Vaj wrote: > > 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!
Cleaning house the other day I came across my copy of "The Physical and Psychological Effects of Meditation " the 1988 book by Michael Murphy and Steven Donovan published by Esalen Institute. I'm going to have to thumb through some of those studies again. ;-)
