TM and Cult Mania
Encyclopedia
TM and Cult Mania is a book authored by Michael Persinger
, Normand Carrey and Lynn Suess. It was published in 1980 by Christopher Publishing House. Persinger is a neurophysiologist and has worked out of Laurentian University
. He trained as a psychologist
and focused on the impacts of religious experience. Carrey is a medical doctor who specialized in psychiatry
. He focused his studies into child psychiatry with research at Dalhousie University
, and has taught physicians in a psychiatry residency program in the field of family therapy
. Suess assisted Persinger in researching effects of geological phenomena on unidentified flying object
sightings in Washington; the two conducted similar research in Toronto
and Ottawa
.
The book examines assertions made by the Transcendental Meditation movement
(TM). Utilizing scientific techniques, TM and Cult Mania analyzes the efficacy or lack thereof of the TM meditation process, concluding that it is, "no more effective than many other meditation techniques". The authors write that, "Transcendental Meditation has achieved international recognition through commercial exploitation" and "poor scientific procedures". The book notes that physiological changes observed due to partaking in TM methodology are very small. Persinger, Carrey, and Suess conclude in TM and Cult Mania, "science has been used as a sham for propaganda by the TM movement."
A positive capsule review in the Los Angeles Times
noted that the authors use logic
to point out transparencies in the assertions of Transcendental Meditation. Rational Mysticism questions Persinger's neutrality and says that in his book he treats religious beliefs and spiritual practices as mental illness. TM and Cult Mania has been cited as a reference by researchers, in publications including the Journal of Public Child Welfare, Sociological Analysis, and The Canadian Journal of Sociology.
is a neurophysiologist who has worked at Laurentian University
in Greater Sudbury, Ontario
, Canada
. He trained as a psychologist
and focused on the impacts of religious experience. Persinger is the author of the book Neuropsychological Basis of Human Belief, and since its publication he has researched and examined the physiological and neurological causes of religious belief systems. Normand Carrey received education as a medical doctor and specialized in psychiatry
. He became a child psychiatrist, and worked out of Dalhousie University
in Halifax, Canada. Carrey has conducted studies into psychological resilience
, and has taught physicians in a psychiatry residency program in the field of family therapy
. He has worked in the field of adolescent psychiatry at IWK Health Centre
. Lynn Suess assisted Persinger in 1980, in researching geological phenomena which may have affected unidentified flying object
sightings in Washington. Suess and Persinger performed similar research in Toronto
and Ottawa
.
and analyzes them from a scientific perspective. The book acknowledges that those who practice the Transcendental Meditation technique feel relaxed and experience an increase in creativity. According to the book, the physiological effects reported by the scientific studies on Transcendental Meditation are relatively small from a scientific perspective and "no more effective than many other meditation techniques". Transcendental Meditation is seen as most noteworthy due to its ability to manipulate stress and expectancy.
"Transcendental Meditation has achieved international recognition through commercial exploitation" and "poor scientific procedures", write the authors. The book notes, "Frankly, the reported effects of TM upon human behavior are trivial. Considering the alleged potency of the TM procedure, the changes in physiological and behavioral measures are conspicuously minute." TM and Cult Mania comes to the conclusion that, "science has been used as a sham for propaganda by the TM movement."
, Phil Freshman commented, "Using hard logic and crackling humor, a trio of Canadian laboratory researchers cogently deflates Transcendental Meditation; they spotlight transparencies in its claims and warn of its latent hazards to those in wobbly mental health." In his book Rational Mysticism, author John Horgan comments that although Persinger says he's neutral toward religious belief, he's more biased than other neurotheologians and that his two books "cast religious belief and spiritual practices in a psychopathological light". That is, they consider it mental illness. TM and Cult Mania has been cited by researchers as a reference in works including the Journal of Public Child Welfare, Sociological Analysis, Case Book of Brief Psychotherapy with College Students, Journal of Student Psychotherapy, and The Canadian Journal of Sociology.
Michael Persinger
Michael A. Persinger is a cognitive neuroscience researcher and university professor with over 200 peer-reviewed publications. He has worked at Laurentian University, located in Sudbury, Ontario, since 1971.-Early life:...
, Normand Carrey and Lynn Suess. It was published in 1980 by Christopher Publishing House. Persinger is a neurophysiologist and has worked out of Laurentian University
Laurentian University
Laurentian University , was incorporated on March 28, 1960, is a mid-sized bilingual university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada....
. He trained as a psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
and focused on the impacts of religious experience. Carrey is a medical doctor who specialized in psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
. He focused his studies into child psychiatry with research at Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
, and has taught physicians in a psychiatry residency program in the field of family therapy
Family therapy
Family therapy, also referred to as couple and family therapy, family systems therapy, and family counseling, is a branch of psychotherapy that works with families and couples in intimate relationships to nurture change and development. It tends to view change in terms of the systems of...
. Suess assisted Persinger in researching effects of geological phenomena on unidentified flying object
Unidentified flying object
A term originally coined by the military, an unidentified flying object is an unusual apparent anomaly in the sky that is not readily identifiable to the observer as any known object...
sightings in Washington; the two conducted similar research in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
.
The book examines assertions made by the Transcendental Meditation movement
Transcendental Meditation movement
The Transcendental Meditation movement is a world-wide organization, sometimes characterised as a neo-Hindu new religious movement, founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the 1950s...
(TM). Utilizing scientific techniques, TM and Cult Mania analyzes the efficacy or lack thereof of the TM meditation process, concluding that it is, "no more effective than many other meditation techniques". The authors write that, "Transcendental Meditation has achieved international recognition through commercial exploitation" and "poor scientific procedures". The book notes that physiological changes observed due to partaking in TM methodology are very small. Persinger, Carrey, and Suess conclude in TM and Cult Mania, "science has been used as a sham for propaganda by the TM movement."
A positive capsule review in the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
noted that the authors use logic
Logic
In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
to point out transparencies in the assertions of Transcendental Meditation. Rational Mysticism questions Persinger's neutrality and says that in his book he treats religious beliefs and spiritual practices as mental illness. TM and Cult Mania has been cited as a reference by researchers, in publications including the Journal of Public Child Welfare, Sociological Analysis, and The Canadian Journal of Sociology.
Authors
Michael PersingerMichael Persinger
Michael A. Persinger is a cognitive neuroscience researcher and university professor with over 200 peer-reviewed publications. He has worked at Laurentian University, located in Sudbury, Ontario, since 1971.-Early life:...
is a neurophysiologist who has worked at Laurentian University
Laurentian University
Laurentian University , was incorporated on March 28, 1960, is a mid-sized bilingual university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada....
in Greater Sudbury, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He trained as a psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
and focused on the impacts of religious experience. Persinger is the author of the book Neuropsychological Basis of Human Belief, and since its publication he has researched and examined the physiological and neurological causes of religious belief systems. Normand Carrey received education as a medical doctor and specialized in psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
. He became a child psychiatrist, and worked out of Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
in Halifax, Canada. Carrey has conducted studies into psychological resilience
Psychological resilience
Resilience in psychology refers to the idea of an individual's tendency to cope with stress and adversity. This coping may result in the individual “bouncing back” to a previous state of normal functioning, or using the experience of exposure to adversity to produce a “steeling effect” and function...
, and has taught physicians in a psychiatry residency program in the field of family therapy
Family therapy
Family therapy, also referred to as couple and family therapy, family systems therapy, and family counseling, is a branch of psychotherapy that works with families and couples in intimate relationships to nurture change and development. It tends to view change in terms of the systems of...
. He has worked in the field of adolescent psychiatry at IWK Health Centre
IWK Health Centre
The IWK Health Centre is a hospital in Halifax, Nova Scotia that provides care to women, children, and youth from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.-Location:The IWK Health Centre is located in the south end of Halifax...
. Lynn Suess assisted Persinger in 1980, in researching geological phenomena which may have affected unidentified flying object
Unidentified flying object
A term originally coined by the military, an unidentified flying object is an unusual apparent anomaly in the sky that is not readily identifiable to the observer as any known object...
sightings in Washington. Suess and Persinger performed similar research in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
.
Contents
TM and Cult Mania takes a look at the assertions made by the Transcendental Meditation movementTranscendental Meditation movement
The Transcendental Meditation movement is a world-wide organization, sometimes characterised as a neo-Hindu new religious movement, founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the 1950s...
and analyzes them from a scientific perspective. The book acknowledges that those who practice the Transcendental Meditation technique feel relaxed and experience an increase in creativity. According to the book, the physiological effects reported by the scientific studies on Transcendental Meditation are relatively small from a scientific perspective and "no more effective than many other meditation techniques". Transcendental Meditation is seen as most noteworthy due to its ability to manipulate stress and expectancy.
"Transcendental Meditation has achieved international recognition through commercial exploitation" and "poor scientific procedures", write the authors. The book notes, "Frankly, the reported effects of TM upon human behavior are trivial. Considering the alleged potency of the TM procedure, the changes in physiological and behavioral measures are conspicuously minute." TM and Cult Mania comes to the conclusion that, "science has been used as a sham for propaganda by the TM movement."
Reception
A capsule review of the book for the Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, Phil Freshman commented, "Using hard logic and crackling humor, a trio of Canadian laboratory researchers cogently deflates Transcendental Meditation; they spotlight transparencies in its claims and warn of its latent hazards to those in wobbly mental health." In his book Rational Mysticism, author John Horgan comments that although Persinger says he's neutral toward religious belief, he's more biased than other neurotheologians and that his two books "cast religious belief and spiritual practices in a psychopathological light". That is, they consider it mental illness. TM and Cult Mania has been cited by researchers as a reference in works including the Journal of Public Child Welfare, Sociological Analysis, Case Book of Brief Psychotherapy with College Students, Journal of Student Psychotherapy, and The Canadian Journal of Sociology.
See also
- Cognitive science of religionCognitive science of religionCognitive science of religion is the study of religious thought and behavior from the perspective of the cognitive and evolutionary sciences. The field employs methods and theories from a very broad range of disciplines, including: cognitive psychology, evolutionary psychology, cognitive...
- NeurotheologyNeurotheologyNeurotheology, also known as spiritual neuroscience, is the study of correlations of neural phenomena with subjective experiences of spirituality and hypotheses to explain these phenomena....
- Psychology of religionPsychology of religionPsychology of religion consists of the application of psychological methods and interpretive frameworks to religious traditions, as well as to both religious and irreligious individuals. The science attempts to accurately describe the details, origins, and uses of religious beliefs and behaviours...
- Religious experienceReligious experienceReligious experience is a subjective experience in which an individual reports contact with a transcendent reality, an encounter or union with the divine....
- Spiritual crisisSpiritual crisisSpiritual crisis is a form of identity crisis where an individual experiences drastic changes to their meaning system typically because of a spontaneous spiritual experience...
- Transpersonal psychologyTranspersonal psychologyTranspersonal psychology is a form of psychology that studies the transpersonal, self-transcendent or spiritual aspects of the human experience....
External links
- Michael Persinger, webpage at Laurentian UniversityLaurentian UniversityLaurentian University , was incorporated on March 28, 1960, is a mid-sized bilingual university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada....
- Normand Carrey, profile page at Dalhousie UniversityDalhousie UniversityDalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...