While meditation has been proven to be of value there are many types of meditation. Some are safe and some are not. Transcendental Meditation is certainly the most controversial of all meditations. It is in fact a RELIGION. Now it’s probably acceptable to the ACLU because God is never mentioned but when the neophyte is taught to chant specific sounds to aliens gods – well each person can make up his own mind on that. One can learn meditation to slow his breathing and relax his mind in an hour or two without exposing himself to contact with the ‘darkside’. If the religious aspects are stripped from TM then the physical aspects of it – as I understand it – are generally OK. However, I’m reminded of a psychologist who told me of someone who was overweight and he used hypnosis to stop her excessive eating. The patient was in her thirties and immediately slowed down on her intake of junk foods. However the underlying problem had not been solved and within weeks this person who had never smoked in her life began smoking a pack a day and was soon addicted. Powerful hypnotic suggestions were implanted in the woman’s mind and she soon kicked her smoking habit but them immediately began drinking, which was no only against her religion but was something she had not done in all her life. At this point the psychologist told me that he realized that the underlying problems were not being treated, only the outward symptoms and he changed his approach entirely to deal with what was driving the patient to her addictive behavior. While there are many benefits to meditation, when one finds it being called TM then one should not be surprised to discover that it is not just something involving the physical realm but the realm of the spirit as well. I would caution a person to be aware of what they are dealing with when anything called TM is being offered. Meditation is fine but really investigate before you jump into anything that calls itself Transcendental Meditation.