Peter, a really excellent discussion and explication on the subject. Thanks.
** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Peter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > --- suziezuzie <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > At what level of psychosis would you suggest that > > someone shouldn't > > meditate? > > Any level of psychosis! > > > And how do you define psychosis, what > > symptoms are > > manifesting in those you checked? > > Delusions, hallucinations, loss of ego boundaries, > derealization, depersonalization, ideas of reference, > paranoia. > > > > I > > know someone who always looks to their right when > > they eat as if > > someone is watching them. They also talk to > > themselves quite > > habitually as if another person is in the room. > > Would you initiate > > someone like this? > > Probably not. They need to be assessed by a mental > health professional. These could all be symptoms of an > underlying psychological disorder. > > > > > How do you judge at what level > > someone's psychosis > > becomes a hazard to the practice and that TM would > > make it worse? > > Anyone who is psychotic should not start TM nor > continue with the practice. Psychosis is a general > term given to someone with symptoms that indicate a > loss of contact with object/consensual reality. They > present with hallucinations and delusions. > > > > On another note, what do you think psychosis is? Why > > and how does > > this behavior manifest itself? Do you think it's > > purely an organic > > defect that has some expression in the personality > > such as paranoia? > > I think psychosis, for the most part, is an organic > brain disorder whose symptoms appear in the > psychological domain. > > > > Why does TM make it worse? > > TM makes it worse because in psychosis a person's ego > structures are being over-whelmed. They are losing > their psychological constructs that allow them to > expereince and interact with the object/consensual > world. TM moves the mind towards greater and greater > levels of abstraction which overwhelms these mental > structures even more. Psychotic people can not even > experience ambiguous stimuli (something that does not > have clear, definite meaning) without becoming worse > in seconds. TM is not an effective intervention with > psychotics because it moving the attention in the > "wrong" direction. They need to move the attention > into boundaries, not away from them. I developed a > very effective intervention with psychotics during an > internship I had using what MMY had said during my TTC > regarding the breakdown of mind/body coordination in > schizophrenics. He said you could help schizophrenics > by hitting them with a flower and saying, "flower, > flower," everytime you hit them. This just sat in my > notes for years until I started working in the mental > health field with psychotics. I realized what MMY was > talking about with this intervention. So in groups I > used to pass objects around (e.g., cups, pencils, > books, etc) and each person had to hold the object and > state what their direct experience of the object was > at that moment. No associations, only their direct > experience. This, over time, had an amazing effect of > radically reducing hallucinations and delusions as > noted by myself and other staff members. > > > > > > > > Mark > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu > > <noozguru@> wrote: > > > > > > In my tradition we don't teach anyone with a > > mental disorder. > > Instead > > > we have external healing techniques that can help. > > > > > > I can recall a few psychotics I checked that > > really shouldn't have > > been > > > doing TM. I couldn't tell them that of course. > > > > > > > > > > > > Peter wrote: > > > > Yes, anixiety disorders, depressive disorders, > > but > > > > absolutely not psychosis, it only makes it > > worse, much > > > > worse. > > > > > > > > --- suziezuzie <msilver1951@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > >> Transcendental Meditation is a natural and > > effective > > > >> cure for mental > > > >> illness. > > > >> > > > >> A large body of research has demonstrated that > > > >> Transcendental > > > >> Meditation produces comprehensive improvements > > in > > > >> mental health, > > > >> enhancing positive features and reducing > > various > > > >> forms of > > > >> psychological distress. A systematic review of > > 144 > > > >> studies found that > > > >> Transcendental Meditation was markedly more > > > >> effective in reducing > > > >> anxiety than other techniques (including > > progressive > > > >> muscular > > > >> relaxation, methods claimed to induce a > > 'relaxation > > > >> response', and > > > >> other forms of meditation) > > > >> > > > >> The superiority of Transcendental Meditation > > > >> remained highly > > > >> significant when only the strongest and most > > > >> rigorous studies were > > > >> included in the analysis. Transcendental > > Meditation > > > >> has also > > > >> consistently been found to reduce depression, > > > >> hostility, and > > > >> emotional instability, indicating the growth of > > a > > > >> more stable, > > > >> balanced, and resilient personality > > > >> > > > >> In another statistical review of 42 independent > > > >> research results, > > > >> Transcendental Meditation was found to be three > > > >> times as effective as > > > >> other meditation and relaxation procedures in > > > >> increasing self- > > > >> actualization-an overall measure of positive > > mental > > > >> health and > > > >> personal development. Further analysis revealed > > that > > > >> the technique is > > > >> exceptionally effective in developing three > > > >> independent components of > > > >> this dimension: emotional maturity, a resilient > > > >> sense of self, and a > > > >> positive, integrated perspective on ourselves > > and > > > >> the world > > > >> > > > >> An exhaustive survey conducted by the Swedish > > > >> National Health Board > > > >> found evidence that psychiatric hospital > > admissions > > > >> may be much less > > > >> common among people practicing Transcendental > > > >> Meditation than in the > > > >> general population > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> The following excerpt is from Maharishi's book > > The > > > >> Science of Being > > > >> and Art of living > > > >> > > > >> Mental health depends upon the normal > > functioning of > > > >> the nervous > > > >> system, so that the full mind is brought to > > bear > > > >> upon the external > > > >> world. The normal functioning of the nervous > > system > > > >> results in > > > >> physical good health so that the body is able > > to > > > >> carry out the > > > >> dictates of the mind, fulfill its desires, and > > > >> fulfill the purpose of > > > >> existence. > > > >> > > > >> As long as the coordination of the mind with > > the > > > >> nervous system is > > > >> intact, mental health is maintained. When this > > > >> coordination breaks > > > >> down, either because of some failure on the > > part of > > > >> the mind or of > > > >> the nervous system, ill health is the result. > > Such > > > >> failure of the > > > >> mind is brought about by a continued inability > > to > > > >> fulfill its > > > >> desires. > > > >> > > > >> The main reason for this is weakness in the > > clarity > > > >> and power of > > > >> thought, which thus fails to stimulate the > > nervous > > > >> system to the > > > >> extent that it can successfully carry out the > > > >> activity needed for > > > >> fulfillment of the desire. For the most > > thorough > > > >> coordination and the > > > >> most perfect functioning, a profound power of > > > >> thought on the part of > > > >> the mind, together with a corresponding > > efficient > > > >> executive ability > > > >> in the nervous system, is required. > > > >> > > > >> The integrity of the organic nature of the > > nervous > > > >> system is > > > >> certainly as essential as the power of the > > mind. As > > > >> far as their > > > >> functioning is concerned, they are > > interdependent. > > > >> It has been found > > > >> that while the nervous system remains > > unchanged, an > > > >> improvement of > > > >> the state of the mind results in an improved > > state > > > >> of thinking and > > > >> better coordination between the mind and the > > world > > > >> around it. When > > > >> the full mind is brought out to express itself > > in > > > === message truncated === > > > > > > ____________________________________________________________________________________ > Cheap talk? > Check out Yahoo! Messenger's low PC-to-Phone call rates. > http://voice.yahoo.com >
