Re "Don't act like it doesn't happen and that long term TM practice and esp. long term TMSP practice is not a factor.":
Totally agree with you. Of course, the problem with issues like this is that if anyone claims TM has such-and-such benefits, or alternatively that TM causes this-and-that problems, the only way to empirically resolve the issue is to have a large sample of people who learn TM and another sample who don't. Make sure the two groups are more-or-less matched for other features - age, status, mental health, money issues, etc. Then follow the two groups over the years and see what benefits or disasters occur that are statistically significant. Anything else is just anecdotal. You also have to rule out the horse-before-the-cart fallacies: do people who learn TM show a greater tendency to stop using drugs thanks to regularly experiencing pure consciousness? Or is it the case that those who display the discipline necessary to stop using drugs and take up a regular practice of meditation are statistically more likely to continue abstaining? I'm pretty sure that for some sensitive individuals, taking up TM could have undesirable psychological consequences.
