The Buddha Pill: Can Meditation Change You?, by Miguel Farias, Catherine Wikholm
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The Buddha Pill: Can Meditation Change You?, by Miguel Farias, Catherine Wikholm
Read and Download The Buddha Pill: Can Meditation Change You?, by Miguel Farias, Catherine Wikholm
Millions of people meditate daily but can meditative practices really make us ‘better’ people? In The Buddha Pill, pioneering psychologists Dr Miguel Farias and Catherine Wikholm put meditation and mindfulness under the microscope. Separating fact from fiction, they reveal what scientific research – including their groundbreaking study on yoga and meditation with prisoners – tells us about the benefits and limitations of these techniques for improving our lives. As well as illuminating the potential, the authors argue that these practices may have unexpected consequences, and that peace and happiness may not always be the end result. Offering a compelling examination of research on transcendental meditation to recent brain-imaging studies on the effects of mindfulness and yoga, and with fascinating contributions from spiritual teachers and therapists, Farias and Wikholm weave together a unique story about the science and the delusions of personal change.
The Buddha Pill: Can Meditation Change You?, by Miguel Farias, Catherine Wikholm- Amazon Sales Rank: #577912 in Books
- Brand: Farias, Miguel/ Wikholm, Catherine
- Published on: 2015-05-26
- Released on: 2015-05-26
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.50" h x .94" w x 5.32" l, .0 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 276 pages
About the Author Dr Miguel Farias has pioneered brain research on the pain alleviating effects of spirituality and the psychological benefits of yoga and meditation. He was educated in Macao, Lisbon and Oxford. Following his doctorate, he was a researcher at the Oxford Centre for the Science of Mind and a lecturer at the Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford. He currently leads the Brain, Belief and Behaviour group at the Centre for Research in Psychology, Behaviour and Achievement, Coventry University. Catherine Wikholm read Philosophy and Theology at Oxford University before going on to do a Masters in Forensic Psychology. Her strong interest in personal change and prisoner rehabilitation led her to be employed by HM Prison Service, where she worked with young offenders. She has since been working in NHS mental health services and is currently completing a practitioner doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Surrey. Miguel and Catherine worked together on a ground-breaking research study investigating the psychological effects of yoga and meditation in prisoners.
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Most helpful customer reviews
29 of 30 people found the following review helpful. I love this book! Much needed! By David E. Storm I highly recommend this book! I found it through a short article by the authors in New Scientist magazine. I loved this book for multiple reasons. The authors write in a clear style and they make the subject matter very interesting. They take a skeptical approach to meditation and yoga that is sorely lacking these days. The authors seem to take a fair and balanced approach to the topic of meditation. They clearly show a personal interest in the topic, but they also show an interest in being critical and scientific in their thinking. They mention their own experiences, they ask others about their experiences, they speak with meditation teachers and they also review the scientific literature on meditation.I found it particularly helpful that the authors review some of the history of the "Western" interest in meditation and scientific study of it. They start with Transcendental Meditation (TM), because the interest in TM and the claims made about its use were very similar to the current claims made about mindfulness meditation, meditation generally and yoga. People tried to argue that TM could help with a large number of problems and TM could make you a better person. The research on TM lacked decent methodology, though. When the methodology was good, the results that were unfavorable were not publicized. One of the few studies of TM with decent methodology failed to show it was better than placebo meditation (most research on meditation, almost ALL of it, lacks a decent control group or useful placebo even though it is possible to develop a good placebo for it). Similar problems can be seen with mindfulness meditation research. The authors exhaustively reviewed the mindfulness research prior to writing the book and they summarize their findings in the book. Basically, the research has overwhelmingly had poor methodology and there is also a poor description of how mindfulness is supposedly working. However, neuroscientists, psychologists, therapists, journalists, etc rave about mindfulness meditation (as well as mindfulness generally) and yoga (has a meditation component).Some people make claims that meditation is like a form of mental hygiene, wherein you can cleanse your mind. However, meditation does not work for everyone, it mainly just helps with reducing stress, you could probably reduce stress in other ways and the authors show how meditation can actually be harmful to some people (leading to depression, anxiety, psychotic symptoms and even mania). So it is quite different from other forms of hygiene. There is no good evidence that anybody needs to do it as opposed to, say, exercising, distracting yourself with calming stuff or using relaxation techniques The authors also address a widely circulated claim that people can become more empathic, more compassionate and less violent by meditating. The authors point out multiple examples of violent Buddhists (not just the Zen Buddhists during World War II that many of us might already know about) and even examples of people who became MORE violent after intensely training in meditation. In addition, research they did on yoga that had a meditation component used on prisoners showed no effect on aggressive behavior. They also point out how Buddhism is so much like other religions in terms of conversions, extremism, war, etc. I especially liked this part as Buddhism has been considered a "philosophy" instead of a religion by many people and many people also seem to be ignorant to how similar Buddhists are to people in other religions. Basically, Buddhism will not save the world, at least not for the reasons many people have claimed. It is not that different, coherent or more rational from many other religions. I am glad somebody wrote about it.They also call attention to the fact that there is no logical connection between meditation and being nicer. Even some devout Buddhists they interview and quote are bothered that meditation has been divorced from the other aspects of Buddhism as they do not think it would be helpful to change a person in a signficant positive way without the other teachings of Buddhism. I especially liked that the authors argue people should take into account the bias many meditators could have going into meditation for the first time. For instance, they could have been taught beforehand by researchers, people they met, an article or in general that meditation makes you more compassionate. They then could have become more compassionate because of said expectation (this is a well known psychological effect). So, in such a case, the meditation operates like a placebo and the real thing that makes a change in the person is the belief that it is 1) important to be compassionate, 2) they are going to become more compassionate if they do this thing. There are thoughts about meditation that could be the real active ingredient, in which case mindfulness meditation is not "thoughts without a thinker" and getting in touch with "pure awareness," but instead is being indoctrinated to believe certain assumptions about the mind, self and experience.There is much more I could say and I definitely do not do the book justice. I did not cover everything that is in the book and reading it is a good experience. Again, it is a much needed book and I recommend it to anybody! I especially recommend it to people who are not religious, care about the scientific method, think critically and think meditation might help them transform themselves in a positive way.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful. The discussion of the various effects of meditation (the positive ... By LOUISE The discussion of the various effects of meditation (the positive and negative) are, in my opinion, long overdue. Meditation and mindfulness have become techniques used in a therapeutic clinical context and we urgently need an open discussion of its merits, limitations and adverse effects, especially amongst health professionals (including meditation/mindfulness teachers). As a clinical psychologist, I am concerned that we are using these techniques without knowing the full extent of its consequences. This book helped me to see that I am not the only one concerned. Should meditative techniques be used for mental health purposes? How much do we actually know about its foundations? I am not opposed to the idea of using it in clinical practice but we need to be fully aware of the implications and processes it involves. I have personally experienced quite strong sensations and emotions while meditating and having a trained teacher around was essential in allowing me to understand what was happening. This book has helped me think more clearly about these questions and to question how appropriate it is to use mindfulness in a clinical context.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Teasing out the empirical evidence from the myths By SkepticMeditations Can practice of contemplative techniques bring lasting personal change? If yes, how much and how do they work? If changes occur, are they always for the better?Two Oxford psychologists address these questions by teasing out the empirical evidence from the myths about meditation.The authors examine 40 years of clinical studies on the effects of Transcendental Meditation, popularized by Maharishi Maheshi Yogi, and Mindfulness meditation that currently has many advocates.The authors also conducted scientific experiments on the effects of yoga meditation on inmates within U.K. prisons.Conclusions included:1. Scientific evidence is weak for lasting physiological change from meditation practice.2. Only modest changes for practitioners of meditation. Yet many who use or teach meditation techniques make astonishing claims about their powers.3. Meditation gives rise to different mental states, but there is nothing physiologically extraordinary going on.4. Clinical research is poorly conducted: has small sample sizes, lacks control groups, and is rife with problematic biases. They explain why in detail.5. There is a dark side to meditation--psychosis, breakdowns, and violent behaviors--that seldom is spoken of by meditation advocates and practitioners.Farias and Wikholm are practitioners and sympathetic to meditation. However, their investigations reveal what most practitioners must learn the hard way. That, meditation is not a panacea, it is often advocated as a magic pill, and may bring seldom discussed negative side effects.This groundbreaking book will bring you current, in an engaging and easy to understand style, with the scientific evidence for benefits and adverse effects of meditation practices.Read this book. Meditate and think critically.For thoughtful analysis and explorations of meditation, mindfulness, and yoga practices, also visit SkepticMeditations.com
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