On Mar 8, 2007, at 11:18 AM, sparaig wrote:
Are you under the impression that PC is an active mental state,
filled with thoughts and
problem-solving activities?
There is no mention of PC in the citation Sparaig. I believe the
researchers refer to PC as a "metaphysical
assertion" rather than any sceintific reality. In fact the idea that
people are experiencing something called PC, is one indoctrinated in
them before they begin the practice. Unfortunately, it does not
appear the researchers are aware of the tendency for "experience
coaching".
"TM researchers further view this EEG picture as reflecting a single
and original
state of “Transcendental pure consciousness” (Maharishi, 1969; Travis
et al., 2004).
Transcendental state is conceptualized as a “fourth” state of
consciousness”, a “wakeful
hypometabolic state”, that differs from hypnosis and ordinary or
sleep states (R.K.
Wallace, 1970). Although these descriptions might best be interpreted
as metaphysical
assertions rather than first-person descriptions, they do suggest
that this state of
absorption could also involve some form of meta-awareness.
Nevertheless, despite the
possibility of a more sophisticated phenomenological interpretation
and the need to
relate physiological data to subjective data, it is still unclear
whether and how TM
meditation practices produce increased alpha beyond a general arousal
effect or, an
inhibition of task-irrelevant cortical zones. Other relaxation
techniques have led to the
same EEG profile and studies that employed counterbalanced control
relaxation
conditions consistently found a lack of alpha power increases or even
decreases
comparing relaxation or hypnosis to TM meditation (Morse et al.,
1977; Tebecis, 1975;
Warrenburg, Pagano, Woods, & Hlastala, 1980). Similarly, the initial
claim that TM
produces a unique state of consciousness different than sleep has
been refuted by
several EEG meditation studies which reported sleep-like stages
during this technique
with increased alpha and then theta power (Pagano, Rose, Stivers, &
Warrenburg,
1976; Younger, Adriance, & Berger, 1975)."
-The Cambridge Handbook of Consciousness
