Prescribing Health

Transcendental Meditation in Contemporary Medical Care

Contributions by Robert W. Boyer, Fred Travis, Vernon A. Barnes, Norman E. Rosenthal, Jim Brooks, Sarina Grosswald, William R. Stixrud, David Lovell-Smith, Maxwell Rainforth, Robert Herron, David W. Orme-Johnson, Alarik Arenander, James Krag Edited by David F. O'Connell, Deborah L. Bevvino

Publication date:

11 June 2015

Length of book:

314 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781442226265

Prescribing Health: Transcendental Meditation in Contemporary Medical Care includes important contributions from leading experts on Transcendental Meditation and health, and provides the reader with the most important, cutting edge health research on the effects of Transcendental Meditation (TM) on serious mental health problems and medical disorders. It features practical, proven programs to improve health outcomes, decrease morbidity/mortality, and reduce health care costs with a wide range of patient populations. The authors explore advances in neuroscience and the brain changes associated with not only the impact of TM on health recovery, but also the effects of meditation in daily activity and permanent changes in neuropsychological functioning resulting from the purification of consciousness through meditation. Included is coverage of an ancient yet newly introduced approach to therapy, Vedic Psychotherapy, and methods for integrating Transcendental Meditation and other Vedic health approaches into primary medical care.

Foreword:- Norman Rosenthal, M.D.

Preface: – David F. O’Connell, Ph.D.
Deborah L. Bevvino, CRNP, Ph.D.

The Editors

The Contributors

Acknowledgements

Section I-Theory

Chapter I-The Transcendental Meditation Technique (TM): What, How, and Why
Robert W. Boyer, Ph.D.

Chapter II-How Meditation Heals: The Brain and Higher States of Consciousness
Fred Travis, Ph.D.

Chapter III- Stress, Illness and Transcendental Meditation: A Triad Worth Exploring
Deborah L. Bevvino, CRNP, Ph.D.

Section II-Research

Medical Disorders

Chapter IV-Transcendental Meditation and Cardiovascular Health
Vernon A. Barnes, Ph.D.

Chapter V-Transcendental Meditation, Diabetes and Other Disorders
David Lovell-Smith, Ph.D., M.B., CH.B., FRNCGP

Mental Health Disorders

Chapter VI-Transcendental Meditation Research on Anxiety & Anxiety Disorders
Sarnia Grosswald, Ed.D.
David F. O’Connell, Ph.D.
James Krag, M.D.

Chapter VII-Transcendental Meditation in the Treatment of Depression
James S. Brooks, M.D.

Chapter VIII-The Use of Transcendental Meditation in Promoting Recovery and Preventing Relapse for Addictive Diseases
David F. O’Connell, Ph.D.
Alarik Arenander, Ph.D.

Chapter IX- The TM Program and the Treatment of Childhood Disorders
William R. Stixrud, Ph.D.
Sarnia Grosswald, Ed.D.

Section III-Applications

Chapter X- The TM Technique as a Preventative Approach for Improving Health-care Outcomes
Maxwell V. Rainforth, Ph.D.
Robert E. Herron, Ph.D.

Chapter XI- Addressing Societal Problems Through the Transcendental Meditation Program: Aging, Prison Rehabilitation, and Collective Health
David W. Orme-Johnson, Ph.D.
David F. O’Connell, Ph.D.

Bibliography

Index

A thick and well-footnoted tome, Prescribing Health is not a how-to for people who seek to address their health issues through meditation. What it is, however, is a significant resource for those who work or are interested in the health care field, and would like to learn about the great power meditation has to support wellness in ways not fully understood by modern Western medicine. It brings together a large body of medical work, and seats TM into both the Western and Vedic contexts. Those who would like to be able to recommend meditation to their patients or clients will be able to point to the studies in this book as evidence to bolster their case.