Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr extolled the virtues
of transcendental meditation at a press conference to promote
the 'Change Begins Within' benefit concert for the David Lynch
Foundation and to support an initiative to teach 1 million
at-risk youth to meditate April 3 in New York.
(AP Photo/Evan Agostini)
Remember the messages from the recent Change Begins Within benefit concert (also here) and hearing Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and others on the benefits of meditation?
Now Andrew Newberg, a neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania, has written a book that may back up that fact. Called "How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist," Newberg publishes the results of a study of brain scans of 100 people who meditate or pray. A report on the book in the San Francisco Chroncle says benefits are most evident in those who have been doing it for years, but even newbies -- in as little as eight weeks -- show positive signs.
Though in his interview with the Chronicle he's talking more about religion than meditation, he does say things that apply to both. "A lot of the new research that we've been doing shows that when people engage in religious or spiritual activities and practices, or they have religious experiences, by and large they tend to have a positive impact on a person's mental health and wellbeing," he told the paper.
We sent Newberg a query asking if his findings extend to transcendental meditation and he sent us this reply:
Dear Steve,I have not been substantially involved in the study of TM, although we did do several brain scans of TM practitioners but never got enough subjects to produce a publishable paper. However, there is no reason to think that TM would not be beneficial as with many other types of meditation. Whether it is better than others probably depends more on the individuals doing the meditation. Our research suggests that almost any type of meditation can be beneficial, but meditation practices are particularly valuable when they resonate or match up with the person's individual ideals and goals. Since TM has a large number of people who perform it, it obviously has been able to connect with many different types of people successfully.I hope that that helps.Sincerely,Andrew Newberg
Comments
The concert was wonderful and Paul and Ring sure changed my brain waves. I also practice Transcendental Meditation and really enjoyed that aspect of the concert too. TM has done so much for my live. Who would've thought that one simple but delicate mental technique could bring so much happiness and peace to so many people!
It is reassuring to have this confirmation from independent researchers that meditation changes your brain and improves mental health. I wish this article has explained a little more about the results that these scientists observed. For those that are interested, the web site "Truth About TM" has a compilation of specific research about the effects of Transcendental Meditation on rain function and mental health. Clink on "Individual Effects," then "Nervous System" and "Mental Health."
My brain certainly feels more clear and orderly after I do my Transcendental Meditation session. There have been many studies done on TM and how it effects the brain. I am not sure of the exact details, but you could find out more on the web site www.doctorsontm.org. Enjoy!
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