On Aug 21, 2009, at 10:39 PM, raunchydog wrote:
Then how come, "Frontal alpha coherence is not reported in other
meditation practices?
It isn't considered important because it's low integration and common.
Usually meditation will only briefly stay in alpha until it goes to
deeper levels of absorption.
As one of the primary experts on EEG Barbara Brown said about alpha
"Concluding anything about alpha is perilous." All it means in the
case of TM you are listening to a faint sound, a mantra, you're nicely
relaxed or both. But you can poise yourself as is listening to ANY
faint noise and alpha will shoot up. Big whoop. Many things can get
you into the alpha state, but in deep meditation alpha is passed by.
> interesting findings seem to be coming from high-amplitude gamma
> coherence which was originally found in Patanjali tradition yogis
who
> could go into samadhi at will. In Buddhists that EEG coherence,
which
> oddly connects the part of the brain associated with integration,
> continues even when these yogis are not meditating.
>
> "And that's the way it is", as Walter Cronkite used to say.
>
Well, that's the way Vaj says it is.
"What strikes me as uncool is feeling that a cool thing attributable
to TM must somehow be "countered" because it isn't attributable to
Buddhism."
If that's what's happening, that would be uncool. But that's not
what's happening. What's happening is meditation researchers who are
reputable have gained considerable wisdom in different ways of looking
at the brain, and EEG is one we know a lot about already. When the
leading researchers on the planet say TM's claims are exaggerated and
premature (among other things), it would bade well to find out "why".
Since I had heard rumors of the exaggeration by old staff who had
worked with Maharishi in the original disappointing findings way back
in the 80's, the researchers were basically told "go with the alpha".
They had no choice. They did what Maharishi insisted was significant.
Forcing researchers to report a finding as significant that they felt
(and knew) was insignificant is always bound to catch up with you. And
IMO that's exactly what has happened.
Boy, was I disappointed when I first heard that. Wake up call!
