Transcendence: Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation

by Norman E. Rosenthal MD, Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D., Gildart Jackson (Read by)

Overview

Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D., a twenty-year researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health and the celebrated psychiatrist who pioneered the study and treatment of Season Affective Disorder (SAD), brings us the most important work on transcendental meditation since the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Science of Being and Art of Living—and one of our generation's most significant books on achieving greater physical and mental health and wellness. Transcendence demystifies the practice and benefits of transcendental meditation for a general audience who may have heard about the method but do not necessarily know what it is, how it is learned, or what they stand to gain, physically and emotionally, from achieving transcendence. Dr. Rosenthal clearly and practically explains the basic ideas behind transcendental meditation: It is a nonreligious practice that involves sitting comfortably for twenty minutes twice a day while using a silent mantra, or nonverbal sound, to attain a profound state of aware relaxation. Alongside exclusive celebrity interviews—where figures like Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Martin Scorsese, Russell Brand, Laura Dern, Moby, and David Lynch openly discuss their meditation—Dr. Rosenthal draws upon experience from the lives of his patients and a wealth of clinical research amassed on transcendental meditation over the past generation (340 peer-reviewed published articles). He provides the fullest and most accessible book ever on the broad range of benefits of this remarkably simple practice, from relief of anxiety, stress and depression to new hope for those experiencing addiction, attention-deficit disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798200089864
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	03/01/2021
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 5.70(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Norman E. Rosenthal, MD, the author of the New York Times bestseller Transcendence, was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and attended the University of the Witwatersrand. He conducted research at the National Institute of Mental Health for over twenty years, where he led the team that described Seasonal Affective Disorder. He was awarded the prestigious Anna Monika Foundation Research prize for his contribution to research in treating depression and has been listed as one of the best doctors in America and one of the country’s top psychiatrists. Besides his New York Times bestseller, he is the author or coauthor of over 200 professional articles and several popular books, including Winter Blues, The Emotional Revolution, St. John’s Wort, and How to Beat Jet Lag. He is a clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown Medical School.

Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D., was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and attended the University of the Witwatersrand. He conducted research at the National Institute of Mental Health for over 20 years, where he led the team that described Seasonal Affective Disorder. He was awarded the prestigious Anna Monika Foundation Research prize for his contribution to research in treating depression and has been listed as one of the best doctors in America and one of the country's top psychiatrists. He is the author or coauthor of over 200 professional articles and four popular books, including Winter Blues, The Emotional Revolution, St. John's Wort, and How to Beat Jet Lag. Currently the medical director and CEO of Capital Clinical Research Associates in Rockville, Maryland, Norman has been widely covered in the popular media and has appeared on Good Morning America, NPR, and many other outlets.

Gildart Jackson’s acting credits span the stage and screen. He is most often recognized for his roles as Gideon on Charmed and Simon Prentiss on General Hospital. He has also starred in numerous television shows, including CSI and Vegas, and he played the lead in the highly acclaimed independent feature film You, directed by his wife, Melora Hardin.

Editorial Reviews

Rosenthal, the psychiatrist and researcher who first described and named seasonal affective disorder (SAD), is a medical expert who can write for a popular audience. He tackles Transcendental Meditation, the technique taught by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who developed it from his Indian spiritual tradition. TM is practiced by using an individual silent mantra to focus and relax. Studies Rosenthal cites show health and wellness benefits. All this is true, but Rosenthal is selective in what he cites. Much of the research, while published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, is done by the organization formed by Maharishi. Other meditation techniques, such as mindfulness, have been successfully shown to reduce stress. Scientists have studied Tibetan Buddhist monks in meditation to better understand the brain's neuroplasticity, its potential for rewiring. Testimonials in Rosenthal's book clearly show that TM can be beneficial. But it's not mental aspirin. Nonetheless, the book makes a useful contribution to understanding the mind-body relationship in holistic ways, advancing ongoing dialogue among clinicians and just plain folks about how to live more healthfully. (June)

Publishers Weekly

Transcendental meditation (TM), the ancient meditative technique revived in the 1950s by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, has come in for a great deal of ribbing, as the go-to folly of errant musicians and pop stars. The cover of this new book on TM does nothing to dispel the image, reminding us that Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and Martin Scorsese, among many other big names, use the method. Psychiatrist Rosenthal (Winter Blues: Everything You Need To Know To Beat Seasonal Affective Disorder) came to the writing of this book as a pioneer in seasonal affective disorder studies and a 20-year veteran of research at the National Institute of Mental Health. Although his book is thick with anecdote, the key message is Rosenthal's conviction that this relatively simple method can relieve depression and help with addiction and stresses. VERDICT Come for the star power; stay for the benefits. Not an extensive guidebook, but rather an introduction to the effects of TM, this book should appeal to a broad array of religious and nonreligious readers.

Library Journal