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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dr. Bob on August 15, 2002, at 9:28:19
[from http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020814/msgs/116471.html]
> I am thinking about really getting into transcendental meditation. I want to be able to sleep without sleeping pills, manage my moods without Gabitril, and perhaps lower my doses of risperdal and paxil for OCD and depression. Has anyone had any success with learning to meditate as a therapy for any of these? I have been warned by my family not to spend the $1500 it takes to have a mentor as I am in college and have very little. I can't just sit down and do it, though. I have enough problem just keeping my thoughts from going in circles let alone try not to think at all.
Posted by Dr. Bob on August 18, 2002, at 7:18:19
In reply to Meditation? « madison88, posted by Dr. Bob on August 15, 2002, at 9:28:19
[Posted by LLL on August 15, 2002, at 16:24:54]
Posted by Dr. Bob on August 18, 2002, at 7:19:35
In reply to Meditation? « madison88, posted by Dr. Bob on August 15, 2002, at 9:28:19
[Posted by anthnyc on August 18, 2002, at 1:00:54]
> I paid and joined and tried and tried and never got the hang of it. A few years later I went on a weekend retreat and still never got the hang of it. The high fee and intro seminars are to discourage fly by night people like myself from wasting their time and my money. I didn't take the hint so I can't fault them for taking my money. TM is not just about meditation, it is also about a lifestyle change and a lifetime committment. You are expected to meditate 3 times a day and are encouraged to move up the ladder within their organization, which by the way is not cheap either (again probably to encourage your committment and provide their income). And like most organizations there are politics and nasty battles over control. Also, you are encouraged to change to a more ayurvedic like life. All things that would benefit most people able to make a lifelong committment. For myself in my depressed state I have never been able to stick to anything and I don't like "happy people" and therefore would never be comfortable joining a group of "happy people" and these people (my experience) are annoyingly happy. I have tried many different programs that teach ways to meditate and I still don't meditate. Try a free program, or a really cheap one first. If you don't get the hang of it or can't stick with it, don't blame the program or the method. Meditation may not be well suited to you. In my experience meditation gives you permission to set aside time in your day to have all the thoughts you want so that at other times during your day when you get distracted by your endless thought loops you have the experience and practice of catching yourself and can say "oh yeah there is that endless thought loop trying to take over my life again and because I recognize it from my meditations I can let it go and take away the power it has over my mind and get on with the real stuff in my life like brushing my teeth." I'm not knocking meditation, I just do better with medication. (That last statement would look good on a T-shirt. Go ahead make a few bucks. I'll never get around to it.)
Posted by bookgurl99 on August 20, 2002, at 23:32:51
In reply to Meditation? « madison88, posted by Dr. Bob on August 15, 2002, at 9:28:19
Hey,
I have never formally taken meditation. But, I have benefited from learning simple meditation and relaxation techniques. One simple one I learned from a therapist ($40 an hour, relatively cheap, but this info is fREE to you) was to breath in through my nose and out through my mouth, letting thoughts that come into my mind float away.
Learning meditation is both simple and hard. The technique is easy; learning to control your 'monkey mind' is not. Spending more money on it won't make it any easier. I would highly recommend getting a book (I have the Anything guide to meditation, for example). cd, or seeing a therapist skilled in relaxation or meditative techniques. Think of what you could do with $1500 if you didn't spend it on TM.
I find that controlling the thoughts is easier if I give myself a limited period of time in which to worry, and also if I have a lot of structure in my day.
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