TM and Cult Mania
1980 book by Michael Persinger / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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TM and Cult Mania is a non-fiction book that examines assertions made by the Transcendental Meditation movement (TM).[1] The book is authored by Michael Persinger, Normand Carrey and Lynn Suess[2] and published in 1980 by Christopher Publishing House.[2] Persinger is a neurophysiologist and has worked out of Laurentian University.[1] He trained as a psychologist and focused on the impacts of religious experience.[3] Carrey is a medical doctor who specialized in psychiatry.[4] He focused his studies into child psychiatry with research at Dalhousie University,[5] and has taught physicians in a psychiatry residency program in the field of family therapy.[4] Suess assisted Persinger in researching effects of geological phenomena on unidentified flying object sightings in Washington;[6] the two conducted similar research in Toronto and Ottawa.[7]
Author | Michael Persinger, Normand Carrey, Lynn Suess |
---|---|
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Subject | Transcendental Meditation |
Genre | Psychology |
Publisher | Christopher Publishing House |
Publication date | 1980 |
Pages | 198 |
ISBN | 0-8158-0392-3 |
OCLC | 6582905 |
158/.9 19 | |
LC Class | BF637.T68 P46 |
TM and Cult Mania analyzes the efficacy or lack thereof of the TM meditation process, concluding that it is, "no more effective than many other meditation techniques".[1] The authors write that, "Transcendental Meditation has achieved international recognition through commercial exploitation" and "poor scientific procedures".[8] The book notes that physiological changes observed due to partaking in TM methodology are very small.[9] Persinger, Carrey, and Suess conclude in TM and Cult Mania, "science has been used as a sham for propaganda by the TM movement."[1]
A positive capsule review in the Los Angeles Times noted that the authors use logic to point out transparencies in the assertions of Transcendental Meditation.[10] John Horgan, in his book Rational Mysticism, questions Persinger's neutrality and says that in his book he treats religious beliefs and spiritual practices as mental illness.[11]