Health News: Top Stories

A Transcendental Cure for Post-Traumatic Stress
by David Lynch and Norman E. Rosenthal

The Wall Street Journal Translate This Article
13 July 2011

On 13 July 2011 The Wall Street Journal reported: Transcendental Meditation (TM) has been identified as 'a promising candidate' for treating the devastating effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in combat veterans. The technique is simple and easy to learn; to date there are over 340 peer-reviewed papers describing its beneficial effects on the mind and body. A pilot study of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans published in the June 2011 issue of Military Medicine showed a 50% reduction in PTSD symptoms after just eight weeks of practicing TM. It is a joy for Global Good News service to feature this news, which indicates the success of the life-supporting programmes Maharishi has designed to bring fulfilment to the field of health.

'Most veterans with PTSD do not receive adequate treatment for various reasons, including fear of stigma, a dearth of effective treatments, and insufficient government resources,' explain filmmaker David Lynch and psychiatrist Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D.* in today's Wall Street Journal. 'Clearly, there is a need for new, creative approaches.'

A recent event hosted by the David Lynch Foundation featured veterans from WWII, Vietnam, and Iraq speaking about their experiences. 'Despite differences in age and wartime experiences, these men had two things in common: All suffered terribly from PTSD, and all experienced tremendous relief from TM,' Mr Lynch and Dr Rosenthal write. 'Life became once again peaceful and even joyful for them.'

Noting earlier published findings of beneficial effects in Vietnam veterans, the authors explain the scientific basis of this phenomenon in the ability of Transcendental Meditation 'to buffer fight-or-flight responses, which are thought to be overactive in people with PTSD'.

The article refers to related research on Transcendental Meditation showing, for example, reduced blood pressure and decreased risk of heart attacks and strokes.

'Regardless of how TM helps,' Mr Lynch and Dr Rosenthal state, 'the mounting evidence leads to one conclusion: If a simple, low-cost technique like TM can substantially alleviate the suffering of even some of the thousands of veterans afflicted with PTSD, how can we afford not to give it a try?'

Click here to read the full article.

* Dr. Rosenthal is a clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University Medical School and the author of 'Transcendence: Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation' (Tarcher-Penguin, 2011).

© Copyright 2011 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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