--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, ruthsimplicity <no_re...@...> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Richard M" <compost1uk@> wrote: > > > >> The TM technique can (or could at the time) claim uniqueness > > >> as being: > > ... > > >> * Not a skill i.e. something that you develop and get "better" at, as > > >> in, for example, learning a musical instrument. In theory you can't > > >> say "I meditate better now than I did five years ago" (unless you > > >> were doing it wrong five years ago). > > > > I wonder about this. I hypothesize that there are people who are very good at > TM. They transcend easily and feel good in their practice, with little if > any adverse effects (unstressing). They may be naturally good at it or it > may have come from practice or both. In some research the TMO as specifically > chosen meditators who have long experience meditating and have specific types > of experiences. This includes the breath suspension person. The issue is why > some people have certain experiences and others do not. Is it practice? Is > it there particular make-up? I think probably both. What is it in them that > makes them "good at it." Would they have equally positive experiences with > other techniques? I hypothesize that they might, but that is a difficult > question to research because of the strong mindset that develops in > meditators that their technique is the best or "right" technique. Lots of > unanswered questions that are very interesting. >
Travis' research on comparing long-term meditating students with shorter-term meditating students suggests that there is a ceiling effect *during* TM within a few months. However, when he looked at the EEG of the two groups immediately prior to the meditation period, he found marked differences. He's interpreted that as meaning that one masters TM quite fast, but that the state effects continue to accumulate over the years. L.
