June 10, 2018: Listen to this fabulous Rich Roll 372 Podcast: Strength in Stillness: Bob Roth On The Power of Transcendental Meditation & Bringing Calm To The Center of Life’s Storm. Also scroll down to see Rich’s comprehensive SHOW NOTES.
Bob Roth, TM Teacher and CEO of the David Lynch Foundation
The David Lynch Foundation CEO on the benefits of a regular practice
With Transcendental Meditation, through the use of a mantra—which is a word or a sound that has no meaning—you’re trained to effortlessly dive within and access deeper, quieter, more subtle levels of the mind beneath the waves, beneath the thoughts. And when we do that, there’s a completely different style of the way the brain functions. During TM, there’s what’s called alpha 1 brain waves and that’s the state of deep inner reflection and calm. During mindfulness, it’s called theta brain waves and that is sort of a dream onset.
Why were you excited to collaborate on a mindfulness-based meditation with Equinox to benefit Move for Minds?
I’m always happy to call attention to anything that’s scientifically proven to work. It’s like Vitamin A is different than Vitamin C is different than Vitamin D. And so mindfulness can be a good coping tool for someone and TM is completely different—you use them for different purposes.
You can have multiple tools in your toolbox.
That’s exactly right.
And when you say it’s scientifically proven to work—there’s research that shows how meditation can benefit brain health, right?
Yes. Stress and anxiety either cause or exacerbate 80 percent—if not more—of all illnesses and disorders. There’s a lot of talk these days that stress and anxiety may be an actual causal factor in Alzheimer’s or accelerating the symptoms. High levels of cortisol fuel anxiety, compromise the immune system, and actually undermine memory, the hippocampus. When you get a good night’s sleep, cortisol levels drop about 10 percent. In 20 minutes of TM, cortisol levels drop 30 to 40 percent and remain low afterwards. So this is why we encourage people to meditate at any time during their life. We’re also encouraging research so we can document quite clearly the impact of TM on pre-onset Alzheimer’s and for the symptoms of that.
Any time in life because what researchers are discovering now is Alzheimer’s begins as early as 30 years old.
Even what happens at 30 has been building up probably since you were a kid. It’s like high blood pressure, which doesn’t just come on suddenly. That’s been building for decades.
And you think this is the same thing?
I think any of these things that manifest later in life have been building since the 30s, if not earlier.
So, start meditating in your teens if you can. I know The David Lynch Foundation teaches in schools.
That’s right. It’s an effective preventive modality with enormous side benefits: increased energy, increased happiness, reduced anxiety, increased focus, all those things.
Speaking of energy, can meditation help your athletic performance?
Oh yeah. I teach professional and Olympic athletes and a lot of them will tell you, at the peak levels, it’s not a physical game, it’s a mental game. I teach an Olympian who is in the best imaginable physical shape and they can’t sleep at night and they’re anxious. For health, it’s not just attending to the neck down. And so you could look at TM as an effortless exercise to bring the whole brain into peak performance. And then you’ve got more energy because we deplete so much of our energy in anxiety and worry and insomnia. I like to say, if you’re really on a healthy regime, you exercise, you eat properly, you transcend.
Your book, Strength in Stillness, came out a few months ago. What were the three most surprising things you learned while writing it?
Number one, new research documenting the holistic or global impact that TM has on healthy brain functioning. The second thing I was very surprised or inspired by was to see that, whether you’re the CEO of a huge company or a single mom with two kids, when you look into the eyes of both of them you can see anxiety. Worry is universal. Anxiety is universal. Insomnia is universal. That was shocking to me. And the third was, I’ve been teaching TM for 45 years. It was a wonderful experience for me to just basically have it all flow out. I took the time to write the essential pieces of information that a person would like to know about meditation in general and about my area of expertise, Transcendental Meditation. I didn’t want to try and convince anybody of anything. I just wanted to give them the information and let them be able to make an informed choice for themselves.
The David Lynch Foundation hosted a recent Festival of Disruption. What was the inspiration behind that?
Life itself is perpetual change. We’re changing spouses, we’re changing relationships, we’re changing jobs. There’s so much political upheaval, disruption in the world. And through meditation, we can have the clarity, the energy, really the resilience to make life less of a nightmare and more of a festival. Because it’s happening anyway and we can either be destroyed by it or we can become a master of our life. We can become in control of our life. And we can even enjoy our lives. So the Festival of Disruption means let’s celebrate the creative people who are, in the spite of everything that’s going on in the world today, managing to be creative and inspiring and innovative and forward-looking.
Meditation can help you to do that.
It gives us the resilience, the creativity, the energy, the power to do just that. To enable us. Otherwise, we get overwhelmed by stress, we get overwhelmed by anxiety, and then we start self-medicating. And then life becomes a hell.
What do you think about the evolution of meditation and how it’s now the cool thing to do?
It was really cool and trendy when the Beatles were doing it back in 1968 and 1969 when I started meditating, a billion years ago. And then it sort of disappeared. It’s come back in the last few years and I think there are three reasons why it’s on the one hand trendy, but, on the other hand, being taken very seriously by educators, by medical doctors, by researchers. Number one, we live in an epidemic of stress, and that’s killing us. Number two, modern medicine has no magic pill to cure or prevent this epidemic. We mask it with alcohol and tobacco and drugs and coffee. We mask it or we manage it with sleeping pills or anti-anxiety medication. But stress is like a tumor. Even though on the surface we’re masking it, it’s still metastasizing. So that’s the second reason, to be free. And number three, there’s been so much research on meditation in general that it’s given a legitimacy to the whole field.
What’s ahead in the next three years, I think, is that there’s going to be a clearing out because a lot of it is just junk. A lot of it is trendy stuff to make a buck. But, as the problems of stress become greater, society is going to look more carefully, like we would with medicine, at what’s really working.
Each week, The Hawk Eye, Iowa’s oldest newspaper based in Burlington, focuses on an Iowan who is making a difference in the world. Bob Saar, a great storyteller of other people’s stories, came to Fairfield earlier this month to interview Leslee Goldstein about her TM study empowering disadvantaged Ugandan mothers. The Hawk Eye published his article on Sunday, May 20, 2018.
I cropped this photo taken by Bob for The Hawk Eye. The caption reads: Leslee Goldstein at her home near Fairfield. The Detroit area native came to Iowa in 1975 to study Transcendental Meditation, and went on to earn a doctorate in Vedic science. Her research is in the area of using TM to address stress and improve learning opportunities among women in poverty.
To read this well-written, comprehensive personal profile in their 52 Faces section, click on the title to go to the website where you’ll also see a gallery with 5 photos: Road to Africa is paved with good intentions. You’ll enjoy reading this inspiring heartfelt story. It’s also available in this PDF without the photos.
KTVO had also reported on the study: Maharishi University researcher Leslee Goldstein studies benefits of Transcendental Meditation on impoverished Ugandan women — news report.
ENJOY TM NEWS reproduced The Hawk Eye article with additional photos and a video made on Leslee’s study by her daughter Alena Goldstein: Empowerment from Within for Mothers in Africa.
Bob Roth and Katy Perry present TM’s benefits for children at Unite to Cure during the Fourth International Vatican Conference
Enjoy this video published by The Cura Foundation at their Unite to Cure event during the Fourth International Vatican Conference on Saturday, April 28, 2018: Impacting Children’s Health Through Meditation Globally. This presentation was delivered by Bob Roth, CEO of the David Lynch Foundation, and Katy Perry, well-known American singer and songwriter.
Bob explained how easy it is to practice Transcendental Meditation (TM) and showed a 4-minute video about the David Lynch Foundation’s Quiet Time program offered in schools around the world that showed how effective it is in reducing stress in students, and improving their health and academic outcomes. He then introduced a special guest—Katy Perry.
Katy shared how TM has helped to naturally ease her anxiety. She also expressed her concern for young people who are glued to their phones for hours at a time posting on their social media platforms to be liked. She said they don’t even know how to just be themselves.
Katy also admitted to being connected to her phone, always ‘on call’. “I want to disconnect to connect back with myself.” And she does this with TM, which for her, “has been such an incredible tool.” It provides her with a more powerful rest than napping. She says it’s “key to finding your authentic self, finding that stillness, recharging,” which gives her the added mental, physical, and immune strength “to take on this big technological world.” After meditation, she adds, “it brings some of the best, most creative ideas to me.”
I enjoyed the banter between them. Watch this fun and informative video.
Newsweek covered the event and wrote an informative report: Katy Perry Says She Treats Her Anxiety with Meditation, Not Prescription Drugs. As did The Fix: Katy Perry Talks Treating Anxiety With Meditation.
Related news: TM teacher and DLF CEO Bob Roth talks with Ellen and Dr. Oz about Strength In Stillness and Bob Roth promotes Strength In Stillness: The Power of Transcendental Meditation on Today Extra, Australia’s popular TV morning show and @GMA’s @RobinRoberts & @GStephanopoulos interview @meditationbob on his new book #StrengthInStillness: The Power of #TranscendentalMeditation.
Norman Zierold: 7/26/1927–3/7/2018
A close friend and colleague, Norman Zierold, passed from this world early Wednesday morning, March 7, 2018. Beloved by all, he lived a long, culturally rich and spiritually devoted life.
Born and raised in the Amana Colonies, Norman enlisted in the navy, graduated cum laude from Harvard, and earned a master’s degree in English Literature at the University of Iowa. He spent two years in France on a French Government Teaching Assistantship, then a decade in New York City, where he taught at Brearley School, worked at Collier’s Encyclopedia, then Theater Arts Magazine and Show.
Norman wrote eight books: true crime novels, tales of Hollywood’s golden age, and science fiction: The Child Stars, (1966); Little Charlie Ross, (1967); Three Sisters in Black, (1968), which won a Special Edgar Allen Poe Award; The Moguls; Garbo; (both 1969); The Skyscraper Doom, (1972); Sex Goddesses of the Silent Screen, (1973); and his final book, That Reminds Me, A Conversational Memoir (2013).
In 1972, Norman began the practice of Transcendental Meditation. He became a TM teacher and taught the technique to hundreds in Cedar Falls, Iowa. He later joined Maharishi’s Purusha program and eventually moved to Fairfield, Iowa in 2002. Norman became part of a dynamic media team at Maharishi University of Management under the direction of Bob Roth. Norman’s accomplishments there were legendary!
Those of us who worked with Norman over the years were always impressed by his work ethic and ability to charm writers, editors, and producers into reporting on TM. Bob Roth, now CEO of the David Lynch Foundation, is fond of telling the story of how Norman inspired a national TV profile on the NBC Today Show for TM and the Nataki Talibah Schoolhouse in inner city Detroit.
A few years later, when Bob and David Lynch showed it to Ray Dalio in a private meeting, it inspired him to give the David Lynch Foundation a donation of one million dollars for more school projects. This was the start of an ongoing relationship with DLF, now in 35 countries, and led to millions more over the years for many at-risk groups. Bob feels the successful launch of the Foundation was largely due to Norman’s efforts, and prepared a special message about him for today’s memorial service.
Norman is survived by his sister Loretta Wolf, nephews Geoffrey and Mark, and niece Candice. A memorial service and cremation ceremony will take place Friday, March 9, 2018 at Behner Funeral Home in Fairfield.
Rustin Larson, published poet and MUM librarian, interviewed Norman Zierold on the publication of his book, That Reminds Me, A Conversational Memoir. Enjoy this interview, which took place in the MUM Library. There is a short separate introduction by librarian Suzanne Vesely. Both videos were posted March 2, 2013 on mumlibrary. Margot Suettmann posted a link to this video on Facebook when she found out about Norman’s passing. She also posted a lovely comment there about Norman that captures him perfectly. I’ve included them both below.
Margot Suettmann: I did not know Norman that well for a long time, but he left a deep impression on me as a very gentle, refined and also intellectual or let’s say: well educated person. I saw him often on the road walking up and down and doing his errands. He was tall and slim and his gait was very typical for him. He immediately learned my name – soon after I had arrived in Fairfield – and thus greeted me always with my name “Margot” which is something special. One feels appreciated and familiar with a person who takes the effort. I also knew he was a good friend of Ken Chawkin’s whom I consider a good and old friend myself. I knew Ken before I came to MUM. I also may have read some of Norman’s media press releases at times. He was working in the media department of MUM. I got to know him a little better at the memorial or obituary lunch for Sally Peden which Ken Chawkin had organized at Revelations as I happened to sit next to Norman. Of course we started to talk about different subjects and I noticed his refined personality and his rich educational background and the way he expressed himself verbally in a cautious and knowledgeable way. Probably what I appreciated most was his gentleness and his intuition for other’s feelings and handling them with caution and tenderness. I also admired his bravery how he mastered his life in his old age. He never complained and trod his way up and down the road unperturbed – and of course he loved and appreciated deeply to live in Fairfield. He was very independent in his inner Self and a noble personality in some way. And I remember most his kindness.
Linda Egenes sent this note. It says a lot! “Thank you, Ken. What a lovely memorial post of Norman! I think we all felt connected to him because he was so deeply settled in himself, and made everyone feel appreciated, loved and respected.”
Linda also sent this: Here’s a link to a “My Story” feature by Norman for Enlightenment magazine. It features a moving chapter from his book, about how he started to meditate and then why he became a TM teacher: From Utopia to Hollywood and Back.
“Today, I believe that omniscient Mother Nature remembered my youthful spiritual stirrings even when I did not, and also noted my disillusion with metropolitan high life and my attempts to find a better road to fulfillment.” —Norman Zierold
Jim Turner sent a wonderful Letter to the Editor of The Fairfield Ledger, which they published on March 22, 2018: A tribute to Norman Zierold.
Earlier related blog posts on Norman Zierold: The Chronicle of Higher Education: Notes From Academe: The Spokesman Who Kept Calling | Diane Vance and Norman Zierold discuss his new memoir, That Reminds Me, at Revelations Café | You can read more lovely articles and listen to a few fascinating interviews with Norman about his book in this post by scrolling down to Articles, Interviews, and Update: That Reminds Me: A Conversational Memoir by Hollywood biographer Norman Zierold is now out! | Norman Zierold: A Charmed Life: Celebrated Hollywood Author Reminisces on Six Decades of Extraordinary Encounters | THE REMARKABLE DAVID LYNCH FOUNDATION — written by Norman Zierold for Healthy Referral | Celebrating Norman Zierold’s 90th birthday at the Bonaparte Retreat Restaurant we met Marie.
Bob Roth @meditationbob continues to promote Strength In Stillness: The Power of Transcendental Meditation. His new book is currently Number 1 in All Books on Amazon in Australia!
Here is an interview on Australia’s popular television morning show, Today Extra. Team Coach Nine bill Bob as Hollywood’s meditation master, and Guru to the Stars. Watch this dynamic 5-minute interview: The meditation technique Oprah and Seinfeld swear by. Bob also appeared on ABC’s Breakfast News Show.
For decades, Bob Roth has taught meditation to some of Hollywood’s biggest names: his client list includes the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Jerry Seinfeld, Michael J. Fox and Ellen Degeneres. (Perhaps you’ve heard of them.)
Roth focuses on Transcendental Meditation, an approach he describes as “the simplest meditation technique” to access the inner reserves of calm he says are already inside everyone.
“I use the analogy of an ocean,” he said on Today Extra, in Australia to promote his new book Strength in Stillness. “Choppy waves on the surface, [but] the depths of the ocean are silent.”
Roth says Transcendental Meditation is backed by scientific evidence and is a tool to treat anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and even Parkinson’s disease — actor Michael J. Fox is among his high-profile clients.
Oprah is one of the technique’s most outspoken converts, describing it as “the most ‘human-friendly’ meditation” and loving it so much that she had Roth teach it to more than 400 employees at her production company.
# # #
Also see Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos interview Bob Roth and other news coverage listed there.
ET: Why Celebs Are Obsessed With Transcendental Meditation
Entertainment Tonight http://et.tv/2CFjfWU
Publishedthis high-powered 2-minute news clip shows why so many stars are using this silent practice to really unplug. Featured in the report are Katy Perry, Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness, Cameron Diaz, Fergie, Chrissy Metz, Jerry Seinfeld, Oprah and Tom Hanks. It’s a veritable free celeb-filled TM promo! Watch it on ET, MSN, AOL, Yahoo, or here: https://goo.gl/CzKDaf.
Celebrity meditation guru shares simple guide to meditating live on GMA
Bob Roth sat down with Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos to discuss the benefits of Transcendental Meditation on Good Morning America Live in Times Square. His new book, Strength in Stillness: The Power of Transcendental Meditation, came out today, Feb 6, 2018.
Along with many A-list celebrities who have learned TM from Bob Roth—Oprah Winfrey, David Letterman, Ellen Degeneres, Hugh Jackman, Russell Brand, Katy Perry, Michael J. Fox, Tom Hanks, Martin Scorsese, Stella McCartney, and many more—Robin and George are also students of his.
Bob says, “We’re talking in Transcendental Meditation a medical tool that can just give anyone access whether they believe in it or not. You can be a 100% skeptical. And anyone can learn it—how to allow the active thinking mind to just access calm. And when that happens, your body, according to research, gains a profound state of rest.”
Bob Roth describes how TM works to George Stephanopolous & Robin Roberts
Bob explains, “In Transcendental Meditation we just effortlessly access these deeper, quieter, calmer levels that are already there. And it happens effortlessly because the nature of the mind is to be drawn to something more satisfying, and inside, most satisfying.”
Robin adds the notion of having no expectations, then brings up the issue of time, the amount of time needed to meditate for 20 minutes twice a day. Bobby then relates a true, funny story about that.
George says, “I think it creates time. If you do 40 minutes a day, you go through the rest of the 22, 23 hours, feeling more calm, more focused, more connected to everyone around you, and that’s invaluable.”
Robin says, “It calms you and energizes you at the same time. It’s the oddest thing.” George, who was very skeptical when he learned, reiterates, “Exactly!”
I really appreciate how Bob keeps coming back to TM basics in this interview when he describes the nature of our minds at the surface and at the depth. “Transcendental Meditation is a very natural technique that gives effortless access to the stillness that lies within.”
There will be a book launch at Joe’s Pub at The Public in New York City tonight: Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, and More To Celebrate The Release of Bob Roth’s STRENGTH IN STILLNESS: THE POWER OF TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION. The event will be webcast live Tuesday, Feb. 6 at 7:15 pm EST / 6:15pm CST / 4:15 pm PST on Events at TM.org and Facebook.
They actually started 15 minutes later, so fast forward to watch it below. Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness open the evening, then invite Bob Roth up to the stage. Bobby later invites Jerry Seinfeld to join him on stage around 40 minutes in.
Jerry is on for 15 minutes. In the first 7 minutes he shares where he first learned TM as a college student and says it gave him “the greatest rest that there is in the world.” Joking about how busy and tiring it is to live and work in New York City, he tells everyone they need to learn how to recharge naturally. Jerry loves life and says, “TM is the greatest tool for work.”
In the next half of the discussion Jerry talks about his work for the David Lynch Foundation. Bob starts to tell the story of how they asked Jerry to perform for a fundraiser. Jerry takes over and tells it like it was in his own hilarious way, when he found out he was going to be on the same stage that night with Beatles Paul and Ringo who were headlining the first Change Begins Within benefit concert at Radio City Music Hall. He also takes questions from the audience. Definitely one of the highlights of the evening!
Proceeds from today’s event and sales of the book will go towards teaching women and children who are survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault to meditate through the Manhattan Family Justice Center.
Visit the book’s website www.stillnessbook.com and scroll down to see Events & Tour Dates for book signings at locations around the country, some with other celebrities joining Bob Roth. Below that you will also find featured print and online news and stories, as well as a video library with event, television, radio, and podcast appearances.
More News Coverage on Bob Roth and his Book Launch
On Wed, Feb 7, Bob was interviewed by Rosanna Scotto and Lori Stokes on Good Day NY FOX 5 | WNYW. Rosanna posted a photo on Instagram of the 3 of them. The next book event followed that evening at the 92Y On Demand. It was moderated by Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress and writer Mary-Louise Parker. Watch their wonderful conversation here.
More news coverage continues to come out. Feb 10, 2018, The Guardian published this excellent article: Top US meditation teacher brings his message to stressed-out Britons. Guru Bob Roth, who numbers Katy Perry and Hugh Jackman among his fans, is to set up a TM project in London schools.
Bob Roth @Alexander Berg
Bob Roth is the most experienced and sought-after meditation teacher in America. Over the past forty-five years, Bob has taught Transcendental Meditation to thousands of people, from billionaire CEOs to combat-scarred veterans, to at-risk students in violence-filled schools, to leading figures in government, business, medicine, media, the arts, and more. In addition to serving as the CEO of the David Lynch Foundation he also directs the Center for Leadership Performance.
In Strength in Stillness, Roth breaks down the science behind meditation in a new, accessible way. He highlights the three distinct types of meditation—focused attention, open monitoring, and self-transcending—and showcases the evidence that the third, Transcendental Meditation, is the most effective and efficient way to reduce stress, access inner power, and build resilience. Free of gimmicks, mystical verbiage, and over-inflated research studies, the book is a simple and straightforward guide to calming mind, body, and spirit.
Watch this excellent book promo containing excerpts from various presentations, interviews, and famous meditators talking about what TM does for them, and others in need, posted on Bob Roth’s @meditationbob Twitter feed and on Amazon: How Transcendental Meditation Helps Relieve Stress and Drive Success.
I just love this funny video clip of Russell Brand and Bob Roth promoting the British and American cover versions of Strength In Stillness. Bob says it’s available in 9 different languages. Watch what Russell has to say about it all.
• Watch a replay of Bob Roth and David Lynch talk about Transcendental Meditation and the work of the David Lynch Foundation. The evening, hosted by Writers Bloc Presents, took place at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles on Feb 12, 2018.
• Watch Maria Shriver interview Bob Roth on her show Architects of Change.
• Listen to Bob Roth on Marketplace with David Brancaccio.
• Listen to 10% Happier with Dan Harris interview “Bob Roth, Meditation Teacher to the Stars,” Episode #122. Also on iTunes. Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/1pHJh5a Spotify: http://spoti.fi/2tOEMcB Google Play Music: http://bit.ly/2mPRAiW.
• Town Hall Seattle Feb 15, 2018: Bob Roth and David Lynch Strength in Stillness: The Power of Transcendental Meditation.
• Enjoy TM News: Strength in Stillness: Bob Roth Talks about His New Book, the Rise of Meditation in Our Culture, and the Future of TM. Q&A with the longtime TM teacher and DLF CEO.
• Bob spoke at The Free Library of Philadelphia on Feb 20, 2018. Watch the 51:35 replay on Livestream.
• This ET clip, published Feb 22nd, is going viral: Why Celebs Are Obsessed With Transcendental Meditation | Entertainment Tonight. Here’s why so many stars are using this silent practice to really unplug.
• Bob Roth in conversation with Daisy Lowe on Facebook, UK, Feb 27, 2018. Fast-forward about five and a half minutes to start the interview.
• The Bookseller: Tyler, Lowe and McCartney turn out for Roth’s book launch, published February 27, 2018 by Heloise Wood.
• Liz Connor of TV3Exposé in Ireland asks: Could Transcendental Meditation be the key to beating Britain’s stress epidemic?
• Consciousness and Creativity with David Lynch and Bob Roth at Arts Centre Melbourne, Australia, March 10, 2018, on Facebook.
• Consciousness and Creativity with David Lynch and Bob Roth at Art Gallery of New South Wales, Australia, March 10, 2018, on Facebook.
• Hollywood’s guru on how to meditate like Oprah, March 14, 2018, stuff: well&good.
• Ellen Welcomes Transcendental Meditation Expert Bob Roth, April 2, 2018.
• Red Dirt Report: BOOK REVIEW: “Strength in Stillness” by Bob Roth, April 17, 2018.
Related: Watch an earlier lively interview with Bob Roth on BUILD. Find more articles and interviews with Bob Roth on TM and DLF on The Uncarved Blog.
January 12th has been traditionally celebrated as the birthday of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. This year, January 12, 2018, is the centenary of his birth. After taking a Week of Silence at the start of every year, Maharishi would use the occasion of his birthday to inaugurate a new theme for the new year for his worldwide Transcendental Meditation Movement. See a PDF of Maharishi’s Achievements for each year.
For example, on January 12, 1975, after hearing of a few cities in the United States where 1% of the population were practicing TM and the crime rate had gone down compared to similar cities where it had gone up, he inaugurated the year as the Dawn of the Age of Enlightenment, saying, “Through the window of science, we see the Dawn of the Age of Enlightenment.”
You can read more about this in the description I wrote after Sally Peden’s poem, To Jyotir Math, in this post: Sally describes her journey “To Jyotir Math” with Maharishi and scientists who met to tell the Shankaracharya about the dawning of a new age.
On January 18, 2011, The Times of India published an article about Maharishi by Lane Wagger, The Prime Mover of Life. In this article, titled, Transcendental Meditation, Lane Wagger recalls the legacy of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi for his centenary year. Don’t know the date and paper it was published in, but here is an image of the article I had converted into a PDF: Maharishi’s Legacy by Lane Wagger. If you open it, go to Tools, Rotate Clockwise, then Zoom up to 110% to read it.
A very beautiful article is A Remembrance of Maharishi by James Powell. Many articles came out after Maharishi’s passing 10 years ago. See A Tribute to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. And Australian Yoga Life Magazine features Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in their Early Pioneers of Yoga series.
Some of my favorites of or about Maharishi are: Les Crane interviews Maharishi Mahesh Yogi | Watch the 1968 film of Maharishi at Lake Louise | The story behind the making of the International History documentary on Maharishi Mahesh Yogi| Peter Wallace’s story of how he met Maharishi.
These remembrances are just a fraction of what he had accomplished. He created schools, universities, revived ancient Vedic medicine, architecture, music, encouraged scientific research on TM, and so much more. Maharishi’s Vedic knowledge and technologies continue to transform millions of people’s lives for the better, and for that we are very thankful. Jai Guru Dev.
SUMMARY: A study published in Military Medicine showed that after 30 days of practicing the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique, 80% of the 46 veterans and active-duty personnel no longer had PTSD. All participants had been clinically diagnosed with PTSD using a standard assessment. By comparison, standard treatments for PTSD—prolonged exposure therapy, cognitive processing therapy, and medication—are only partially successful: approximately two-thirds of patients receiving cognitive processing therapy or prolonged exposure still have PTSD after treatment.¹
Participants in the study went from an average PCL-5 pretest score of 51.52 (with a score of 33 or above indicating PTSD) to an average posttest score of 23.43 after 30 days of practicing Transcendental Meditation (TM).
Veterans of the war in Vietnam, the Gulf War, Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) found significant relief from their symptoms as a result of practicing the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique, according to a new study published in Military Medicine. (PDF)²
The 41 veterans and 5 active-duty soldiers in the study had been diagnosed with clinical levels of PTSD, as measured by the PTSD Checklist-Civilian (PCL-5). After one month, 87% had a clinically significant decrease of more than 10 points. The reduction was so great that 37 participants (80%) had their symptoms reduced to below the clinical level, meaning that they were no longer considered to have a disorder.
The effect size, which is a measure of the magnitude of a treatment, was 1.91. This is unusually high, with a value of .8 considered to be a strong effect. In addition, the very low p-value (p < 0.0001) indicates these results were probably not due to chance. The study included a 90-day posttest; PTSD symptoms continued to improve.
“It’s remarkable that after just one month we would see such a pronounced decrease in symptoms, with four out of five veterans no longer considered to have a serious problem with PTSD,” said lead author Robert Herron.
More effective than standard treatment
By way of comparison, the standard treatment, which entails veterans attending counseling and re-experiencing their trauma as part of the therapy, is typically only partially successful, with approximately two-thirds still suffering from PTSD after being treated.
“Transcendental Meditation is very easy to do and results come quickly,” said James Grant, Director of Programs for TM for Veterans, which provided partial funding for this study. “TM promotes self sufficiency – it’s a tool that the veteran can use for life, on his or her own.”
In addition, research has shown that Transcendental Meditation has a positive benefit for many of the conditions associated with PTSD, such as high anxiety, insomnia, depression, and high blood pressure.
“Because it works on the neurophysiological level to reduce stress, it has broader impact than cognitively-based therapies,” he said.
Veterans able to help themselves
An interesting facet of the study was that the veterans were recruited through media advertising rather than through a veterans hospital.
“The importance of this study is that it shows that veterans are able to help themselves,” said lead author Robert Herron. “After learning about the opportunity to participate in the study, they went to local Transcendental Meditation centers to be instructed in the practice.”
Dr. Herron said that because of their huge caseload, the Veterans Administration hasn’t been able to help all veterans in a timely manner. And veterans are often in desperate need of help.
Veteran practicing Transcendental Meditation
“The veterans involved were pleased that they were able to do this on their own, and no doubt the VA hospitals appreciate that there are therapeutic approaches that can be undertaken without the costly intensive care of a therapist that treatment typically entails,” he said.
Dr. Grant said some veterans are reluctant to go to counseling because of the perceived stigma, but that there’s no stigma associated with meditation, which is widely practiced by healthy people.
Practiced 20 minutes twice a day
The participants learned the standard Transcendental Meditation technique, which is practiced 20 minutes twice a day. The study found that the veterans who practiced twice a day as recommended had greater benefits than those who practiced once a day.
This approach to meditation, which was introduced in the West by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi beginning in the late 1950s, has been widely researched over the past 50 years, with over 400 peer-reviewed studies. It is unique in that it doesn’t entail contemplation or concentration and is easy to learn and effortless to practice.
“Researchers have been calling for new approaches to PTSD treatments, and Transcendental Meditation seems to be particularly effective,” Dr. Grant said. “Veterans who elect to learn Transcendental Meditation themselves can find significant reductions in PTSD. The results are promising and suggest that this is a treatment modality that deserves more rigorous study as a potential treatment for PTSD.”
DoD supports research on TM
The current study follows four previous studies on veterans that suggested a benefit for PTSD. Because of these promising findings, the U.S. Department of Defense has supported a randomized controlled trial involving 210 veterans that is now nearing completion.
“The evidence is mounting that Transcendental Meditation is an effective treatment for PTSD,” said Colonel Brian Rees, MD, coauthor of the current study. Dr. Rees was the lead researcher on two earlier studies on Congolese refugees suffering from PTSD, and found a significant benefit after just 10 days of TM practice.
Watch a video conference held at the US Institute of Peace on Dec 2016, Exploring the Science of Meditation on Trauma, Stress, and the Brain: Military Panel, where leading experts in the field of military and veteran health discussed the benefits of utilizing TM in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.
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Funding for veterans to learn the Transcendental Meditation technique in this study was provided by the Wege Foundation of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Watch veterans describe their PTS symptoms and how TM changed their lives in this video made by the David Lynch Foundation: Real PTS Relief for our Veterans.
A more recent DLF video, Training from the Inside: Treating PTS with Transcendental Meditation, appears in a report on the study published in Issue 20 of Enjoy TM News: Military Medicine: New Study Shows Veterans Gain Dramatic Relief from PTSD Symptoms | 80 percent dropped below the PTSD threshold after just 30 days of TM practice.
Peter Swan, host of Maharishi’s Global Family Chat, interviewed Robert Herron about his study (Jan 15, 2018): Transcendental Meditation Reduces PTSD Symptoms.
1. Steenkamp MM, Litz BT, Hoge CW, Marmar CR: Psychotherapy for military-related PTSD: A review of randomized clinical trials. Journal of the American Medical Association 2015; 314(5): 489–500. (PDF)
2. Robert E Herron, Ph.D., MBA, Brian Rees, M.D., MPH, MC, USAR (Ret.): The Transcendental Meditation Program’s Impact on the Symptoms of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder of Veterans: An Uncontrolled Pilot Study. Military Medicine, 29 December 2017.
Source: EurekAlert!: Veterans who learn Transcendental Meditation find relief from PTSD, new study shows.
