My brother Gary and his wife Naomi are initiators in the practice of Transcendental Meditation. Recently, they had the opportunity to introduce a down-on-his-luck military veteran to the practice. The results were immediate and profound. Gary was so overjoyed with the success of this man's transformation that he shared it with friends and family.
I would like to share it with you now, in full:
Before attending Governor Recertification this past summer, Naomi and I were able to give intro/prep lecture presentations at two different veterans centers. Both were well received, and I went to Fairfield knowing we had veterans who wanted instruction in TM when we returned, and that most of them would need financial assistance to learn.
It was the personal interview with the last man, C.R., at the second lecture, that really sparked my passion for this effort. When I saw that there was no address filled in on his personal interview form, I diplomatically suggested he must have overlooked this line. He barely looked up at me when he answered that he didn’t have an address. He had not worked in quite some time because he could not handle pressure, and he kept having meltdowns, getting into arguments, and even violent confrontations. And that stress had carried over into his home life, where he was constantly arguing with his wife when he wasn’t hiding from the world, shut up in his room. So he and his wife had separated, and he was now living in a tent … in the Everglades.
I looked at this man and my heart just broke. His face was a mask of sorrow and despair, and he looked utterly shut down; his chest barely moved when he breathed. He looked as if he had lost all hope and I wanted to give him a reason to be patient, to hang in there, until I could secure the course tuition for him to be instructed. So when he asked me if I thought TM could really help him, I told him I was confident it would.
Working with the David Lynch Foundation, I was able to secure scholarship money for C.R. and another vet to learn upon our return from Fairfield. When we called these men to tell them the good news, they were overjoyed and very grateful. So we set the date for their course of instruction.
When C.R. arrived for his instruction he looked very worried and tense. We talked only briefly, and he again expressed hope that this would work. I looked at him at told him that he would now be starting a new chapter in his life, and began his instruction. He had a good, relaxing experience, barely wanted to open his eyes when his time of meditation was up. I completed his initiation and gave him his going home instructions.
The next day, as I was preparing the lecture hall for the arrival of our students, the door opened, and in walked C.R and he was smiling, beaming really. I asked him about it, and he said, “Last night I slept through the night … for the first time in 21 years.” That immediately got my attention. When we discussed experiences, he said he was now back in his home, and with a big smile, that his wife had said it was different when he kissed her. When I replied that we would have to do more research on that, he laughed, and said he had a question: “For months, I have been seeing two psychiatrists, two social workers, a psychologist, just completed an anger management course, an been taking handfuls of medications. And in one day of doing TM I have gotten more relief than all of those other things combined. Is this normal?” I answered that dramatic results are often reported, and we’ll see how it goes day by day.
The second day of class he mentions that he called six friends. When I ask if that is typical for him, he tells the class that he has not called anybody for months and months. He basically was staying out of sight in his room. But he wanted to reconnect with people, so he made some calls. Everyone in the class recognizes how significant this change is for this man — he is now reaching out to re-establish relationships. Earlier that day, his wife had accompanied him to see one of his social workers, crying tears of gratitude for the change in her husband. (This gets the attention of the social worker, who decides she also must learn TM.) Again, his experiences on his form are very positive. He clearly is practicing correctly and is noticing dramatic changes.
The third day of class, he walks in smiling again, and proceeds to give us a glowing report. He tells everyone, since he learned TM he has been sleeping through the night, and he has had no nightmares. Many people have commented on the change in him — his wife, a social worker, and his pastor. At church, he was hugging people. He reclines comfortably in his seat: “I have my mojo, my life back again. Every veteran with PTSD should be able to learn this. My wife and I want to invite you over for dinner, and I want to become a teacher of this meditation.”
I am so moved by the transformation in this man, I can barely speak. I manage to say, “We’re all very happy for you. As teachers, this is why we teach.”
Two-and-a-half weeks later, he comes to have his meditation checked. His experience is very good, easy, and effortless. Very gratifying also is his understanding of the practice. He mentions that sometimes in meditation he will see images of some of the horrors of war that he witnessed in Iraq, but they are fleeting, and surprisingly lacking in intensity — he just follows the instructions he was given and it is not a problem. He is still sleeping through the night, and has not had a nightmare since he was instructed. And he is talking about working again as a chef.
As we discover in conversation with C.R., he is a very accomplished man, both as a decorated military veteran with Special Forces experience, and as an executive chef of a kitchen in a five star restaurant, who has opened multiple restaurants, and executive chef responsible for food operations at major sports facilities. As he talks, Naomi and I can see the intelligence, command, and confidence expressed through his words, experience and posture. Quite a transformation in two-and-a-half weeks. Amazing. This is easily the most gratifying experience I have ever had as an initiator. And this is why we say: “Jai Guru Dev.”
