Are all meditations the same?


Steven Rector, M.D.
James
Krag, M.D.

Dr. James Krag is president of the Psychiatric Society of Virginia and a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He was president of the Virginia Association of Community Psychiatrists for four years. Dr. Krag is currently Medical Director of Liberty Point, a residential treatment program for adolescents with psychiatric problems.

“Just as there are many kinds of medication, there are also many approaches that are termed ‘meditation.’ The vast majority of the research on meditation has been on the Transcendental Meditation technique—and the findings clearly indicate that the TM technique works better than other researched mental techniques to promote health. If research shows that a specific medication helps treat a disorder, it would be irresponsible and illogical to conclude that all medications help treat that disorder. In the same way, research on Transcendental Meditation should not be generalized to include other techniques also called ‘meditation.’ We should intelligently choose what works and what is supported by research. Therefore I strongly support the introduction specifically of the Transcendental Meditation program into our nation’s schools and health care systems.”