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Super Mind: How to Boost Performance and Live a Richer and Happier Life Through Transcendental Meditation
The noted research psychiatrist and New York Times-bestselling author explores how Transcendental Meditation permanently alters your daily consciousness, resulting in greater productivity, emotional resilience, and aptitude for success.Most of us believe that we live in only three states of wakefulness, sleep, and dreaming. But there is so much more. In Super Mind, clinical psychiatrist and bestselling author Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D., shows how the incredibly simple daily practice of Transcendental Meditation (TM) can permanently improve your state of mind during the routine hours of waking life--placing you into a super-mind state of consciousness where you consistently perform at peak aptitude. In his most ambitious and practical book yet, Rosenthal shows how TM is more than a tool for destressing or for general wellness. It is a gateway to functioning physically, emotionally, and intellectually at levels we never knew we could attain. Written in Rosenthal's trademark style of restraint and intellectual carefulness, Super Mind explores how we can aspire to so much more than we ever thought possible.
319 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 31, 2016
405 people are currently reading
1642 people want to read
About the author
Norman E. Rosenthal
22 books64 followersNorman E. Rosenthal is the world-renowned psychiatrist, researcher, and best-selling author, who first described seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and pioneered the use of light therapy as a treatment during his twenty years at the National Institute of Mental Health. A highly cited researcher, he has written over 200 scholarly articles, and authored or co-authored ten popular books. These include Winter Blues, the New York Times bestseller Transcendence, and the national bestsellers The Gift of Adversity, and Super Mind. His latest book is Poetry Rx: How 50 Inspiring Poems Can Heal and Bring Joy to Your Life. Listed as one of the Best Doctors in America, he has practiced psychiatry for over four decades, and has coached people from all walks of life. Rosenthal has conducted numerous clinical trials of medications and alternative treatments, such as Transcendental Meditation, for psychiatric disorders. He and his work have been featured on Good Morning America, The Today Show, NPR and other national media.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
May 24, 2016
Although I absolutely believe in the value of meditation, this book was pretty unsatisfying. Except for the MRI/brain activity studies, I didn't find it especially convincing. I quit reading at about the 75% mark. Here are some reasons why:
1. The author is too enthusiastic in promoting the "necessity" of signing on with a certified TM coach. No doubt this is helpful, but it's also very expensive. I felt like I was reading an ad.
2. Correlation does not imply causation.
a. Just because Jerry Seinfeld (I'm a fan) has meditated for 40 years doesn't mean meditation is the reason he became a famous and successful comic.
b. If people meditate for a lot of years, and during that time, they experience some of the benefits of aging, like a less reactive "fight or flight" response, is it TM or the benefit of aging? How would you know?
c. Wishful thinking: If I meditated for 10 years and, during that time, landed the man of my dreams/won the lottery/found my dream career, I might assume the reason was TM, but it doesn't make it true.
To summarize, I believe TM is beneficial. I feel the benefits myself. But I wanted a book to educate me, not to serve as a cheerleader. Maybe there was more solid information in the 25% of the book I didn't read, but most of this tome consists of the 3rd-party close ("Everybody's doing it! Don't you want to do it, too?")
1. The author is too enthusiastic in promoting the "necessity" of signing on with a certified TM coach. No doubt this is helpful, but it's also very expensive. I felt like I was reading an ad.
2. Correlation does not imply causation.
a. Just because Jerry Seinfeld (I'm a fan) has meditated for 40 years doesn't mean meditation is the reason he became a famous and successful comic.
b. If people meditate for a lot of years, and during that time, they experience some of the benefits of aging, like a less reactive "fight or flight" response, is it TM or the benefit of aging? How would you know?
c. Wishful thinking: If I meditated for 10 years and, during that time, landed the man of my dreams/won the lottery/found my dream career, I might assume the reason was TM, but it doesn't make it true.
To summarize, I believe TM is beneficial. I feel the benefits myself. But I wanted a book to educate me, not to serve as a cheerleader. Maybe there was more solid information in the 25% of the book I didn't read, but most of this tome consists of the 3rd-party close ("Everybody's doing it! Don't you want to do it, too?")
October 22, 2017
So before we talk about this book, we need to talk a bit first about the subject of "transcendental" meditation...
As regular readers know, I've been meditating daily now for around two years, in my case a very atheistic, Western-friendly style of meditation in which you concentrate on your breathing (also known by the even more Western-friendly term "mindfulness," and the basis behind Western medicine's "Mindfulness Stress Reduction Therapy"); and that's made me more curious than ever about another type of meditation known as "transcendental" (or "TM" for short), which I first became fascinated with in the '80s when I first became a fan of filmmaker David Lynch, and learned that many of the surrealist images that feature in his films come straight from his work in this type of mental practice.
It was for this reason that I picked up Norman Rosenthal's Super Mind at my local library last week, because one of the famous frustrations about "TM" is that its adherents are forbidden from explaining the technique in writing, insisting instead that the one and only exclusive way to learn the technique is through oral lessons from an already trained guru; and I had been hoping that the Western medical doctor Rosenthal would finally be the person to break this secretive cycle, much like how Robert Wright's new book Why Buddhism Is True (review coming in two weeks) does such a superlative job at taking the usually mystical precepts of that philosophy and showing in this grounded way how they neatly match up with the latest research into neuroscience and behavioral psychology.
But alas, Rosenthal (who turns out to be a TM practitioner himself) preaches the same tune as all the others, devoting just one single line in his entire 300-page book to the actual practice of the technique, that line being, "I can't teach you TM in a book; you have to take a class to learn it." So that finally led me down the rabbit hole of online research into the subject for the very first time, which is when I learned the disappointing truth -- that "TM" as a specific and unique kind of meditation is little more than a cult-like Ponzi scheme for financial gain; that the reason practitioners insist that you can only learn "TM" through a trained guru is that it costs between $300 and $1,000 to take a four-day introductory workshop from a guru (with that being just the start of the Scientology-like hard sell for more cash, including eventual retreats for high-level members that cost tens of thousands of dollars, in which devotees supposedly are taught how to levitate and turn invisible); and that according to literally dozens of former teachers who have since left the group, in reality there isn't a single solitary thing about "transcendental" meditation that's different than the much more general practice of mantra-based meditation, which you can easily learn and practice for free by yourself.
(And when it comes to the even bigger picture, I question whether there's really any difference between the varying kinds of meditation at all, at least from the standpoint of quantifiable Western-style health benefits; that is, whether it makes any difference at all if you reach a meditative state by focusing on your breathing or focusing on a specific word, when it comes to things like reducing stress or feeling like you're more connected with the world around you, a schism that the more religious types of meditators claim is like the difference between Protestants and Catholics, but to me as an American atheist seems trivial at best. But that's neither here nor there, I suppose.)
So that makes a review of Rosenthal's book problematic to say the least; for on the one hand, absolutely 100 percent of what he says in this book about the practical benefits of meditation is true, which as a meditator myself is something I'm happy to back up and support. But on the other hand, not a single thing he says here is in any way unique to the specific practice of "transcendental" meditation; and it's really kind of ethically dodgy that this Western medical doctor is even presenting this information in the supposedly objective manner he is, when behind it all is a hidden agenda for raising the coffers of a pseudo-mystical organization that engages in cult-like techniques of financial manipulation, and for whom Rosenthal regularly speaks at their paid fundraisers, making him the exact opposite of a disinterested objective voice. (And to be clear, this is a group that already has two billion dollars in the bank, so is not exactly hurting for cash.)
If you know absolutely nothing about meditation or the practical benefits it can provide, this book actually serves as a pretty good primer on the subject, which is why it's getting three stars from me despite my serious misgivings; but for obvious reasons, I'm skeptical and a bit alarmed by Rosenthal's page-after-page insistence here that these benefits can only and exclusively be achieved by spending thousands of dollars, a naked shill for money from a man who directly benefits from that money, and that has no place in a book by a medical doctor being promoted as full of objective medical advice. (Also, if you're anything like me, you'll find Rosenthal's constant name-dropping of his famous Hollywood buddies to be really distasteful, and especially when he tries to convince us that we should take "TM" seriously because Cameron Diaz takes it seriously, yet another unsettling little detail about Rosenthal's prose that has no business in a supposed objective medical book.)
And one final note before I finish up today; that if you come across this in the future and notice that there are no comments below, that's not because everyone who reads this agrees with me, but rather that I regularly delete all comments left here. I want to be as clear as I can about this, that my opinion of "transcendental" meditation is certainly not the final say on the subject, that there are lots of people who passionately disagree with everything I just said, and that there's a valid place in our society for a rational and informed conversation about the pros and cons of "TM." However, the comments section of my Goodreads review is not it, especially given the habit of blog comment sections to inevitably disintegrate into troll-like flame wars that solve nothing and contribute nothing constructive to the conversation. I have a low tolerance for people who wish to hijack my Goodreads reviews for this kind of purpose, which is why those kinds of comments will be deleted within seconds of being posted.
As regular readers know, I've been meditating daily now for around two years, in my case a very atheistic, Western-friendly style of meditation in which you concentrate on your breathing (also known by the even more Western-friendly term "mindfulness," and the basis behind Western medicine's "Mindfulness Stress Reduction Therapy"); and that's made me more curious than ever about another type of meditation known as "transcendental" (or "TM" for short), which I first became fascinated with in the '80s when I first became a fan of filmmaker David Lynch, and learned that many of the surrealist images that feature in his films come straight from his work in this type of mental practice.
It was for this reason that I picked up Norman Rosenthal's Super Mind at my local library last week, because one of the famous frustrations about "TM" is that its adherents are forbidden from explaining the technique in writing, insisting instead that the one and only exclusive way to learn the technique is through oral lessons from an already trained guru; and I had been hoping that the Western medical doctor Rosenthal would finally be the person to break this secretive cycle, much like how Robert Wright's new book Why Buddhism Is True (review coming in two weeks) does such a superlative job at taking the usually mystical precepts of that philosophy and showing in this grounded way how they neatly match up with the latest research into neuroscience and behavioral psychology.
But alas, Rosenthal (who turns out to be a TM practitioner himself) preaches the same tune as all the others, devoting just one single line in his entire 300-page book to the actual practice of the technique, that line being, "I can't teach you TM in a book; you have to take a class to learn it." So that finally led me down the rabbit hole of online research into the subject for the very first time, which is when I learned the disappointing truth -- that "TM" as a specific and unique kind of meditation is little more than a cult-like Ponzi scheme for financial gain; that the reason practitioners insist that you can only learn "TM" through a trained guru is that it costs between $300 and $1,000 to take a four-day introductory workshop from a guru (with that being just the start of the Scientology-like hard sell for more cash, including eventual retreats for high-level members that cost tens of thousands of dollars, in which devotees supposedly are taught how to levitate and turn invisible); and that according to literally dozens of former teachers who have since left the group, in reality there isn't a single solitary thing about "transcendental" meditation that's different than the much more general practice of mantra-based meditation, which you can easily learn and practice for free by yourself.
(And when it comes to the even bigger picture, I question whether there's really any difference between the varying kinds of meditation at all, at least from the standpoint of quantifiable Western-style health benefits; that is, whether it makes any difference at all if you reach a meditative state by focusing on your breathing or focusing on a specific word, when it comes to things like reducing stress or feeling like you're more connected with the world around you, a schism that the more religious types of meditators claim is like the difference between Protestants and Catholics, but to me as an American atheist seems trivial at best. But that's neither here nor there, I suppose.)
So that makes a review of Rosenthal's book problematic to say the least; for on the one hand, absolutely 100 percent of what he says in this book about the practical benefits of meditation is true, which as a meditator myself is something I'm happy to back up and support. But on the other hand, not a single thing he says here is in any way unique to the specific practice of "transcendental" meditation; and it's really kind of ethically dodgy that this Western medical doctor is even presenting this information in the supposedly objective manner he is, when behind it all is a hidden agenda for raising the coffers of a pseudo-mystical organization that engages in cult-like techniques of financial manipulation, and for whom Rosenthal regularly speaks at their paid fundraisers, making him the exact opposite of a disinterested objective voice. (And to be clear, this is a group that already has two billion dollars in the bank, so is not exactly hurting for cash.)
If you know absolutely nothing about meditation or the practical benefits it can provide, this book actually serves as a pretty good primer on the subject, which is why it's getting three stars from me despite my serious misgivings; but for obvious reasons, I'm skeptical and a bit alarmed by Rosenthal's page-after-page insistence here that these benefits can only and exclusively be achieved by spending thousands of dollars, a naked shill for money from a man who directly benefits from that money, and that has no place in a book by a medical doctor being promoted as full of objective medical advice. (Also, if you're anything like me, you'll find Rosenthal's constant name-dropping of his famous Hollywood buddies to be really distasteful, and especially when he tries to convince us that we should take "TM" seriously because Cameron Diaz takes it seriously, yet another unsettling little detail about Rosenthal's prose that has no business in a supposed objective medical book.)
And one final note before I finish up today; that if you come across this in the future and notice that there are no comments below, that's not because everyone who reads this agrees with me, but rather that I regularly delete all comments left here. I want to be as clear as I can about this, that my opinion of "transcendental" meditation is certainly not the final say on the subject, that there are lots of people who passionately disagree with everything I just said, and that there's a valid place in our society for a rational and informed conversation about the pros and cons of "TM." However, the comments section of my Goodreads review is not it, especially given the habit of blog comment sections to inevitably disintegrate into troll-like flame wars that solve nothing and contribute nothing constructive to the conversation. I have a low tolerance for people who wish to hijack my Goodreads reviews for this kind of purpose, which is why those kinds of comments will be deleted within seconds of being posted.
January 19, 2021
I'd have given this one a five star rating if only it didn't limit itself to being so clinical. I always wanted to try Transcendental Meditation - since I was in high school - and that was 45 years ago - and when I did finally ferret out what it required...thousands of dollars, adherence to Masters I wasn't convinced were transparent, I went to libraries and to YouTube to learn what I know now and practice every day, 2x/day, before lunch and dinner, to complete my meditative practice. I've meditated for a long time, since at least 1997, but I found it was a practice hard to maintain at work and with others in life who needed my attention, and Transcendental Meditation makes up that difference. You can do it throughout the day, in line at the supermarket, waiting for your coffee to percolate in your kitchen, mind-bogglingly easy. I did not have Masters choose the mantra for me when I found out how it is done and I found that it still worked for me. Would I pay for the TM fees and use the Mantra they gave me when the money comes in? I might. But if you need to enlighten your life now, just get the general idea, create the practice, and move forward. You'll get the hang of it. BTW, it's not just for enlightenment, but for improving performance, energy, creativity, inspiration, and happiness.
February 12, 2017
This is not a "how-to" book but more of why do TM and why you need to spend a not insignificant amount of money to learn how to do it. Maybe one day but not for me now.
May 21, 2018
The book inspired me to start meditating.
December 30, 2022
"Super Mind" by Norman E Rosenthal, along with his previous book, "Transcendence," are the most comprehensive studies of the philosophy and practice of Transcendental Meditation whereas "Super Mind" focuses on the effects of TM concerning better health, ie. reduction of heart attacks, blood pressure, etc. "Super Mind" focuses on the permanent improvement of state of mind and the potential for higher consciousness. This is an inspiring book that presents transcendental meditation a means to higher development and eventual "enlightenment". I would highly recommend this book.
October 8, 2023
I found this book quite boring. An endless parade of studies. Maybe I needed to meditate more to be able to even concentrate when slogging through it
February 25, 2017
Great reading of a kind of work that could be terribly dry. Written with character and what can only be described as a joyful life passion. I enjoyed the authors blend of both science and personal tales. The inclusion of summaries at the end of each chapter was helpful in this audiobook version. It made me want to learn transcendental meditation.
February 3, 2019
Great info on the science behind TM.
April 10, 2019
Makes more sense after you've had experiences with TM.
March 25, 2019
I'm not exactly sure how far I'm into this book, but I'm abandoning it after listening to it for two days.
I started meditating about a year ago and more seriously in the last four to six months (meaning I actually do it nearly every day instead of now and then). I'm not sure where I heard of TM most recently, but I wondered how it compared to/differed from what I've been doing, so I Googled it and watched a few videos in which people like David Lynch and other celebrities talk about how it's changed their lives. Fast forward to me using an Audible credit to listen to this book. I was game to learn how to practice TM and see if it was superior (as claimed) to the 'regular' meditation I've been doing. Except -- it became clear this 'how to' book wasn't going to tell me how - it merely kept telling me how wonderful and superior it was (noting scientific data to support those claims) and pointing me in the direction of the tm.org website. So I went. And I looked. And it looks like a big business. And it looks expensive.
So then I Googled "TM a scam?" and I got a lot of differing opinions. Some people swear by it. Some people say it's a cult. They lost me when I read learning this includes a secret ceremony and a nondisclosure form you have to sign. If this is all about peace, positivity, universality and love, why make it so exclusionary? Why not offer it to everyone? Why so secret, hm?
My conclusion? I don't have a thousand dollars to drop on learning a personal mantra . I don't know I believe that a made-up sound/phrase, repeated over and over, is the key to gaining higher levels of consciousness. What I do know is, my skepticism alarm goes off when a medical professional sounds less like a doctor and more like a huckster selling a product. (Are tomatoes killing you?!?! Buy my book and find out!!!)
Final thoughts: I can continue reaping the benefits I've found by doing mindfulness, body scan, and focused breathing meditations. I'm off to read something that will truly transcend me. Maybe some Scalzi or Wendig. . .
I started meditating about a year ago and more seriously in the last four to six months (meaning I actually do it nearly every day instead of now and then). I'm not sure where I heard of TM most recently, but I wondered how it compared to/differed from what I've been doing, so I Googled it and watched a few videos in which people like David Lynch and other celebrities talk about how it's changed their lives. Fast forward to me using an Audible credit to listen to this book. I was game to learn how to practice TM and see if it was superior (as claimed) to the 'regular' meditation I've been doing. Except -- it became clear this 'how to' book wasn't going to tell me how - it merely kept telling me how wonderful and superior it was (noting scientific data to support those claims) and pointing me in the direction of the tm.org website. So I went. And I looked. And it looks like a big business. And it looks expensive.
So then I Googled "TM a scam?" and I got a lot of differing opinions. Some people swear by it. Some people say it's a cult. They lost me when I read learning this includes a secret ceremony and a nondisclosure form you have to sign. If this is all about peace, positivity, universality and love, why make it so exclusionary? Why not offer it to everyone? Why so secret, hm?
My conclusion? I don't have a thousand dollars to drop on learning a personal mantra . I don't know I believe that a made-up sound/phrase, repeated over and over, is the key to gaining higher levels of consciousness. What I do know is, my skepticism alarm goes off when a medical professional sounds less like a doctor and more like a huckster selling a product. (Are tomatoes killing you?!?! Buy my book and find out!!!)
Final thoughts: I can continue reaping the benefits I've found by doing mindfulness, body scan, and focused breathing meditations. I'm off to read something that will truly transcend me. Maybe some Scalzi or Wendig. . .
September 19, 2016
Book Review
Super Mind: How to Boost Performance and Live a Richer and Happier Life Through Transcendental Meditation by Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D.
New York Times bestselling author of Transcendence
Tarcher Perigee, 2016
This book promises everything that TM, or transcendental meditation, can offer: stress relief, more emotional stability, and a better outlook and stronger focus that can enrich a reader's life.
For the most part, it delivers. It does so by providing an avalanche of information about TM, studies done on practitioners, and a medical perspective that blends the allopathic (the modern style) with traditional medicine. So readers benefit by getting both sides of the picture.
This is much needed today. We've gone too far to the extreme of allowing drugs and quick fixes to medicate us into thinking that just because we feel great, we are great or our lives are great. TM can offer the real thing. And Rosenthal is clearly an adherent to that perspective.
There's not a lot new here in terms of information on TM techniques. But the studies that back up the process are great, and should help folks who are wary of false claims and herbal medicines, yoga teachers, and other alternative claims that don't back up their systems with facts.
If you're new to TM or want to explore the depths of the science backing it up, this book is a must read.
For another in-depth look at traditional wisdom and how it can enrich modern lives, try Seven Sisters: Spiritual Messages from Aboriginal Australia.
4 stars.
I received a copy from the publisher in order to write this review.
Super Mind: How to Boost Performance and Live a Richer and Happier Life Through Transcendental Meditation by Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D.
New York Times bestselling author of Transcendence
Tarcher Perigee, 2016
This book promises everything that TM, or transcendental meditation, can offer: stress relief, more emotional stability, and a better outlook and stronger focus that can enrich a reader's life.
For the most part, it delivers. It does so by providing an avalanche of information about TM, studies done on practitioners, and a medical perspective that blends the allopathic (the modern style) with traditional medicine. So readers benefit by getting both sides of the picture.
This is much needed today. We've gone too far to the extreme of allowing drugs and quick fixes to medicate us into thinking that just because we feel great, we are great or our lives are great. TM can offer the real thing. And Rosenthal is clearly an adherent to that perspective.
There's not a lot new here in terms of information on TM techniques. But the studies that back up the process are great, and should help folks who are wary of false claims and herbal medicines, yoga teachers, and other alternative claims that don't back up their systems with facts.
If you're new to TM or want to explore the depths of the science backing it up, this book is a must read.
For another in-depth look at traditional wisdom and how it can enrich modern lives, try Seven Sisters: Spiritual Messages from Aboriginal Australia.
4 stars.
I received a copy from the publisher in order to write this review.
May 23, 2016
First I would like to say that I received this book through the Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank the author for giving me the opportunity and honor in being able to read this book. Super Mind is a must read for everyone. Read it if you’d like to know how to accomplish much much more and be happier. In "Super Mind," the author chronicles the specific benefits of meditation over time. His findings are incredible: meditation is not limited to reducing stress, but actually grows and finds its way into activity along with all sorts of improvements.
I appreciated this book so much! Dr. Rosenthal shares deep information in a practical and accessible manner. I particularly like all the real world and real person examples that he brings to this. Wonderful read!
I appreciated this book so much! Dr. Rosenthal shares deep information in a practical and accessible manner. I particularly like all the real world and real person examples that he brings to this. Wonderful read!
December 24, 2023
The book is really just a long list of examples of the benefits of TM meditation. While I found it somewhat inspiring, there really isn't any instruction or "how to" achieve these benefits other than telling the reader to go and meditate.
January 6, 2017
Just a long commercial for TM. You'll not learn TM from this book. Apparently the only way to enlightenment costs four days and about a thousand dollars. I'm going back to Mindfulness. At least it's free.
(Gave an extra star because I used to audiobook version. I love Dan Woren!)
(Gave an extra star because I used to audiobook version. I love Dan Woren!)
August 6, 2021
The Super Mind was an enjoyable read, and I appreciated how the information was presented. The material povides a broad view of the process of transcendental meditation. The book is easy to comprehend, and the information encouraged me to give it a try.
January 16, 2020
Great information about the effects of meditation, but I don't think these benefits are confined to only TM. TM is basically branded mantra meditation, and you can find the information for free, no courses necessary.
October 22, 2017
Propaganda.
December 12, 2016
Interesting, but I'm not paying $2-3,000 to learn the "proper" way of doing it.
May 9, 2017
I love TM and enjoyed reading more about the amazing benefits of this practice.
December 13, 2021
Read and re-read several time. Happy to practice TM.
May 15, 2020
This book is very disappointing unless you just want to read an advertisement for the practice of Transcendental Meditation (TM) and hear about several people's experience with it. It is convincing on that level but it doesn't really give any details about the actual practice. The author claims that it is very simple to learn, then claims that you can't learn it without paying beaucoup bucks to a licensed teacher to learn it. He also strongly insists that you should really do it twice a day for twenty minutes for each session. As far as the scientific evidence of its effect on brain activity the book gives convincing arguments of the effectiveness and does convince me that it would be great to know. Since I've gotten great results just by meditating using a pone app I will just continue doing that for now.
April 29, 2020
The title is definitely a bit misleading, so don't at all expect to learn how to do this type of meditation from the book.
If you already practice or are considering it, it makes a compelling case for the benefits of transcendental meditation, particularly in comparison to other techniques or to doing nothing at all. It's nice to read if you want to understand the science behind the benefits you're likely currently experiencing, and to get to learn more of the benefits that await you down the road.
If you already practice or are considering it, it makes a compelling case for the benefits of transcendental meditation, particularly in comparison to other techniques or to doing nothing at all. It's nice to read if you want to understand the science behind the benefits you're likely currently experiencing, and to get to learn more of the benefits that await you down the road.
October 3, 2018
I’m glad that I finally read this, but I still have questions. But first - I thought this gave a great summary of the benefits of meditation, generally. However, I am not clear about how TM thinks it’s different from other forms of meditation, except that the book attempted to distinguish TM from mindfulness. I also don’t think the book is intended to give any specifics about the practice - they want to to pay the several hundred dollars to take the TM classes, instead.
November 11, 2017
Interesting pitch for transcendental meditation as a way to improve one's life. Filled with anecdotes and stories of people who have used the technique and achieved great success in life. Doesn't explain how to practice TM, but contains a lot of references and resources for people interested in trying.
June 13, 2024
I’m a long time meditator who was looking for a book on Transcendental Meditation. What it’s not is a book explaining how to practice TM. Although it was interesting to hear in detail the many benefits of this practice, the book doesn’t offer any detailed steps on how to perform TM, other than explaining where to get the training and why it costs so much.
started-but-put-aside
February 2, 2020I think there are some interesting ideas presented here, but perhaps not the most intriguing & approachable.
I had to return the book to the library and I'm not sure if I'll bother checking the book out again.
I had to return the book to the library and I'm not sure if I'll bother checking the book out again.
October 16, 2025
Mostly a list of case studies proving that transcendental meditation works wonders, but it was enough to convince me. Also just provided nice encouragement to get back into the practice. I especially appreciated the nods to Lena Dunham and David Lynch.
July 4, 2017
Describes many people's experiences with TM. Not really a how to. Seemed like the whole book was one big ad with some scientific findings sprinkled in.
August 12, 2017
Alright but very similar to his earlier book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews