TM’S RIDICULOUS WAR AGAINST WESTERN MEDICINE
A student of TM known as ‘DG’ committed suicide, not long after the Maharishi promoted the idea that people should not rely on traditional western medicine. This advice was incredibly dangerous and helped contribute to tragic results.
AN EVEN DEEPER PROBLEM WITH TM
In a Resolution dated February 11, 1997, the Maharishi Vedic Medical Council resolved to “Ban allopathic medicine and replace it with Maharishi’s Vedic health care system.” Various points in the Resolution condemn the whole of allopathic medicine and its component parts. The resolution called for India’s national health-care budget to be transferred to Maharishi and that Maharishi Vedic University retrain all allopathic health care providers and that all allopathic medicine curriculums be eliminated. The resolution also calls for the destruction and rebuilding of all medical colleges and hospitals according to Maharishi’s version of feng shui known as “Maharishi Sthapatya Veda.” (26)
Guidelines (never made public) to TM administrators known as Governors and Rajas state:
We are not going to take help from medical Drs. as medical professionals give poison. So, don’t engage any medical Drs. for anything—absolutely whatever it is—even if they are in our Movement family…Hold onto the fact that we are the supreme authorities on health—we know how to create perfect health... (27)
TRAGIC RESULTS
The above statements are much more than bizarre; they are dangerous. TM teachers are taught to believe that Western medicine is poison and that TM is a standalone cure for just about everything. What happens when that teacher, who likely has no medical training, interacts with someone who has a severe medical issue?
MAHARISHI BANNED WESTERN MEDICINE, AND TM STUDENT “DG” COMMITTED SUICIDE
DG was a poster boy for the Maharishi University of Management (MUM). He served with 101st Airborne division “Screaming Eagles” in Iraq during 2003-04. DG had PTSD and began TM in 2009. Six months later he moved to MUM and completed the TM-Sidhi program. He became a spokesperson for the Lynch Foundation’s Operation Warrior Wellness program that is supposed to help veterans overcome PTSD. (28)
A video of DG and his mother talking about how TM helped with his PTSD was on the Lynch Foundation website. DG most likely believed that TM was the only treatment he needed for PTSD because he believed TM was a cure. On January 22, 2017, DG committed suicide.
TM WAS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SUICIDE BUT..
I’m not saying TM was responsible for DG’s suicide. I am saying is that as anyone reading this paper understands, PTSD is brutal; therapists know first-hand that harrowing, horrendously painful memories are often repressed. Should they surface during meditation, they require processing, usually in a therapeutic context. Many, if not most, veterans with PTSD are on medication to help control their symptoms. Maharishi's views on allopathic medicine weigh in against both therapy and medication. Sometimes the result is tragic.
Contrast TM’s stand-alone approach with Home Base described above. Home Base treats the whole person. The relaxation response is only one treatment modality. A Home Base treatment plan incorporates clinical care, wellness, education and research. All treatments are on the table. (29)
[27] Governor Recertification Course: Overview of Policies & Procedures, Wikileaks. See https://file.wikileaks.org/file/tm-governor-course-2005.pdf
[28] Achivements, The Latest Developments from Maharishi University of Management, July 29. 1911, Issue 131
[29] See: http://homebase.org
****
Aryeh Siegel is the author of TRANSCENDENTAL DECEPTION: Behind the TM curtain—bogus science, hidden agendas, and David Lynch’s campaign to push a million public school kids into Transcendental Meditation while falsely claiming it is not a religion. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and family. Discover more at www.tmdeception.com
Blog 18