Transcendental Deception

Alternatives

Healthy alternatives to Transcendental Meditation. How to elicit The Relaxation Response.

 

Healthy Alternatives to TM

There are alternatives to Transcendental Meditation that can be used by medical professionals. Trainings are available at the Benson Henry Institute - https://www.bensonhenryinstitute.org/ as part of Continuing Medical Education (CME) https://www.bensonhenryinstitute.org/training-apply-for-certification/.

HOW TO ELICIT THE RELAXATION RESPONSE

In his award-winning book The Relaxation Response, Dr Herbert Benson outlined several steps to a meditation that would induce a similiar state to Transcendental Meditation without the risks, without the costs and without the cult. Here is how to meditate, and we will not charge you $1000 for the privilege.

“From the T.M. technique, we extracted four essential components that would elicit the Relaxation Response: A quiet environment A mental device—a sound, word, phrase, or prayer repeated silently or aloud, or a fixed gaze at an object A passive attitude—not worrying about how well one is performing the technique and simply putting aside distracting thoughts to return to one’s focus A comfortable position evoking it could sit or stand, sing or remain silent.

As my colleagues and I studied the Relaxation Response, we learned that stress—and the secretions of adrenaline and noradrenaline stress produced—contributed to or caused many more medical problems than Western medicine appreciated. The Relaxation Response proved effective in treating not just hypertension but also headaches, cardiac rhythm irregularities, premenstrual syndrome, anxiety, and mild and moderate depression.

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HOW TO ELICIT THE RELAXATION RESPONSE

Two essential steps to eliciting the Relaxation Response are: Repetition of a word, sound, phrase, prayer, or muscular activity. Passively disregarding everyday thoughts that inevitably come to mind and returning to your repetition.

Pick a focus word, short phrase, or prayer that is firmly rooted in your belief system.

  1. Sit quietly in a comfortable position.

  2. Close your eyes.

  3. Relax your muscles, progressing from your feet to your calves, thighs, abdomen, shoulders, head, and neck.

  4. Breathe slowly and naturally, and as you do, say your focus word, sound, phrase, or prayer silently to yourself as you exhale.

  5. Assume a passive attitude. Don’t worry about how well you’re doing. When other thoughts come to mind, simply say to yourself, “Oh well,” and gently return to your repetition.

  6. Continue for ten to twenty minutes.

  7. Do not stand immediately. Continue sitting quietly for a minute or so, allowing other thoughts to return. Then open your eyes and sit for another minute before rising

  8. Practice the technique once or twice daily. Good times to do so are before breakfast and before dinner.