Transcendental Meditation is so easy to learn that it can help someone with mental disabilities. We are often asked whether TM practice is difficult to master, and if so, whether a family member with mental disabilities could benefit from this wonderful knowledge. So I was interested to receive From Vicki today an email shedding light on this very issue.
Doctor James Krag recently answered a question about TM and mental disabilities. Doctor Krag is a fellow of the American psychiatric Association and currently medical director of Liberty Point, a residential treatment programme for adolescents with psychiatric problems.
According to Doctor Krag, if a person can think a thought they can learn Transcendental Meditation. Most intellectually challenged people can be classified as ‘mild’ or ‘moderate’ on a range of mental retardation. All of these individuals should easily be able to learn the Transcendental Meditation technique.
Doctor Krag is unsure if someone with ‘severe’ developmental disabilities could learn the Transcendental Meditation programme and he doubts that those with a more profound degree of retardation could.
Asked whether the practice of Transcendental Meditation would help a person with intellectual or developmental disabilities think better, he answered that people with mental disabilities are no different than anyone else. When we are rested and calm our thinking is clearer. When we make smarter decisions on some days and not others, it is not because our innate IQ has risen, but rather because we are making more intelligent use of the intelligence we have.
TM helps people develop and maintain more neurophysiological stability, whether one tests in the mentally challenged range or the genius range.
There is interesting related research showing benefits of Transcendental Meditation for special and remedial education here, also research on improved intelligence, creativity, and learning ability, improved academics and improved school behaviour.