hear it spoken of reverentially in interviews: Russell Brand, whose wildman behavior was cartoonish in its intensity, credits TM with helping him to conquer his heroin, sex, and alcohol addictions. “After meditation,” he has said, “I felt this beautiful serenity and selfless connection.” And where celebrities venture (the latest wave of TM-ers includes the likes of Hugh Jackman and Naomi Watts), many of us are likely to follow. The rolls of practitioners have tripled in the past three years, according to the Transcendental Meditation Program, the practice’s national organization.

“The game-changer, I think, is David Lynch and his foundation,” says Dr. Norman E. Rosenthal, the Georgetown University psychiatry professor who wrote the recent best seller Transcendence: Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation. Lynch, the surrealist director of Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, and Mulholland Dr., had been quietly practicing TM since, yes, the seventies, but about six years ago he came out of the closet, launching a foundation to promote the practice and later publishing a manifesto, Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity.

It’s a process perfectly matched to our self-interested times—”no pain, but a lot of gain,” according to Rosenthal. Bob Roth, an executive director of the David Lynch Foundation, who taught TM to Brand and Moby, explains that when the mind has been calmed with the help of a mantra, a Sanskrit word given to each TM grad, it will effortlessly sink below the level of thought to “pure consciousness.” Practically speaking, sit in a chair, close your eyes, and silently repeat the mantra for 20 minutes. Once you get the hang of it, Lynch says, you cut the elevator cables of your normal-thinking mind to descend to a place that feels different. You may experience a connection with the universe or a mental light show, what Rosenthal calls “four-star graphic effects.” At the very least, you should be blissfully relaxed, which is the foundation of the health benefits that have been measured in the medical research amassed, much of it funded by the government. The deep tranquillity TM promotes quiets the body’s “fight or flight” stress response, lowering blood pressure and anxiety and combating depression.

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the so-called giggling guru, who hosted the Beatles and Mia Farrow, among others, was the innovator who stripped Hindu meditation practice of its religious baggage and repackaged it as a systematic, stress-reducing, creativity-building technique. Lynch, a disciple, is responsible for adding a fresh civic-mindedness to the game. His foundation aims to bring TM free of charge to those most in need of its calming effects—at-risk kids, prison inmates, veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress. That, of course, means fund-raising benefits, which means reeling in rich folk and entertainers (many introduced to TM by Lynch and Roth), all of which attracts media coverage and an increased brand awareness among those in the general public who might be willing to shell out $1,500 for the basic course.

“It was straight out of The Great Gatsby,” Rosenthal says of the poolside benefit party thrown this past June at the Malibu home of Juicy Couture cofounder Pam Levy and her TV-director husband, Jefery Levy. One imagines the vibes spreading to their neighbor Ryan Kavanaugh, CEO of Relativity Media, the freshly minted Converse-wearing, 36-year-old movie mogul who practices TM twice a day. Kavanaugh, who started out as a stockbroker, has leveraged his connections by allying with the New York hedge fund Elliot Associates, among other investors, giving his company the billions required to dominate Hollywood film production. But his secret weapon is his risk-assessment algorithm, a high-tech quantitative analysis of the big picture that he says allows him to make money even on box-office dogs.

As the New York hard-chargers who flock to the TM courses Roth teaches at the Center for Leadership Performance soon learn, this kind of success is not coincidental. According to published research, TM enhances neural activity in the part of the brain that houses the decision-making “executive center.” “The businesspeople say they’re more focused during the day,” Roth says. As do the other Gotham heavy hitters who’ve evangelized for TM and the Lynch Foundation, from Jerry Seinfeld and Heather Graham to Ben Foster and Howard Stern. Leave it to Mr. Katy Perry himself, speaking at a gala fund-raiser at the Metropolitan Museum of Art this past winter, to get at the essence of TM’s guilt-free marriage of creativity and commerce: “I literally had an idea drop into my brain the other day while I was meditating which I think is worth millions of dollars.”

Also on Details.com
Celebrity Om-Meter: The Top 10 Moments in Meditation History
Retreat, Relax, Recharge: Inside the World’s Best Spas
How to Avoid the Office Strain
Guy-Friendly Alternatives to Yoga

Prop Styling by Robin Finlay

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Inspiring results from the TM-Quiet Time Program in the San Francisco Unified School District

August 12, 2011

Click on these links and you’ll be inspired as I was by the amazing results of the TM-Quiet Time Program in some San Francisco schools:

Schools Students and teachers speak about their experiences with TM-Quiet Time Program in San Francisco schools. http://t.co/D0QJtvf

Laurent Valosek, director of the Center for Wellness and Educational Achievement, discusses the implementation and results of the TM-Quiet Time Program in the San Francisco Unified School District. http://t.co/dAfYdTw

James Dierke, Principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco, presents research findings on the TM-Quiet Time Program. http://t.co/m4INjFT

David Lynch, founder of the David Lynch Foundation, gives an inspiring address to educators about experiences with the Transcendental Meditation program. (Q & A with Bob Roth). http://t.co/6IZOggu

See the complete presentation of Meditation for Students: Results of the David Lynch Foundation’s Quiet Time/TM Program in San Francisco Schools

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Bob Roth Speaks at Maharishi School Graduation

August 6, 2011

Bob Roth, Vice President of the David Lynch Foundation, addresses students, parents, faculty and staff at the Maharishi School of Age of Enlightenment graduation on June 12, 2011 in Fairfield, Iowa. In his Commencement Address, Bobby shares a list of 10 ideas, or guidelines to live by to become a great person: 1) Meditate, 2) Be true to yourself. Think for yourself, 3) Energy is everything (fatigue is your enemy), 4) Live with conviction. Be persistent, 5) Be powerful. Be gentle (“It’s polite to apologize”), 6) Thank your teachers (Wisdom is priceless), 7) Love your parents (No one loves you more), 8) Truth triumphs, 9) You are the Master of your own destiny (Don’t complain), 10) Be happy. Enjoy your life! Bobby concludes his very inspiring talk, filled with wonderful stories, by reading a beautiful passage from the Talmud, given to him by Jane Pitt, who asked him to share it with the graduates. (Bobby is my hero!)

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TM improves brain function in ADHD students

July 26, 2011

New study shows Transcendental Meditation improves brain functioning in ADHD students

A non-drug approach to enhance students’ ability to learn

A random-assignment controlled study published today in Mind & Brain, The Journal of Psychiatry (Vol 2, No 1, pp. 73–81) found improved brain functioning and decreased symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, ADHD, in students practicing the Transcendental Meditation® (TM) technique. The paper, ADHD, Brain Functioning, and Transcendental Meditation Practice, is the second published study demonstrating TM’s ability to help students with attention-related difficulties.

The first exploratory study, published in Current Issues in Education, followed a group of middle school students diagnosed with ADHD who meditated twice a day in school. After 3 months, researchers found over 50% reductions in stress, anxiety, and ADHD symptoms. During the study, a video was made of some students discussing what it felt like to have ADHD, and how those experiences changed after 3 months of regular TM practice.

In this second study, lead author, neuroscientist Fred Travis, PhD, director of the Center for Brain, Consciousness and Cognition, joined principal investigator Sarina J. Grosswald, EdD, a George Washington University-trained cognitive learning specialist, and co-researcher William Stixrud, PhD, a prominent Silver Spring, Maryland, clinical neuropsychologist, to investigate the effects of Transcendental Meditation practice on task performance and brain functioning in 18 ADHD students, ages 11-14 years.

The study was conducted over a period of 6 months in an independent school for children with language-based learning disabilities in Washington, DC. The study showed improved brain functioning, increased brain processing, and improved language-based skills among ADHD students practicing the Transcendental Meditation technique.

A local TV news station reported on the study in-progress during the first 3 months.

What was Measured

Students were pretested, randomly assigned to TM or delayed-start comparison groups, and post-tested at 3- and 6-months. Delayed-start students learned TM after the 3-month post-test.

EEG measurements of brain functioning were taken while students were performing a demanding computer-based visual-motor task. Successful performance on the task requires attention, focus, memory, and impulse control.

In addition, students were administered a verbal fluency test. This test measured higher-order executive functions, including initiation, simultaneous processing, and systematic retrieval of knowledge. Performance on this task depends on several fundamental cognitive components, including vocabulary knowledge, spelling, and attention.

Theta/Beta Power Ratios and ADHD

Using EEG measurements, the relationship of theta brain waves to beta brain waves can be diagnostic of ADHD. Dr. Joel Lubar of the University of Tennessee has demonstrated that the theta/beta ratio can very accurately identify students with ADHD from those without it.

While theta EEG around 4-5 Hz is commonly associated with daydreaming, drowsiness, and unfocused mental states, theta EEG around 6-8 Hz is seen when one focuses on inner mental tasks, such as memory processing, identifying, and associating.

“In normal individuals, theta activity in the brain during tasks suggests that the brain is blocking out irrelevant information so the person can focus on the task,” said Dr. Travis. “But, in individuals with ADHD, the theta activity is even higher, suggesting that the brain is also blocking out relevant information.”

“And when beta activity, which is associated with focus, is lower than normal,” Travis added, “it affects the ability to concentrate on task for extended periods of time.”

“Prior research shows ADHD children have slower brain development and a reduced ability to cope with stress,” said Dr. Stixrud. “Virtually everyone finds it difficult to pay attention, organize themselves and get things done when they’re under stress,” he explained. “Stress interferes with the ability to learn—it shuts down the brain. Functions such as attention, memory, organization, and integration are compromised.”

Why the TM Technique

“We chose the TM technique for this study because studies show that it increases brain function. We wanted to know if it would have a similar effect in the case of ADHD, and if it did, would that also improve the symptoms of ADHD,” said Dr. Grosswald.

Dr. Stixrud added, “Because stress significantly compromises attention and all of the key executive functions such as inhibition, working memory, organization, and mental flexibility, it made sense that a technique that can reduce a child’s level of stress should also improve his or her cognitive functioning.”

The Transcendental Meditation technique is an effortless, easy-to-learn practice, unique among categories of meditation. “TM does not require concentration, controlling the mind or disciplined focus—challenges for anyone with ADHD,” Grosswald added.

There is substantial research showing the effectiveness of the TM technique for reducing stress and anxiety, and improving cognitive functioning among the general population. “What’s significant about these new findings,” Grosswald said, “is that among children who have difficulty with focus and attention, we see the same results. The fact that these children are able to do TM, and do it easily, shows us that this technique may be particularly well-suited for children with ADHD.”

Transcendental Meditation produces an experience of restful alertness, which is associated with higher metabolic activity in the frontal and parietal parts of the brain, indicating alertness, along with decreased metabolic activity in the thalamus, which is involved in regulating arousal, and hyperactivity.

With regular practice, this restfully alert brain state, characteristic of the TM technique, becomes more present outside of meditation, allowing ADHD students to attend to tasks. “In a sense,” Dr. Travis said, “the repeated experience of the Transcendental Meditation technique trains the brain to function in a style opposite to that of ADHD.”

Improved Brain Functioning

During the practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique, coherence is found across different EEG frequencies. After meditation, the brain utilizes this increased functioning ability to support the performance of a task in an integrated manner.

Three months of TM practice resulted in significant decreases in theta/beta ratios and increased verbal fluency.  This translates into improved executive function and more efficient cognitive processing.

During the first 3 months of the study, the theta/beta ratios of the control group (delayed start) actually increased. After learning, and practicing TM for 3 months, this group experienced dramatic decreases in theta/beta ratios and increased verbal fluency as well.

Student and Parent Surveys

Students reported that the TM technique was enjoyable and easy to do. They felt calmer, less stressed, and better able to concentrate on their schoolwork. They also said they were happier since they started TM. This correlated with reports from the parents.

At the end of the research, the parents completed a questionnaire to assess their perceptions of changes in five ADHD-related symptoms in their children from the beginning to the end of the study. There were positive and statistically significant improvements in the five areas measured: a) Ability to focus on schoolwork, b) Organizational abilities, c) Ability to work independently, d) Happiness, and e) Quality of sleep.

Promising Results

The combined results were significant. There was a 48% reduction in the theta/beta power ratios and a 30% increase in brain coherence after the 6-month period. Studies have shown that pharmaceuticals decrease theta/beta power ratios by 3%, and neurofeedback by 25%.

“These are very encouraging findings,” said Dr. Stixrud. “Significant improvement in the theta/beta ratio without medication and without having to use any expensive equipment is a big deal, as is significant improvement in student happiness and student academic functioning reported by the parents.”

“While stimulant medication is very beneficial for some of my clients with ADHD,” Stixrud added, “the number of children who receive great benefit from medicine with minimal side-effects is relatively small. The fact that TM appears to improve attention and executive functions, and significantly reduces stress with no negative side-effects, is clearly very promising.” Stixrud said he hoped these findings would lead to more research on the use of TM with children and adolescents.

In conclusion, these findings warrant additional research to assess the impact of Transcendental Meditation practice as a non-drug treatment for ADHD, and to track meditating students’ improved academic achievements.

The study was funded by a grant from the David Lynch Foundation.

###

FACT SHEET

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

  • Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)—characterized by inattentiveness, impulsivity, and hyperactivity—is diagnosed in almost 10% of children ages 4-17 years, representing 5.4 million children.
  • The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported among children with current ADHD, 66.3% were taking medication for the disorder. In total, 4.8% of all children ages 4-17 years (2.7 million) were taking medication for ADHD. The majority of them stay on it into adulthood.
  • The rate of prescriptions for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in the U.S. has increased by a factor of five since 1991—with production of ADHD medicines up 2,000 percent in 9 years.
  • The commonly used drugs for ADHD are stimulants (amphetamines). These drugs can cause persistent and negative side-effects, including sleep disturbances, reduced appetite, weight loss, suppressed growth, and mood disorders. The side-effects are frequently treated with additional medications to manage insomnia or mood swings. Almost none of the medications prescribed for insomnia or mood disturbances are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use with children.
  • The long-term health effects of ADHD medications are not fully known, but evidence suggests risks of cardiac disorders and sudden death, liver damage and psychiatric events. It has also been found that children on long-term medication have significantly higher rates of delinquency, substance use, and stunted physical growth.
  • A new study, Study raises questions about long-term effects of ADHD medication, the first of its kind, released February 17, 2010 by the Government of Western Australia’s Department of Health, found that “long-term use of drugs such as Ritalin and dexamphetamine may not improve a child’s social and emotional well-being or academic performance.” The chair of the Ministerial Implementation Committee for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Western Australia said in the Department’s press release, “We found that stimulant medication did not significantly improve a child’s level of depression, self perception or social functioning and they were more likely to be performing below their age level at school by a factor of 10.5 times.”

The Transcendental Meditation Technique

  • The Transcendental Meditation technique is an effortless technique practiced 10-20 minutes twice a day sitting comfortably with the eyes closed.
  • TM is not a religion or philosophy and involves no new beliefs or change in lifestyle.
  • Over 350 peer-reviewed research studies on the TM technique confirm a range of benefits for mind, body and behavior.
  • Several studies have compared the effects of different meditation practices and found that Transcendental Meditation provides deeper relaxation and is more effective at reducing anxiety, depression and hypertension than other forms of meditation and relaxation. In addition, no other meditation practice shows the widespread coherence throughout all areas of the brain that is seen with Transcendental Meditation.
  • The Transcendental Meditation technique is taught in the United States by a non-profit, educational organization.

Source: EurekAlert!

Some Media Coverage: PhysOrg.com: New study shows Transcendental Meditation improves brain functioning in ADHD Students, PsychCentral.com: Transcendental Meditation Lessens Kids’ ADHD Symptoms, eMaxHealth: Transcendental Meditation Improves ADHD Symptoms, Academic Skills, ADHD/ADD Natural Remedy Report: New study shows Transcendental Meditation improves brain functioning in ADHD students, GGN-Education News: New study shows Transcendental Meditation improves brain functioning in ADHD students, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5; The Times of India: Transcendental meditation for the brain, Health24: Meditation boosts brain functioning, RedOrbit: New Study Shows Transcendental Meditation Improves Brain Functioning In ADHD Students, The Behavioral Medicine Report: Transcendental Meditation Improves Brain Functioning In Students With ADHD, Science News Line medicine, Science Codex, Transcendental Meditation Blog: New study finds TM boosts brain functioning and helps students with ADHD, GoodTherapy.org: Children with ADHD May Benefit from Transcendental Meditation, and many others.

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A Transcendental Cure for Post-Traumatic Stress by David Lynch and Norman E. Rosenthal

July 13, 2011
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL OPINION JULY 13, 2011
A Transcendental Cure for Post-Traumatic Stress
One study of soldiers showed a 50% reduction in symptoms after eight weeks of meditation.

By DAVID LYNCH and NORMAN E. ROSENTHAL

War wounds come in many forms. Some are obvious, such as scars, gashes and amputations. Others, the psychological ones, are less visible but equally devastating. The numbers in this second group are staggering: The military’s latest mental health survey of combat troops in Afghanistan found that 20%—one in five—suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

People with combat-related PTSD often suffer from periods of emotional numbness and depression that may coexist or alternate with intense anxiety and delusional thinking. Their days may be afflicted by flashbacks to traumatic situations. Their nights are often disrupted by sleeplessness and nightmares, from which they awake drenched in sweat as though back on the battlefield.

Yet most veterans with PTSD do not receive adequate treatment for various reasons, including fear of stigma, a dearth of effective treatments, and insufficient government resources. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, vice chief of staff of the U.S. Army, recently acknowledged that, “The therapies used for treatment of brain injuries lag behind the advanced medical science employed for treating mechanical injuries.”

Clearly, there is a need for new, creative approaches: Transcendental Meditation, better known as TM, is a promising candidate. An ancient Vedic technique developed in India, TM was brought to the West in the late 1950s by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It involves sitting comfortably with eyes closed for 20 minutes twice a day while thinking a mantra. It does not require adherence to any religious belief system or ritual practices. Yet to date there are over 340 peer-reviewed papers describing the beneficial effects of TM on the mind and body.

lynch

The David Lynch Foundation recently hosted an event to help raise funds to teach TM to our wounded warriors returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan. We heard from veterans of three wars: Jerry Yellin, a fighter pilot in World War II who flew 19 missions over Japan; Dan Burks, who served in Vietnam; and David George, a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Despite differences in age and wartime experiences, these men had two things in common: All suffered terribly from PTSD, and all experienced tremendous relief from TM. Life became once again peaceful and even joyful for them.

What was clear from these men’s stories was how great a toll their symptoms took on their families, as well as on themselves. In a poignant video, Mr. George’s mother described the transformation of her son from a courteous young man into a hard-drinking, depressed and deeply disturbed veteran, who she feared would take his own life or someone else’s.

All that changed when Mr. George began to meditate on a regular basis. According to Ms. George, TM saved her son’s life.

In a study of Vietnam vets conducted by James S. Brooks and Thomas Scarano and published in the Journal of Counseling and Development in November 1985, TM outperformed the conventional psychotherapy of the day. More recently, a pilot study of five Iraq and Afghanistan veterans published in the June 2011 issue of Military Medicine showed a 50% reduction in PTSD symptoms after just eight weeks of practicing TM.

There is a scientific basis for the observed benefits of TM for combat-related PTSD. In several studies, TM has been shown to buffer fight-or-flight responses, which are thought to be overactive in people with PTSD, as evidenced by their hypervigilance, anxiety and exaggerated startle responses.

In addition, TM has been found to reduce blood pressure and decrease the risk of heart attacks and strokes—other conditions in which an overactive fight-or-flight response may play a role. In a similar manner, TM may modulate nervous system responses, thereby allowing affected veterans to relax and leave behind the traumas of war.

Regardless of how TM helps, the mounting evidence leads to one conclusion: If a simple, low-cost technique like TM can substantially alleviate the suffering of even some of the thousands of veterans afflicted with PTSD, how can we afford not to give it a try?

Mr. Lynch is a filmmaker and the founder of the David Lynch Foundation. Dr. Rosenthal is a clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University Medical School and the author of “Transcendence: Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation” (Tarcher-Penguin, 2011).

Photo credit: Associated Press
Link to article: http://on.wsj.com/rg8tYC

WSJ: LETTERS: VA Meditating on Good Therapies, July 22, 2011

In “A Transcendental Cure for Post-Traumatic Stress” (op-ed, July 13) David Lynch and Norman E. Rosenthal pose a challenge for the federal agency entrusted with caring for our nation’s 23 million veterans: “If a simple, low-cost technique like TM can substantially alleviate the suffering of even some of the thousands of veterans afflicted with PTSD, how can we afford not to give it a try?” In fact, Transcendental Meditation has received substantial attention at the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health. Indeed, meditation and other forms of complementary and alternative medicine are already used at VA to help veterans suffering from PTSD. We have embarked on a series of clinical investigations to evaluate all forms of meditation, TM among them, in order to determine whether this promising technique can produce results consistently for our patients, and which kind of meditation, from among several practiced widely today, would be most helpful to them. VA is beginning demonstration projects across the country in different care settings. We are looking for a simple, natural, culturally neutral and repeatable technique that can augment existing PTSD treatments. These studies require us to be open to new techniques for prevention and treatment, as well as structured in our approach to determining their value and efficacy. The studies already conducted, and those currently underway, are listed at http://tinyurl.com/3gx74o3.

The promising personal experiences mentioned in the article and the dedicated efforts of our VA, DoD and NIH team offer us all hope for finding more effective treatments for PTSD. We can’t afford not to.

W. Scott Gould

Deputy Secretary

DVA

Robert A. Petzel, M.D.

Under Secretary for Health

DVA

Washington

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David Lynch Foundation Music Compilation Features Songs by Well-Known Recording Artists

July 12, 2011

david lynch self-portrait 2011 P

David Lynch Foundation Comp Features Songs by Maroon 5, Moby, Darryl Hannah

The 33-track digital album “Download For Good: Music That Changes The World” benefits the filmmaker’s nonprofit organization which offers stress-reducing Transcendental Meditation to underserved populations.

More than 30 artists representing multiple genres have contributed to a compilation benefitting the David Lynch Foundation, a not-for-profit educational organization founded by the iconic director which offers stress-reducing Transcendental Meditation to underserved populations including at-risk inner-city youth, U.S. veterans suffering from PTSD, the homeless and prisoners.

Download For Good: Music That Changes The World features live cuts, remixes, covers (a highlight: Au Revoir Simone’s take on Don Henley‘s “Boys of Summer”) and original songs by the likes of Peter Gabriel, Moby, Alanis Morissette, Neon Trees, Arrested Development, Nancy Sinatra, Ozomatli and Maroon 5 along with a handful of curious collaborations. Among them: The Police guitarist Andy Summers with opera singer Geeta Novotny, who team up for “Ave Maria,” and the Johnny Cash-meets-Leonard Cohen lament “Won’t You Stay” by Pink Jaffee (AKA Ran Pink and Foo Fighters sideman Rami Jaffee) with Daryl Hannah (Jaffe’s girlfriend) and Jakob Dylan (Jaffe’s Wallflowers bandmate) on background vocals.

“The artists who have shared their music are spreading happiness,” says David Lynch in a statement. “With their music alone they’re supporting programs that take away suffering and bring bliss to many people.”

Adds Iggy Pop, who contributed the Americana classic “Milk Cow Blues:” “I knew David was a good blues singer and a free spirit, so I thought I’d record a blues song, especially for this record. This is just the way I play for my own pleasure, around the house. I think it flowed out really well. I mean, I could feel the TM seeping in.”

The 33-song compilation is available exclusively at iTunes. See the full track listing below.

1. Ozomatli, “MONSTER”
2. Iggy Pop, “Milk Cow Blues”
3. Pink Jaffee with Jakob Dylan & Daryl Hannah, “Won’t You Stay”
4. Maroon 5, “The Air I Breathe”
5. Arrested Development, “Let It Go”
6. Peter Gabriel, “Curtains”
7. Carmen Rizzo with Grant-Lee Phillips, “Bring the Mountain Down”
8. Donovan, “Listen”
9. Heather Nova, “Doubled Up”
10. Andy Summers with Geeta Novotny, “Ave Maria”
11. Dave Stewart, “Man To Man”
12. Mary Hopkin, “Gold and Silver”
13. Tom Waits, “The Briar and The Rose” (Live)
14. Ben Folds, “Wild Mountain Thyme”
15. Slightly Stoopid with Don Carlos, “Wiseman” (Live at Black Water)
16. Salman Ahmad with Valerie Geffner, “Natchoon Gi”
17. Neon Trees, “Animal” (DJs From Mars Remix)
18. Au Revoir Simone, “Boys Of Summer”
19. Alanis Morissette, “20/20”
20. Ben Lee, “Food For The Moon”
21. Waterboys, “In The Beginning Was Love”
22. Moby, “The Poison Tree”
23. The Charlatans, “The Only One I Know” (RMX with Factory Floor)
24. Julio Iglesias Jr., “Geronimo”
25. Nancy Sinatra, “End of the World” (Remix)
26. Special Beat with Pauline Black, “Nightclub” (Live)
27. Peter & Gordon, “True Love Ways” (Live)
28. Band From TV, “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free”
29. Phil Soussan, “Shot In The Dark”
30. Rodrigo y Gabriela, “Satori” (Live)
31. Patricia Kaas, “Ddicte Aux Heroines” (Remix)
32. EMIN, “All I Need Tonight”
33. Amanda Palmer, “In My Mind” (Alternative Mix)

Also see USA TODAY: David Lynch drops a musical compilation; NME: Tom Waits, Iggy Pop, Amanda Palmer for David Lynch’s meditation compilation, Alanis Morissette, Ben Folds, Moby also contribute to new release; Paste: David Lynch Releases Compilation Album for Charity; Icon vs. icon: Iconic Film Director Launches ‘Download For Good’; Star-Studded Digital Music Compilation; GAFFA: Stjerner støtter David Lynch-fonden, Tom Waits, Iggy Pop og Donovan har bidraget med numre til ny støtteplade; The Post Chronicle: David Lynch Teams With Stars For Charity Album; Express.co.uk: STARS LINK WITH LYNCH FOR CHARITY ALBUM; Kink: Tom Waits, Iggy Pop e.v.a. op TM verzamelalbum David Lynch; Female First: Stars Link With Lynch For Charity Album; Huffington Post: Amanda Palmer Discusses the Launch of David Lynch Foundation Music; contactmusic: Alanis Morissette – Stars Link With Lynch For Charity Album; spinner: David Lynch Releases Star-Studded ‘Download for Good’ Charity Compilation; exclaim.ca: David Lynch Beefs Up and Releases Benefit Comp Featuring Tom Waits, Peter Gabriel, Iggy Pop; Pipoca Moderna: Alanis, Maroon 5, Iggy Pop e outros gravam CD para David Lynch, Examiner.com: Beatle friends, others band together for iTunes David Lynch TM compilation; Wirtualna Polska: Iggy Pop i Peter Gabriel medytują z Davidem Lynchem and Zobacz składankę Davida Lyncha; Music Feeds: David Lynch Releases Star-Studded Charity Album, Detroit Free Press; Monitorul de Suceava; OpenSpace.ru; Тренд; Day.Az; Look To The Stars: David Lynch Launches Music That Changes The World; Gear4music: Superstar musicians contribute to David Lynch’s new compilation album; ChartAttack: I Read The News Today… For July 14, 2011; Transcendental Meditation Blog: David Lynch Releases ‘Download for Good’ Charity Compilation; 20 Minutes Online: David Lynch fait ses débuts dans las musiques; Pitchfork Media; Plain Dealer: 9. CLICK TO LISTEN; Caller-Times: Complilation offers chance to meditate.


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ABC News: Study finds meditation helps soldiers overcome trauma, PTSD

June 28, 2011

Study finds meditation helps soldiers overcome trauma, PTSD

Short video link: http://bcove.me/dug2ceme

By Cynne’ Simpson WJLA – ABC 7

June 28, 2011 – 06:45 pm

More than 20 percent of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the Department of Defense.

New research suggests one way to combat the symptoms is through meditation.

David George was sleeping in his cot during his deployment to Iraq when a car bomb exploded 25 yards away.

“I turn the lights on, and see a white cloud billowing into the room,” the 27-year-old recalls. “All the windows were blown out.”

Since then, he’s struggled with PTSD, is often anxious, angry and depressed. At one point, back at home in Maryland, he stopped himself from buying a pistol.

“I never bought a pistol because I was pretty sure I was going to shoot myself,” George said.

His mother noticed a change in her son’s behavior, too. “When he came back, he was not the boy I raised,” Julia Elena George said.

Medications and therapy didn’t help. George started drinking heavily.

Then he joined a study for veterans with PTSD using transcendental meditation, a mind-based practice involving repeating a mantra to focus one’s thoughts.

“It made me feel, and that’s the biggest sense I lost,” George said. “From that moment, I knew it was something I’d do for the rest of my life.”

The study’s findings are published in this month’s Military Medicine journal. The study found participants saw their symptoms reduced by half within two months of participating in the meditation.

Dr. Norman Rosenthal says transcendental meditation settles down the nervous system.

“People become calmer, less reactive, less jumpy,” he said. “I think the time is right for us to seriously consider this as a viable treatment.”

George meditates twice a day and says he finally feels like himself again.

“There’s something else than pills or therapies or substance abuse – there’s yourself that you can always count on,” he said.

George is working with operation warrior wellness and the David Lynch foundation to reach their goal to help 30,000 veterans through transcendental meditation in the next three years.

Short URL: http://wj.la/kKqDh3

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Meditation Promoted For Troops With PTSD

June 9, 2011

Alternative treatment promoted for soldiers suffering from PTSD

Washington (CNN) — Celebrities and a medical researcher want to convince the Defense Department this week that meditation could help the increasing number of military personnel suffering from post-traumatic stress.

Star-studded events in New York and Washington are bringing together people experienced in transcendental meditation with soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

Designer Donna Karan hosted a reception in Manhattan on Tuesday evening, and movie director David Lynch (“Blue Velvet,” “Mulholland Drive”) and CNN anchor and correspondent Candy Crowley will headline a Washington event Wednesday to kick off a campaign the sponsors hope will teach 10,000 veterans how to meditate.

A Georgetown Medical School clinical professor, Dr. Norman Rosenthal, said he has the facts, figures and testimonials to show that meditation can be a low-cost, low-risk alternative to strong narcotics often prescribed by government doctors.

The Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs “are big institutions,” Rosenthal said in a telephone interview. “Our hope is someone will raise an eyebrow and say, “Well, well.”

He includes case studies in his new book, “Transcendence-healing and Transformation through Transcendental Meditation.”

In one case, he quotes a Marine gunner on a Humvee who saw heavy fighting in Iraq. The Marine wrote that PTSD symptoms disrupted his sleep and derailed his family life upon his return to the United States, but “TM (transcendental meditation) has helped with organizing, prioritizing and just being calmer overall. I just feel better.”

Rosenthal says a simple seven-step process has quick results. “What do we have to lose? It is so cheap, and it is safe,” he told CNN.

The military, meanwhile, is facing a number of challenges over the use of powerful drugs prescribed for a variety of stress-related ailments, with increased risk of sometimes deadly, accidental overdoses. The Army’s assistant surgeon general, Brig. Gen. Richard Thomas, told CNN recently that he thinks there has been over-reliance on prescription drugs.

“It reflects how we are in society. We do have a tendency to rely on prescription meds,” he said.

And the Pentagon, according to Thomas, is receptive to nondrug treatments.

“Whether it be acupuncture or biofeedback or yoga therapy, there is a host of other things we can provide to patients to take care of them right, other than narcotics,” Thomas said at the Pentagon. “Narcotics may still have a role, but it doesn’t have as big a role and there are alternatives, and that’s the key.”

Rosenthal said he and his fellow researchers, who published their findings in the journal Military Medicine, found that meditation can help an individual control emotions and thoughts and deal with common PTSD complaints of anxiety, depression, sleeplessness and anger.

He compares his latest efforts to win government support to his early uphill battle researching and publicizing his findings after he first diagnosed seasonal affective disorder, or SAD.

His research on military PTSD and meditation has a pilot study of five veterans. He brushes aside any suggestions that this is too small a sample.

“When you get a powerful intervention, you see a signal,” Rosenthal said. “And how do you get interest without a pilot study?”

His book says of 1.64 million U.S. military personnel sent to the Iraq and Afghanistan war zones between 2001 and 2008, one in seven met criteria for PTSD.

“Half of these veterans had never sought any kind of help for their symptoms, probably because of the stigma of being labeled with a psychiatric disorder,” Rosenthal wrote. “Of those who sought help, half received inadequate treatment.”

Link to article: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/US/06/08/ptsd.meditation

This story was picked up in over 50 major US media outlets as: Meditation Promoted For Troops With PTSD.

See ABC NEWS/Health: Meditation Heals Military Vets With PTSD

See: Donna Karan and David Lynch collaborate to launch “Operation Warrior Wellness-NYC”

See EurekAlert press release on Dr. Norman Rosenthal’s pilot study: TM Reduces Veterans PTSD Symptoms by 50%

And other entries on Operation Warrior Wellness here.

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Donna Karan and David Lynch collaborate to launch “Operation Warrior Wellness-NYC”

June 9, 2011

For those who either didn’t know about or missed the Urban Zen-David Lynch Foundation collaboration to launch Operation Warrior Wellness in New York City, here is the rebroadcast from that night, June 7, 2011, on Lifestream: http://livestre.am/OpBh. This special event was co-hosted by NY fashion designer Donna Karan at her Urban Zen Foundation and Hollywood filmmaker David Lynch.

Bob Roth, VP of the David Lynch Foundation, emceed the spectacular evening, which opened with an amazing performance by Miri Ben-Ari “The Hip-Hop Violinist.” Moving presentations were given by Jerry Yellin; Russell Simmons; research psychiatrist and author Norman Rosenthal, MD; Iraq Vet, MUM’s David George and his mother Julia; a Marine reading a letter from his father; Dan Burks and his family; a short visual presentation on the brain under stress and then on meditation by Fred Travis; David Lynch, Donna Karan; and a Q&A between Bob Roth and David Lynch.

Together Donna and David partnered to create change from within for veterans and their families who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. On June 7th, Donna Karan and David Lynch celebrated the New York City launch of “Operation Warrior Wellness-NYC.” Learn how Transcendental Meditation aids in healing the mind and body as they proudly present Dr. Norman Rosenthal, author of Transcendence: Healing and Transformation through Transcendental Meditation (Tarcher/Penguin June 2011). Proceeds from the sale of Dr. Rosenthal’s book will be donated to this outreach for veterans.

David and Donna also took great pride in presenting “The Resilient Warrior Award for 2010” to Captain Jerry Yellin, decorated World War II fighter pilot, and Master Sergeant Ed Schloeman, distinguished Vietnam Marine veteran, who both serve as national co-chairs of Operation Warrior Wellness.

Please share this with your friends and anyone who might feel motivated to want to donate to the David Lynch Foundation’s Operation Warrior Wellness Program. The goal is to raise enough funds to teach the first 10,000 Veterans with PTSD, from any war, and their families, to bring relief from suffering. Alternate URL: http://bit.ly/urbanzen-dlf-oww.

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Meditation Helps Homeless Children

June 7, 2011

Meditation Helps Homeless Children | NBC Los Angeles

By Beverly White and Julie Brayton  |  Tuesday, Jun 7, 2011

Transcendental Meditation is helping traumatized Kids at the Children Of The Night Shelter recover and heal

Click here to watch video:

Thousands of adults and children live on Southern California streets, and so did Kelsey.

She was cast out by her abusive Midwestern family.

“I been kicked out of my house since I was nine, on and off. This last time, my father was sexually abusing me,” said Kelsey, who is 17 years old.

Living on the streets in Los Angeles was so horrifying and dangerous, Kelsey sought shelter at Children Of The Night, where she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress and introduced to Transcendental Meditation.

“When you take like twenty minutes sit down and do TM, and calm yourself and be peaceful you’re not crabby. The daily things that make your day more frustrating, just kind of go away,” Kelsey said.

Hollywood filmmaker David Lynch and his wife Emily were confident traumatized kids could benefit from Transcendental Meditation.

“I myself meditated, and I thought this would be a good tool for them. So we brought them the Transcendental Meditation program,” said Emily Lynch, a volunteer and philanthropist.

“My first meditation blew me away. It curled my hair,” said David Lynch.

The David Lynch Foundation works to demonstrate the benefits of Transcendental Meditation worldwide.

“Stress goes. Anxiety, sorrow, suffering, anger, fears start to lift away,” said David Lynch, “and in its place, because they dive into the bit treasury within, all this happiness comes.”

Transcendental Meditation is deeper than closed eyes and calmed minds, according to Children Of The Night founder Lois Lee.

“Sometimes they’ll burst into tears, and they’ll talk about their dad abusing them, or something that someone did to them on the streets, and they learn through the process of being able to bring it up, put it out, pause, think about it and be done with it,” said Lois Lee, founder of Children of the Night.

Also see: LA Daily News: Children of the Night, movie director David Lynch expand work and MSNBC: Meditation Helps Homeless Children.

Posted in Articles, David Lynch Foundation, Education, Health | 1 Comment »

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