Skeptics on the Transcendental Meditation technique • Criticism • Reviews • Responses to Skepticism: Advisory Board: Skeptics on TM

Advisory Board: Skeptics on TM

Jonathan Shear, PhD: founding editor of the Journal of Consciousness Studies, and Affiliated Associate Professor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University

Peter Scharf, PhD, Senior Lecturer in Sanskrit, Department of Classics, Brown University

David Haight, PhD: Professor of Philosophy; Chairman, Dept. of Philosophy, Plymouth State University

Patrick Pomfrey, PsyD: Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, Asheville, NC

Bridget Harwell, PhD: Clinical Psychologist, Cleveland, Ohio

“Well controlled research has shown that for reducing stress and promoting health, all meditation practices are not equal. People who come to me for relief from stress—and stress related disorders—need a meditation that won’t take a long time to master and will produce consistent results right away. Even though TM is a mental technique, because of the mind/body relationship the practice has extensive physiological effects. This can only result from the fact that TM allows the mind to settle very deeply inward in an effortless, natural way. TM teachers call this transcending. It’s what sets TM apart and why the practice is so beneficial—for mind and body—right from the start.”
—Gary Kaplan, MD, faculty, New York University School of Medicine

Is the TM technique scientific?

"Some people assume the Transcendental Meditation program is religious instead of scientific because it's 'meditation' and deals with concepts like 'pure awareness' and 'transcendence,' or because it was introduced from India by a teacher who was a monk. But philosophers of science know that what makes a discipline religious or scientific is not the content or subject matter, it's the method used to gain knowledge. If Galileo looks through his telescope at the stars and suddenly a flock of angels flies by, it doesn't mean he's no longer observing as a scientist, although his subject matter has changed. TM is a science, not a religion, because the approach to exploring the full range of human consciousness is scientific and experiential, not faith-based. Every principle behind the practice and every claim made for it is testable. Scientists have realized that consciousness and meditation, once thought to be mystical or outside the realm of science, can be studied scientifically."

—Tom McKinley Ball, Writer, Director of the Asheville TM Program

"Aren't all meditation practices the same?"

"One of the most common 'skeptical' questions I get is, 'Aren't all meditations practices basically the same?' Most of the research on the health benefits of meditation were done specifically on the TM technique, and have not been found to apply to other forms of meditation—any more than research on one medicine will apply to all others. The TM technique produces a unique brain wave pattern that signifies a coherent state of restful alertness, which is very different from concentration, contemplation or mindfulness."
—Jeanne Ball, Certified Teacher of the Transcendental Meditation technique, Asheville, NC
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"One of Maharishi's great contributions as a teacher was to establish the benefits of meditation on the ground of empirical science. Some people wondered over the years why Maharishi placed so much emphasis on science—always inviting researchers at universities and medical schools, wherever he went, to investigate TM. Now with so many people advocating various types of practices and making claims, I appreciate having an objective basis for evaluating the effects of the various meditation practices."

—Kevin Blair, Telecommunications specialist, Certified Teacher of the Transcendental Meditation technique, Richmond, Virginia

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Advisory Board: Skeptics on TM

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