I am delighted to speak again with my colleague and friend, Gina Catena, about her experience being raised in the Transcendental Meditation cult, and how she successfully left and created a rich and meaningful life for herself and her children.
Escaping Transcendental Meditation: Nurse Midwife Gina Catena Tells Her Story Read More
Two programs have infiltrated schools which did not have policies in place to ensure legitimate and safe practices only are given to young students. These two programs are now facing public exposure and important scrutiny. Without sufficient understanding of these programs and the organizations that are contracted to promote them in the schools, there is a distinct danger of undue influence to vulnerable minors. In Chicago, Transcendental Meditation (TM) was used in public high schools for four years. The program, known as “Quiet Time,” was promoted to reduce behavioral problems but contained Hindu religious elements and secret practices. In Boston, Re-evaluation Counseling was included for many years in the Boston Student Advisory Committee (BSAC) program. Recent information from student members of the BSAC shows that they felt pressured and obligated to participate in this controversial pseudo-therapy form of peer counseling. An independent investigation showed very disturbing practices by people with no clinical or educational credentials.
Transcendental Meditation (TM) and Re-Evaluation Counseling in Schools Read More
Last week, I attended the excellent ICSA 2019 Annual International Conference entitled, “Coercive Control and the Psychology of Influence Across Comparative Contexts – Implications for Policy, Practice and the Criminal Justice Process.” I presented a
The 2019 International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) Conference in Manchester, England Read More
Having exited the Moonies in 1976, following an intervention performed at the request of my family, I have been so grateful to regain my life. I refer to the group as “the Moonies,” because when I was a member, the term was initially coined and Sun Myung Moon loved the term. We even wore tee-shirts and had mugs made with “I Heart the Moonies.” When Moon was convicted of conspiracy to defraud the Federal government and filing false income taxes, resulting in 13 months jail time, a PR campaign ensued costing, from my recollection, an estimated 30 million dollars. This branded Moon as a persecuted preacher from Korea. They started criticizing anyone who used the term Moonies and referred to the term as the “n” word used with African-Americans. Not. I do not wish to play by their propaganda rules.
The Moonies and TM Attempt to Reinvent Themselves Read More
There are thousands of ways to meditate. Personally, I like to do a breathing, concentration meditation, or a moving or walking meditation to focus my mind. I like the discipline of focusing my mind rather than passively allowing thoughts to come and go. In the past, I have done mindfulness meditation, which is quite popular now and has helped many people relieve anxiety, depression, and other issues. So, be wary of any group that says there is only one Right Way to meditate.
Mantric meditation (the repetition of a word or sound) is only one technique.
