In our social and private lives, be it inner distress or outer turmoil, traumatic circumstances occur everyday, to all but the most fortunate of us (and this remains to be seen – I have yet to meet the individual, whom, living in the organized mayhem we call our modern society, hasn’t experienced levels of stress or anxiety that could, at times, be described as “crippling”).
The term of psychological trauma, or psychotrauma, refers to the effect on an individual of a sudden or continued occurrence that overwhelms his or her capacity to cope, inducing a feeling of intense dread, anger and/or despondency.
Indeed it is hard to envision who, among us, couldn’t benefit from an increased sense of clarity, ability and resiliency in navigating the constant challenges that assail us and our loved ones, on most of the days of our lives.
Besides the generic “woo-woo” factor rather childishly associated with the very term of “Transcendental”, it seems the foremost resistance in considering the practice of Transcendental Meditation, is the erroneous preconceived notion that affiliates meditation practice with organized religion. If meditation is indeed a well-spread discipline in Eastern cultures and traditions, nothing could be further from the truth. It has no more required religious connotation than say, going to therapy, practicing yoga or any regular form of exercise, eating wholesome foods, taking vitamins or trying to reduce your carbon-footprint – or your cholesterol.
To some ears, that may sound like a rather inessential agenda, to others, it can be the small and incremental steps towards living a healthier life at large – in a way that endeavors to reach a greater awareness and mindfulness of ourselves, of others and of the world around us – as opposed to reaching for the quickest and most gratifying fix at hand, as the corporate-fueled consumerist society we live in today urges us to do on a daily basis.
