Dear Class –

For next Monday's class, I have invited a number of people to join us in the classroom and via Internet or telephone (as will Melissa). Most of the guests will be joining for only part of the time, and I apologize if the coming and going is disruptive. However, it will enable us to have perspectives from several SPH students who learned TM while at UNC, another who learned TM 3 years ago after having practiced a concentration-type meditation for 7 years after leaving UNC, and Randolph Carter, who led a workshop at the Minority Health Conference. (I highly recommend the interview with him that I've posted on my YouTube channel.)

To prepare for the class, which Caroline, Melissa, and Meredith Burns have been helping me with, please review some of the following materials on TM. If you have not yet made a virtual library presentation you can use one (or more) for that purpose.

1. If you don’t already know what TM is, please watch:

http://www.fox5ny.com/good-day/32691088-story# (10 mi. - engaging, but a little frenetic) OR

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO3AnD2QbIg (20 min. – more systematic) OR

the introduction from the next item.

2. TM for stressed people – National Summit: Exploring the science of meditation on trauma, stress, and the brain. The program is described at https://www.davidlynchfoundation.org/DC-Summit/program.html

If you don’t have time to watch the full 2-hour panel, please watch at least one panel (PTSD, addiction, schools) and the conclusion. (Otherwise just click the first link and watch the full program.)

(3 min) Introduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5elrF6YykfQ&feature=youtu.be&t=4m2s (stop at 7:30, because the audio for David Lynch did not broadcast; you can find it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5elrF6YykfQ&feature=youtu.be&t=2h5m17s)

(12 min) Introduction, continued - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5elrF6YykfQ&feature=youtu.be&t=12m14s

(33 min) PTSD in veterans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5elrF6YykfQ&feature=youtu.be&t=24m12s

(26 min) Addiction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5elrF6YykfQ&feature=youtu.be&t=57m0s

(36 min) Schools: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5elrF6YykfQ&feature=youtu.be&t=1h23m3s

 (5 min) Conclusion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5elrF6YykfQ&feature=youtu.be&t=1h59m30s

3. Published studies on TM – please read one or more of the following articles. I've provided a long list in the hope that you will see something of particular interest to you and to have a richer discussion of the scientific evidence.

(Note: many of the links have the proxy URL for off-campus access; if you are on the UNC campus, you can remove “libproxy.lib.unc.edu” from the URLs.)

Effects of the transcendental meditation program on adaptive mechanisms: Changes in hormone levels and responses to stress after 4 months of practice

http://www.sciencedirect.com.libproxy.lib.unc.edu/science/article/pii/S0306453097000036 (this is laboratory research)

Three randomized experiments on the longitudinal effects of the Transcendental Meditation technique on cognition

http://www.sciencedirect.com.libproxy.lib.unc.edu/science/article/pii/S0160289601000708

Effects of Transcendental Meditation practice on brain functioning and stress reactivity in college students

http://www.sciencedirect.com.libproxy.lib.unc.edu/science/article/pii/S0167876008008088

ADHD, Brain Functioning, and Transcendental Meditation Practice

http://search.proquest.com.libproxy.lib.unc.edu/docview/881276396/fulltext/F35ED8644A1847FCPQ/1?accountid=14244

A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Effects of Transcendental Meditation on Quality of Life in Older Breast Cancer Patients

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1534735409343000

Quiet Time Program Report

https://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/files/quiet-time-white-paper.pdf

Effects of a Randomized Controlled Trial of Transcendental Meditation on Components of the Metabolic Syndrome in Subjects With Coronary Heart Disease

http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/410453

A Randomized Controlled Trial on Effects of the Transcendental Meditation Program on Blood Pressure, Psychological Distress, and Coping in Young Adults

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3128829/

Stress Reduction in the Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

http://circoutcomes.ahajournals.org/content/5/6/750.full

Beyond Medications and Diet: Alternative Approaches to Lowering Blood Pressure. A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

http://hyper.ahajournals.org/content/hypertensionaha/early/2013/04/22/HYP.0b013e318293645f.full.pdf

Disaster Relief for the Japanese Earthquake–Tsunami of 2011: Stress Reduction through the Transcendental Meditation® Technique

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.2466/02.13.PR0.117c11z6

Effects of the Transcendental Meditation Technique on Trait Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/acm.2013.0204

Reduced Trauma Symptoms and Perceived Stress in Male Prison Inmates through the Transcendental Meditation Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial

http://www.thepermanentejournal.org/issues/2016/fall/6227-incarcerated-heal%E2%80%A6

Want more choices?  See https://sakai.unc.edu/access/content/user/vschoenb/Public%20Library/Transcendental%20Meditation%20and%20the%20David%20Lynch%20Foundation/People,%20populations,%20personalities/African%20Americans/Google%20Scholar%20search%20for%20Transcendental%20Meditation%20and%20African%20Americans

Or https://sakai.unc.edu/access/content/user/vschoenb/Public%20Library/Transcendental%20Meditation%20and%20the%20David%20Lynch%20Foundation/Corrections%20and%20Rehabilitation/Corrections%20and%20rehabilitation/TM%20in%20Oregon%20prison%20and%20RCT-1-1

Or https://sakai.unc.edu/access/content/user/vschoenb/Public%20Library/Transcendental%20Meditation%20and%20the%20David%20Lynch%20Foundation/Scientific%20research/

[However, I’ve been finding tonight that some of the links no longer work or I can’t get access from home, so be prepared for some barriers!]

4. Doing research on TM – if you would like to be super-prepared for a discussion on how to do research on TM, take a look at:

Transcendental meditation for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010359.pub2/pdf

 

I am very much looking forward to our class next Monday.

Have a good night,
Vic

http://go.unc.edu/vjs