Page 170 - Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Vol. 3

Mysteries of the Mind 151

something that occurs in a one-time medita- restoring balance in their lives. Mood swings,
tion and sitting; it is an achievement of much depression, erratic energy levels, hectic sched-
discipline and consistency. ules, unhealthy eating habits, and unstable
relationships are all signs of a life out of bal-
In the early 1970s and 1980s, the National
Institutes of Health conducted a series of ance, which is a high disease factor. Weil and
experiments to determine the efficacy of the many other doctors are advising and/or teach-
reported abilities of gurus from India to slow ing a variety of meditation techniques with
down their heartbeat, pulse rate, and even to great success in treating these and other afflic-
raise and lower their body temperature to tions. Research and documentation continues
extremes through meditative states. Medically, globally in the use of meditation to treat
this had been considered impossible, as it was hypertension, pain, muscle tension, and even
believed that the autonomic nervous system high cholesterol.
was responsible and it could not be manipulat-
ed or controlled by mind or thought. Research
proved this to be untrue and a whole bevy of
human possibilities began to emerge which CERTAIN types of heart arrhythmia or
gave rise to the secular use of meditation.
irregularities respond to meditation.
As research continued, not only in the Insti-
tutes of Health, but in universities worldwide,
new and astounding data emerged and contin-
ues to emerge on a regular basis. Scientists have M Delving Deeper
proven the benefits of meditation in areas as far- Carrington, Patricia. The Book of Meditation: The
reaching as crime reduction to improved health, Complete Guide to Modern Meditation. Worch-
longevity of life, and stress reduction. The ester, Great Britain, UK: Element, 1998.
National Institutes for Health and the National Leichtman, Robert, and Carl Japikse. Active Medita-
Heart, Lung and Blood Institute now recom- tion: The Western Tradition. Columbus, Ohio:
mend meditation as a viable treatment for mod- Ariel Press, 1982.
erate hypertension. Their research also shows Levy, Jodi. The Healing Handbook: A Beginner’s Guide
that certain types of heart arrhythmia or irregu- to Meditation. New York: Pocket Books, 1999.
larities respond to meditation. Mason, Paul. The Maharishi: The Biography of the Man
Who Gave Transcendental Meditation to the West.
In his groundbreaking book, The Relax-
London: Element Books, 1994.
ation Response (1975), Dr. Herbert Benson
Ozaniec, Naomi. Essential Meditation—101 Tips. Lon-
documents some interesting research on medi-
don: Dorling Kindersley Press, 1997.
tation. Benson found that by having a patient
focus on a sacred sound, or a mantra, as used Rosenberg, Larry. Breath by Breath. Boston: Shambala
in transcendental meditation, the person’s Press, 1998.
heart rate decreased, as did their breathing West, Serene. Very Practical Meditation. Virginia
rate and oxygen consumption. In fact, Ben- Beach, Va.: Donning, 1999.
son’s findings were so convincing that the
Mind/Body Medical Institute, of which Ben- Psychedelics—The
son is president, received $2.7 million from Mind-Expanding Drugs
the Centers for Disease Control and Preven- Throughout the tenure of the human species
tion (CDC) to continue to investigate the sci- on Earth, certain mushrooms, extracts from
entific basis of the relaxation response.
cacti, various roots and herbs, and other
Dr. Andrew Weil is an internationally rec- unlikely substances have been chewed and
ognized Harvard Medical School graduate and ingested, not for the purpose of sustaining life,
an advocate of alternative approaches to med- but for the physiological and psychological
icine, including the use of meditation. In his effects that they have on the body and the
book Spontaneous Healing (1995), he recom- brain. Cults of mystical expression have grown
mends meditation to his patients as a means of up around the use of these mind-altering sub-

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