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De Boeddha-pil; Verbetert meditatie je leven?
Mindfulness en meditatie zijn mainstream, maar werkt het ook?
Mindfulness en meditatie zijn de normaalste zaak van de wereld. Iedereen doet eraan of heeft het wel eens geprobeerd. Maar werkt het ook echt? Kleven er ook nadelen aan? Psychologen Miguel Farias en Catherine Wikholm besloten dit uit te zoeken en schreven De Boeddha-pil: een boeiend, ontnuchterend verslag waarin zeven hardnekkige mythes over meditatie worden ontkracht.
Mythes over mindfulness en meditatie
Meditatie en mindfulness zijn ongekend populair. Ze brengen je immers tot rust en dragen bij aan je geluk. Toch? Farias en Wikholm ontdekten echter dat er ook een keerzijde aan zit. Meditatie blijkt niet even effectief te zijn als therapie en er is geen wetenschappelijk bewijs voor het positieve effect ervan. Meditatie kan bijvoorbeeld ernstige traumatische herinneringen naar boven halen. Hoe ga je daar dan mee om? De auteurs houden deze en nog zes andere mythes tegen het licht en weten feiten en fictie te scheiden.
Voor wie?
De Boeddha-pil is een ontnuchterend, eerlijk boek over mindfulness en meditatie dat zowel de positieve als negatieve kant belicht. Het is daarom van onschatbare waarde voor iedereen die zich bezighoudt met meditatie. De baanbrekende inzichten tonen je de werkzaamheid van meditatie en helpen je zo jouw weg te vinden in het doolhof van meditatietechnieken en verhalen.
Mindfulness en meditatie zijn de normaalste zaak van de wereld. Iedereen doet eraan of heeft het wel eens geprobeerd. Maar werkt het ook echt? Kleven er ook nadelen aan? Psychologen Miguel Farias en Catherine Wikholm besloten dit uit te zoeken en schreven De Boeddha-pil: een boeiend, ontnuchterend verslag waarin zeven hardnekkige mythes over meditatie worden ontkracht.
Mythes over mindfulness en meditatie
Meditatie en mindfulness zijn ongekend populair. Ze brengen je immers tot rust en dragen bij aan je geluk. Toch? Farias en Wikholm ontdekten echter dat er ook een keerzijde aan zit. Meditatie blijkt niet even effectief te zijn als therapie en er is geen wetenschappelijk bewijs voor het positieve effect ervan. Meditatie kan bijvoorbeeld ernstige traumatische herinneringen naar boven halen. Hoe ga je daar dan mee om? De auteurs houden deze en nog zes andere mythes tegen het licht en weten feiten en fictie te scheiden.
Voor wie?
De Boeddha-pil is een ontnuchterend, eerlijk boek over mindfulness en meditatie dat zowel de positieve als negatieve kant belicht. Het is daarom van onschatbare waarde voor iedereen die zich bezighoudt met meditatie. De baanbrekende inzichten tonen je de werkzaamheid van meditatie en helpen je zo jouw weg te vinden in het doolhof van meditatietechnieken en verhalen.
288 pages, Paperback
First published May 15, 2015
37 people are currently reading
740 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
June 15, 2015
A very mixed bag: it covers a lot of useful ground to balance out the story around mindfulness and meditation, but the book's approach is in many ways incoherent, which makes the end product quite unsatisfactory, even misleading. The authors present their findings as a journey from naivety to disillusionment as they discover that mindfulness and meditation alone aren't a magic, cure-all Buddha pill. But whoever said they were? We are repeatedly told that this is how they are regarded and presented, but there no evidence is presented to suggest that this is really the case, and not a straw man the authors set up to lend drama to their writing. So although they present some of the material we need to see mindfulness and meditation in a proper perspective, they don't ask the important questions. Rather than asking, is mindfulness a panacea? we should be asking, what role can it usefully and helpfully play? What merits does it have and, with different population groups, what is the context in which it can help? Most people in the field got beyond asking 'Mindfulness or Therapy?' some time ago and have been asking instead, how can mindfulness augment therapy and vice versa?
A second major problem, which perhaps underlies the first, is the conflation of mindfulness and meditation. The mindfulness boom, eight week courses are actually teaching the skill of mindfulness; meditation is a means to that end, and yet the book discusses only the technique, and not the faculty - which can be cultivated in many ways, including therapy. This is such a basic error that it is hard to know how the authors could have failed to see it: they are thoughtful and well informed; and it makes many of the books conclusions redundant.
I intend to write a longer review, indicating, I am afraid, some more of the book's many shortcomings. The authors seem to have had a basically well-intentoned project, but they struggle throughout as they learn that this is a far more complex matter than they had initially thought. They try, in the end, to come to a balanced view of the role meditation can play; but I think they have published prematurely. We can make much better, more productive sense of this material.
A second major problem, which perhaps underlies the first, is the conflation of mindfulness and meditation. The mindfulness boom, eight week courses are actually teaching the skill of mindfulness; meditation is a means to that end, and yet the book discusses only the technique, and not the faculty - which can be cultivated in many ways, including therapy. This is such a basic error that it is hard to know how the authors could have failed to see it: they are thoughtful and well informed; and it makes many of the books conclusions redundant.
I intend to write a longer review, indicating, I am afraid, some more of the book's many shortcomings. The authors seem to have had a basically well-intentoned project, but they struggle throughout as they learn that this is a far more complex matter than they had initially thought. They try, in the end, to come to a balanced view of the role meditation can play; but I think they have published prematurely. We can make much better, more productive sense of this material.
August 15, 2015
The Buddha Pill is a useful antidote to the current mindfulness/meditation boom in the US/UK and other western societies, and the best book I’ve found that focuses explicitly on whether mindfulness is an effective method of personal change. Other reviews summarize many of the book’s positive qualities, and I’ll mention a few I particularly like. But I also found the book frustratingly orthodox and middlebrow in many spots, as I’ll explain below.
The authors, themselves psychologists and long-time practitioners of and believers in mindfulness, do a good job summarizing the arguments for and against mindfulness in an even-handed manner to show how mindfulness is not nearly the panacea its boosters make it out to be. They use frank, simple language throughout the book, and are able to make plain the basic premises espoused by the mindfulness movement’s proponents while at the same time offering critical conclusions in simple terms that don’t come across as mean-spirited or unfair. In this vain, it’s a safe book to recommend to mindfulness enthusiasts and critics alike.
The authors conclude that meditation is basically a placebo, no better than any other type of rest or exercise at producing lasting personal change. They provide a valuable discussion of a researcher named Jonathan Smith who designed a bogus meditation treatment called PSI (Periodic Somatic Inactivity) in the 1970s, which instructed patients to basically just sit still without talking, moving, etc., arguing in a 71-page manual he concocted that this inactivity was the specific ingredient that made meditation, yoga, and similar techniques work. He then had an independent researcher who was unaware of PSIs fabricated nature compare it in a clinical trial with transcendental meditation (TM). The result? “[T]here were no differences between the TM and PSI groups; they both showed the same level of improvement.”
The authors caught up more recently with Smith and asked his opinion of the quality of current mindfulness-based therapy research, and his comments were unequivocal: “Listen, this new wave of studies on mindfulness is full of disingenuous scientists who are up to their necks in Buddhism.” He admonished the authors to “[l]ook carefully” at the control groups current researchers use. The results aren’t encouraging for meditation proponents, at least according to the author’s review of the latest comprehensive meta-analyses: “When you compared the active controls to the meditation condition, there were no differences; the meditation effect disappeared. . .;” there is “no evidence that mindfulness worked better than activities such as relaxation, exercise, or cognitive therapy.”
So what do the authors recommend instead of mindfulness as the means to personal change? A sort of eclectic mix of orthodox clinical psychology it seems. This is where the book seems weakest, where the authors’ critical approach seemingly evaporates. Mindfulness, according to the authors, “is unlikely to have any impact on shifting the cognitive, behavioural, or interpersonal patterns that are maintaining their difficulties.” True enough—if these patterns are truly what is at the root of, say, a prisoner’s difficulties, mindfulness alone is almost certainly inadequate to shift these patterns, despite positive reviews from service users. But I’m not sure there’s any more science to the idea that standard behavior therapy or a warm relationship with a therapist is sufficient to shift someone either. The authors would seemingly disagree, arguing that they’ve eventually come to realize that—contra their previous naive enthusiasm for mindfulness techniques—“old-fashioned behavioral strategies can do wonders,” tempered of course by age-old wisdom that change takes time. And while mindfulness techniques arguably cannot significantly alleviate the after effects of childhood neglect or trauma, the authors seem to believe that an empathic therapeutic relationship can.
I found this sort of uneven faith in psychological magic to be frustrating, as is any book that looks at prisoners, their “difficulties,” and their prospects for individual change without at least some semblance of a social or political analysis. I know this book is focused on meditation but in America at least, a significant number of prisoners are arguably where they are because of institutional racism, the war on drugs, and growing inequality, rather than individual “cognitive, behavioral, or interpersonal patterns” or a failure to cope or adjust.
At times, I was left with the impression that the authors were merely defending the high church of establishment psychology from it’s more irresponsible low-church enthusiasts. Mindfulness booster’s seem to have packaged mind cure meditation techniques and a hint of the exotic east with the scientific garbs of psychology and neuroscience to form a potent commodity. The authors seem eager to defend psychology's pretense to science, but the “third-wave” shift in psychology toward integrating mindfulness-based therapies probably has more to do with branding than science, a point the author’s don’t really grapple with in their more narrow argument on whether the Buddha Pill works or not.
Many of the authors’ criticisms of the inadequacies of the mindfulness research literature apply equally to that of the more standard, (supposedly) evidence-based psychotherapies—researcher biases, measurements from self-report questionnaires, inadequate control groups. The author’s also cite a dubious argument that standard talk therapy may be superior to mindfulness because the most successful practitioners (“supershrinks” who get the best reviews from their clients) not only deliberately work hard to get better at their craft but, crucially, receive constructive feedback from their clients, something the meditation-based therapies like MBSR apparently lack. Notice here the author's uncritical acceptance of self-report measures in standard psychotherapy literature compared to their more skeptical treatment of the same in the mindfulness literature. And never mind that the research they use to back-up their constructive-feedback-deliberate-practice hypothesis has been questioned by more recent research which suggests that such activity accounts for only 4% in outcome variance among educators, and less than 1% among other professionals (see the New York Times, “How Do You Get To Carnegie Hall? Talent.”) Certainly some healers, for whatever reason, are more helpful than others, but it’s not clear that these qualities can be transmitted through professional training, or that any amount of constructive feedback and deliberate practice can somehow endow a person with little innate talent for the helping professions with super shrink powers.
The experimental psychologist Stuart Sutherland once argued that behavior therapy and cognitive therapy are simply “glorified common sense.” The authors make a similar point about meditation being a rather simple and common sense practice: “the magic of contemplative practices: they’re typically plain and repetitive,” and their book concludes that meditation is probably no more effective than any other common sense coping strategy (relaxation, exercise). Common sense strategies can do wonders, but I imagine when people visit a psychologist they’re expecting something more than common sense for the often substantial fees they pay for professional services, whether through taxes or direct payment.
I had some other frustrations, but I don't want to let the negative in this review get more out of control than it already is. This book really does have a lot to recommend, particularly chapters 3, 5, and 8. The book’s critique of mindfulness is robust, and I learned a lot from their review of the research, so despite my frustrations, I would still recommend this book to anyone with an interest in this topic.
The authors, themselves psychologists and long-time practitioners of and believers in mindfulness, do a good job summarizing the arguments for and against mindfulness in an even-handed manner to show how mindfulness is not nearly the panacea its boosters make it out to be. They use frank, simple language throughout the book, and are able to make plain the basic premises espoused by the mindfulness movement’s proponents while at the same time offering critical conclusions in simple terms that don’t come across as mean-spirited or unfair. In this vain, it’s a safe book to recommend to mindfulness enthusiasts and critics alike.
The authors conclude that meditation is basically a placebo, no better than any other type of rest or exercise at producing lasting personal change. They provide a valuable discussion of a researcher named Jonathan Smith who designed a bogus meditation treatment called PSI (Periodic Somatic Inactivity) in the 1970s, which instructed patients to basically just sit still without talking, moving, etc., arguing in a 71-page manual he concocted that this inactivity was the specific ingredient that made meditation, yoga, and similar techniques work. He then had an independent researcher who was unaware of PSIs fabricated nature compare it in a clinical trial with transcendental meditation (TM). The result? “[T]here were no differences between the TM and PSI groups; they both showed the same level of improvement.”
The authors caught up more recently with Smith and asked his opinion of the quality of current mindfulness-based therapy research, and his comments were unequivocal: “Listen, this new wave of studies on mindfulness is full of disingenuous scientists who are up to their necks in Buddhism.” He admonished the authors to “[l]ook carefully” at the control groups current researchers use. The results aren’t encouraging for meditation proponents, at least according to the author’s review of the latest comprehensive meta-analyses: “When you compared the active controls to the meditation condition, there were no differences; the meditation effect disappeared. . .;” there is “no evidence that mindfulness worked better than activities such as relaxation, exercise, or cognitive therapy.”
So what do the authors recommend instead of mindfulness as the means to personal change? A sort of eclectic mix of orthodox clinical psychology it seems. This is where the book seems weakest, where the authors’ critical approach seemingly evaporates. Mindfulness, according to the authors, “is unlikely to have any impact on shifting the cognitive, behavioural, or interpersonal patterns that are maintaining their difficulties.” True enough—if these patterns are truly what is at the root of, say, a prisoner’s difficulties, mindfulness alone is almost certainly inadequate to shift these patterns, despite positive reviews from service users. But I’m not sure there’s any more science to the idea that standard behavior therapy or a warm relationship with a therapist is sufficient to shift someone either. The authors would seemingly disagree, arguing that they’ve eventually come to realize that—contra their previous naive enthusiasm for mindfulness techniques—“old-fashioned behavioral strategies can do wonders,” tempered of course by age-old wisdom that change takes time. And while mindfulness techniques arguably cannot significantly alleviate the after effects of childhood neglect or trauma, the authors seem to believe that an empathic therapeutic relationship can.
I found this sort of uneven faith in psychological magic to be frustrating, as is any book that looks at prisoners, their “difficulties,” and their prospects for individual change without at least some semblance of a social or political analysis. I know this book is focused on meditation but in America at least, a significant number of prisoners are arguably where they are because of institutional racism, the war on drugs, and growing inequality, rather than individual “cognitive, behavioral, or interpersonal patterns” or a failure to cope or adjust.
At times, I was left with the impression that the authors were merely defending the high church of establishment psychology from it’s more irresponsible low-church enthusiasts. Mindfulness booster’s seem to have packaged mind cure meditation techniques and a hint of the exotic east with the scientific garbs of psychology and neuroscience to form a potent commodity. The authors seem eager to defend psychology's pretense to science, but the “third-wave” shift in psychology toward integrating mindfulness-based therapies probably has more to do with branding than science, a point the author’s don’t really grapple with in their more narrow argument on whether the Buddha Pill works or not.
Many of the authors’ criticisms of the inadequacies of the mindfulness research literature apply equally to that of the more standard, (supposedly) evidence-based psychotherapies—researcher biases, measurements from self-report questionnaires, inadequate control groups. The author’s also cite a dubious argument that standard talk therapy may be superior to mindfulness because the most successful practitioners (“supershrinks” who get the best reviews from their clients) not only deliberately work hard to get better at their craft but, crucially, receive constructive feedback from their clients, something the meditation-based therapies like MBSR apparently lack. Notice here the author's uncritical acceptance of self-report measures in standard psychotherapy literature compared to their more skeptical treatment of the same in the mindfulness literature. And never mind that the research they use to back-up their constructive-feedback-deliberate-practice hypothesis has been questioned by more recent research which suggests that such activity accounts for only 4% in outcome variance among educators, and less than 1% among other professionals (see the New York Times, “How Do You Get To Carnegie Hall? Talent.”) Certainly some healers, for whatever reason, are more helpful than others, but it’s not clear that these qualities can be transmitted through professional training, or that any amount of constructive feedback and deliberate practice can somehow endow a person with little innate talent for the helping professions with super shrink powers.
The experimental psychologist Stuart Sutherland once argued that behavior therapy and cognitive therapy are simply “glorified common sense.” The authors make a similar point about meditation being a rather simple and common sense practice: “the magic of contemplative practices: they’re typically plain and repetitive,” and their book concludes that meditation is probably no more effective than any other common sense coping strategy (relaxation, exercise). Common sense strategies can do wonders, but I imagine when people visit a psychologist they’re expecting something more than common sense for the often substantial fees they pay for professional services, whether through taxes or direct payment.
I had some other frustrations, but I don't want to let the negative in this review get more out of control than it already is. This book really does have a lot to recommend, particularly chapters 3, 5, and 8. The book’s critique of mindfulness is robust, and I learned a lot from their review of the research, so despite my frustrations, I would still recommend this book to anyone with an interest in this topic.
November 29, 2017
A very sensible discussion of meditation and the psychological research used to validate its clinical use in mental health. The bottom line: it may work for some, but not all. Importantly, you cannot use meditation as a 'pill' - it is indeed very surprising how non critical science seems to be when it concerns meditation as compared to new pharmacological agents. Meditation can also have adverse events, and isolated meditation practice, without grounding in its buddhist origin philosophy, seems to increase the risk of adverse effects.
This book is geared towards the lay person with an interest in meditation, but it should be required reading for medical professionals who frequently encounter mindfulness-like therapies. At times, I wondered whether I'd picked the correct book - the editorials the writers wrote in news papers were more about the possible negative effects of meditation - but patience is rewarded, in the end, this book creates a very balanced but realistic view of meditation as a treatment for mental health issues.
This book is geared towards the lay person with an interest in meditation, but it should be required reading for medical professionals who frequently encounter mindfulness-like therapies. At times, I wondered whether I'd picked the correct book - the editorials the writers wrote in news papers were more about the possible negative effects of meditation - but patience is rewarded, in the end, this book creates a very balanced but realistic view of meditation as a treatment for mental health issues.
February 17, 2019
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.
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.
October 6, 2017
Finally, a balanced and research-based layperson's exploration of mindfulness.
As a psychologist and researcher, I appreciate the very balanced and empirically driven path this book led me through. While scientific, the author also has a unique and entertaining voice. I will likely require the students in my lab to read this book going forward, both as an intro to mindfulness and as an example of a truly scientific thought and data gathering process.
As a psychologist and researcher, I appreciate the very balanced and empirically driven path this book led me through. While scientific, the author also has a unique and entertaining voice. I will likely require the students in my lab to read this book going forward, both as an intro to mindfulness and as an example of a truly scientific thought and data gathering process.
Read
July 29, 2018Not reviewing this book at length right now, but it was interesting - a nonfiction title about meditation that both focused on the evidence basis for meditation as a health intervention, AND simultaneously also discussed cultural appropriation issues related to Westernizing Eastern meditation traditions. You usually either get one or the other. There was also a chapter on the adverse effects of meditation, which I likewise appreciated. One big negative was the VERY strange font. Publisher, what were you thinking?!
Source of the book: Lawrence Public Library (My own purchase request)
Source of the book: Lawrence Public Library (My own purchase request)
July 30, 2017
A must read for someone interested in meditation
June 18, 2015
Wow, this book is fascinating. Most of the things I have read about meditation are wholeheartedly pro, but this book takes an unbiased look into whether or not all of the things we believe about meditation are actually true or not. I especially enjoyed the section on TM since I don't think I've ever read anything unbiased about it. The study the authors did on prisoners was equally interesting. This is a good book to read if you want to take a slightly more scientific look into meditation and the effects of practicing it without any sort of pressure to start up a practice yourself (though you may want to anyway).
January 12, 2022
This book is HIGHLY anecdotal, and while it does seem to make use of some scientific journals, they are largely taken at face value i.e. not meta analysis and do not usually quote any actual data. Not convinved that this is about science, rather it is opinions about 'science'. The book is written in a narrative, first person style, not very well suited to a book supposedly based on scientific evidence. I've read a lot of the journal articles cited, and a lot of them are a lot less convincing in reality than they are as written here. It's not wrong, it's just not a fair story, and in my opinion, answers a question that isn't really worth asking.
The truth is that there is very very little reliable data about the effectiveness of meditation and mindfulness. It's very difficult to separate the practice from lifestyle; we simply do not know enough about it. Meditation is NOT a science, and in my opinion, it shouldn't be treated as one.
Meditation CAN change you. So can books, and conversations, and experiences, and hair-dye. Sure, it's not a one size fits all; there are different kinds of meditation. Some poeple would even argue that running is a form of meditation.
If you're buying this book because you want to know if meditation might work for you, the best thing you can do is try it. If you're buying this book to confirm your belief that meditation is sensationalised nonsense, then why bother? Google confirmation bias, and instead go and do your own research. People should stop looking for opinions in other people's opinions and do their own research. What do YOU think? Does this work for YOU? Who cares what it means for someone else? You're NOT someone else!
Lastly, if you're buying this book because you're unhappy, and you think meditation might make you less unhappy, you're looking at it from the wrong perspective. The chances are, your unhapiness is a symptom of being human, and your problem with your unhapiness is a symptom of your society telling you over and over that being unhappy isn't normal, while literally making you work 5/6 days a week, taking your pensions away, and paying you less than a living wage. You don't have to fix it or change it. You might want to, but you have to set that aside. Look at your life and try to understand why you're unhappy. Meditation will give you the time, space and skills to look into yourself and attempt to understand your feelings. It won't necessarily change them, or you. It can, but you can't go into it expecting that it will -- zazen is good for nothing.
If you want to be happy, and you want other people to be happy, campaign for change. And don't waste your money on this dumb book.
The truth is that there is very very little reliable data about the effectiveness of meditation and mindfulness. It's very difficult to separate the practice from lifestyle; we simply do not know enough about it. Meditation is NOT a science, and in my opinion, it shouldn't be treated as one.
Meditation CAN change you. So can books, and conversations, and experiences, and hair-dye. Sure, it's not a one size fits all; there are different kinds of meditation. Some poeple would even argue that running is a form of meditation.
If you're buying this book because you want to know if meditation might work for you, the best thing you can do is try it. If you're buying this book to confirm your belief that meditation is sensationalised nonsense, then why bother? Google confirmation bias, and instead go and do your own research. People should stop looking for opinions in other people's opinions and do their own research. What do YOU think? Does this work for YOU? Who cares what it means for someone else? You're NOT someone else!
Lastly, if you're buying this book because you're unhappy, and you think meditation might make you less unhappy, you're looking at it from the wrong perspective. The chances are, your unhapiness is a symptom of being human, and your problem with your unhapiness is a symptom of your society telling you over and over that being unhappy isn't normal, while literally making you work 5/6 days a week, taking your pensions away, and paying you less than a living wage. You don't have to fix it or change it. You might want to, but you have to set that aside. Look at your life and try to understand why you're unhappy. Meditation will give you the time, space and skills to look into yourself and attempt to understand your feelings. It won't necessarily change them, or you. It can, but you can't go into it expecting that it will -- zazen is good for nothing.
If you want to be happy, and you want other people to be happy, campaign for change. And don't waste your money on this dumb book.
February 13, 2022
As I practice meditation between 4-6 days per week over the last 10 years, i am naturally curious about any scientific evaluations of its effects. The books overall conclusion is plausible:
* a lot of optimistic biased research on meditation does not hold up to scientific scrutiny
* there is MODERATE scientific evidence that meditation increases emotions, reduces anxiety, etc.
* BUT: unclear how much is attribuable specifically to meditation vs a more general relaxation effect that also arises through 15min of pausing
* meditation can in some (rare) cases also produce negative emotions/effects
* even advanced meditators can be "assholes", meditation alone does not make you a good person - see the Buddha's eightfold path
In particular interesting to me:
* The current wave of Mindfulness is the third meditation wave coming to the West. The first wave was driven by Hindu spiritual leaders such as Vivekananda in the late 1800s or Yogananda in the 1930s. Then in the 1970s Transcendental Meditation (TM) by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi generated huge excitement in the West. Lots of studies on a new state of consciousness, etc. This paved the way for the current and third meditation hype cycle.
* Yogananda and TM come from Hindu traditions, their meditation styles often involve repeating mantras etc. By contrast, the current mindfulness trend has been derived from buddhist tradition. The main technique is to observe your thoughts and thereby detach from its emotions, and ultimately avoid any suffering.
* My personal meditation techniques are definitely rooted in Hindu tradition, in particular trying to concentrate on the third eye and to empty the mind. I have recently tried Buddhist mindfulness and meta techniques again, but do not easily connect. However, I relate to Buddhist philosophy much more then to Hindu religion.
* I was not aware of the thight connection between the 1970s meditation boom and LSD. See Timothly Leary and Ram Dass.
The book also explores in depth the effect of meditation & yoga on prisoners, and whether meditation can replace therapy (of course not) - not very interesting to me. I also found the "anecdotal" writing style excessive. Overall 3 stars.
* a lot of optimistic biased research on meditation does not hold up to scientific scrutiny
* there is MODERATE scientific evidence that meditation increases emotions, reduces anxiety, etc.
* BUT: unclear how much is attribuable specifically to meditation vs a more general relaxation effect that also arises through 15min of pausing
* meditation can in some (rare) cases also produce negative emotions/effects
* even advanced meditators can be "assholes", meditation alone does not make you a good person - see the Buddha's eightfold path
In particular interesting to me:
* The current wave of Mindfulness is the third meditation wave coming to the West. The first wave was driven by Hindu spiritual leaders such as Vivekananda in the late 1800s or Yogananda in the 1930s. Then in the 1970s Transcendental Meditation (TM) by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi generated huge excitement in the West. Lots of studies on a new state of consciousness, etc. This paved the way for the current and third meditation hype cycle.
* Yogananda and TM come from Hindu traditions, their meditation styles often involve repeating mantras etc. By contrast, the current mindfulness trend has been derived from buddhist tradition. The main technique is to observe your thoughts and thereby detach from its emotions, and ultimately avoid any suffering.
* My personal meditation techniques are definitely rooted in Hindu tradition, in particular trying to concentrate on the third eye and to empty the mind. I have recently tried Buddhist mindfulness and meta techniques again, but do not easily connect. However, I relate to Buddhist philosophy much more then to Hindu religion.
* I was not aware of the thight connection between the 1970s meditation boom and LSD. See Timothly Leary and Ram Dass.
The book also explores in depth the effect of meditation & yoga on prisoners, and whether meditation can replace therapy (of course not) - not very interesting to me. I also found the "anecdotal" writing style excessive. Overall 3 stars.
June 10, 2017
I have to say I really enjoyed reading The Buddha Pill. It didn't turn out to be a page turner in the beginning, but it was difficult to stop reading the book from third chapter and on wards. The Buddha Pill is taking a critical view on the different methods of relaxation and how the effects of transcendental meditation and mindfulness are researched.
Book has a positive view on the meditation and yoga, but it also clearly describes the short comings of the methods and the research around them. Authors examine the topic from many different angles and that gives the reader more complete picture of the theme. Usually books related to meditation are overly positive about the effect of meditation but The Buddha Pill gives a much more realistic picture of the topic and how it's marketed and used in the west. And even though the books is not a guide book I think it's really good read for everyone that is interested in meditation or yoga.
Book has a positive view on the meditation and yoga, but it also clearly describes the short comings of the methods and the research around them. Authors examine the topic from many different angles and that gives the reader more complete picture of the theme. Usually books related to meditation are overly positive about the effect of meditation but The Buddha Pill gives a much more realistic picture of the topic and how it's marketed and used in the west. And even though the books is not a guide book I think it's really good read for everyone that is interested in meditation or yoga.
January 24, 2019
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.
February 21, 2023
GoodReads First Read, 3 stars. This book was all about the statistics. It was really interesting to read as an outsider with no specific vested interest in the outcome of the results. I can only imagine what people would think if they were for, or against, meditation. The main studies based around prison therapies but the gist being that what works for some might not work for all and due to everyone being unique all results are unique. I like to believe that I am very aware of myself, my faults, vices as well as all the good things. I study my actions and reactions and like to know why I behave the way I do. When I was younger I avoided looking into myself because I did not like what I saw. Meditation, yoga, religion… it works for some but not all. I find my “religion†in taking “me timeâ€. Whether that is reading or painting my nails or just driving home with the windows down being in tune with the moment.
December 26, 2024
Could have been an article, and why did the authors bring about their Hinduism & Yoga encounters when the book is called “Buddha” Pill ? Better name it Mindfulness pill.
From what I understand authors want to point a spot light at the following :
How meditation is not a cure all pill.
How meditation has a dark side and negative effects.
How meditation has deeper roots that are used to uncover the self, but when secularized it tends to look at the surface level things.
Anyways they also mentioned an extreme case where someone who practiced buddhism and meditation did a mass shooting..
I want to point out that correlation does not mean causation, people of all beliefs commit heinous acts, and beliefs themselves will very rarely transform a person, and sometimes yes they can be a catalyst to this sort of behavior but it is way more prominent in some religions like Islam in which the doctrine can be easily misinterpreted.
From what I understand authors want to point a spot light at the following :
How meditation is not a cure all pill.
How meditation has a dark side and negative effects.
How meditation has deeper roots that are used to uncover the self, but when secularized it tends to look at the surface level things.
Anyways they also mentioned an extreme case where someone who practiced buddhism and meditation did a mass shooting..
I want to point out that correlation does not mean causation, people of all beliefs commit heinous acts, and beliefs themselves will very rarely transform a person, and sometimes yes they can be a catalyst to this sort of behavior but it is way more prominent in some religions like Islam in which the doctrine can be easily misinterpreted.
December 21, 2024
If you haven't read the book yet, just read the Chapter 8 Can Meditation Change You? There is nothing more in the rest of it. Authors rise one important point and keep on reinvent the ways to present it. The point is that meditation is not for everyone -well it is not ground-breaking since nothing really is.
Two more specific comments:
- Authors seems to struggle how scientific or narrative this book should be - never striking the right balance.
- First authors made strong point and criticize published studies on meditation for incompleteness. Than, presenting they own work, they had to admit that there were objective reasons why they could not perform all planned experiments. Thus, making they own study much less insightful.
As I believe in sceptical approach to any subject or trend, I really wanted to like this book. Unfortunately it falls short of expectations.
Two more specific comments:
- Authors seems to struggle how scientific or narrative this book should be - never striking the right balance.
- First authors made strong point and criticize published studies on meditation for incompleteness. Than, presenting they own work, they had to admit that there were objective reasons why they could not perform all planned experiments. Thus, making they own study much less insightful.
As I believe in sceptical approach to any subject or trend, I really wanted to like this book. Unfortunately it falls short of expectations.
October 25, 2017
Started out slow, and the authors were a little too pro-meditation biased. But, they let the research speak for itself, rather than making it fit what they wanted to believe. I liked the second half much better than the first. However, it was very much a book written by the privileged and over-educated.
Although joking about their naivety, the authors were often 'shocked' by things most people see every day. They seemed out of touch with normal people, especially when analyzing prisoners. They took a very complicated situation and stuffed it into the parameters of their work. I'm left with the impression that these authors rarely leave the halls of academia, which may or may not be true, that's just what I took away from this reading.
Although joking about their naivety, the authors were often 'shocked' by things most people see every day. They seemed out of touch with normal people, especially when analyzing prisoners. They took a very complicated situation and stuffed it into the parameters of their work. I'm left with the impression that these authors rarely leave the halls of academia, which may or may not be true, that's just what I took away from this reading.
January 24, 2022
A fantastic book! Have you ever wondered what benefits meditation actually have, without all the hype? Ever wondered just how conclusive the research is out there on meditation and yoga generally? This is the book to answer those questions and more.
The book is written by a psychologist and researcher who undertook some fascinating and compelling investigations into the way meditation and yoga affect people. It's written in an easy-to-follow, almost conversational style and I highly recommend it. What I don't recommend is the typeface chosen for the book - it's the kind of font I'd use for a website rather than a book.
This book is definitely something I'll read again in a few years, it's that good.
The book is written by a psychologist and researcher who undertook some fascinating and compelling investigations into the way meditation and yoga affect people. It's written in an easy-to-follow, almost conversational style and I highly recommend it. What I don't recommend is the typeface chosen for the book - it's the kind of font I'd use for a website rather than a book.
This book is definitely something I'll read again in a few years, it's that good.
May 10, 2023
Er wordt op een no-nonsens manier beschreven of meditatie, eventueel in combinatie met yoga, een mens kan transformeren in een ‘betere’ mens.
Er worden zowel historische wetenschappelijke onderzoeken geraadpleegd naar dit fenomeen als zelf door de auteurs opgezette enquêtes beschreven.
Het gebruik van de metafoor ‘De Boeddha-pil’ in dit boek vat goed samen dat zoals bij een klassieke pil het de gebruiker van meditatie kan helpen, maar:
“Net als het slikken van een pil kan ook mediteren bij sommige mensen ongewenste of onverwachte bijwerkingen hebben, die tijdelijk kunnen zijn, maar ook langer kunnen aanhouden.” (pagina 266).
Er worden zowel historische wetenschappelijke onderzoeken geraadpleegd naar dit fenomeen als zelf door de auteurs opgezette enquêtes beschreven.
Het gebruik van de metafoor ‘De Boeddha-pil’ in dit boek vat goed samen dat zoals bij een klassieke pil het de gebruiker van meditatie kan helpen, maar:
“Net als het slikken van een pil kan ook mediteren bij sommige mensen ongewenste of onverwachte bijwerkingen hebben, die tijdelijk kunnen zijn, maar ook langer kunnen aanhouden.” (pagina 266).
June 1, 2015
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.
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.
December 27, 2023
Most books on mindfulness and meditation are all focused on the benefits and rarely talk about the risks or flaws. This book approaches the subject from a scientific angle and delves into topics such as issues with existing scientific studies, hypocrisy in the field, and potential dangers of how meditation can lead to psychological issues. For these reasons, it's a worthwhile read for those interested in mindfulness or meditation as it presents a balanced perspective of the practices and addresses the myths and misconceptions.
September 2, 2025
Maybe it's just me, but I feel there has been so much hype about this book... and then, I don't know, the style it's written in is really chaotic. I keep having the feeling they mix all the information up, they try to sound funny and scientific at the same time, while achieving neither.
Also this weird first person referring to two different people is really messy. I have the feeling that I'm reading a novel that tries to shed new light into something really complex. I'd love the straightforward version of it, I'll probably ask Chatty for a summary once I finish.
Also this weird first person referring to two different people is really messy. I have the feeling that I'm reading a novel that tries to shed new light into something really complex. I'd love the straightforward version of it, I'll probably ask Chatty for a summary once I finish.
February 19, 2017
Mindfulness meditation isn't necessarily all it's cracked up to be
May 25, 2021
If anyone looking for theology, spirituality and philosophy in one. Then, this is the book.
January 14, 2022
Good easy read about the pros and cons of meditation's therapeutic merits.
April 27, 2023
Interesting look at the research on meditation and mindfulness. It left me a little frustrated at the conclusion.
March 27, 2022
Intriguing- there is a dark side to meditation, who knew?
Chatty and informative it meanders through a lot of material in a fairly light and unchallenging way.
Chatty and informative it meanders through a lot of material in a fairly light and unchallenging way.
September 13, 2017
هل يستطيع "التأمل" أن يغيرك؟
يمارس التأمل و اليوجا حوالي 250 مليون شخص حول العالم, والعدد في ازدياد مستمر , وينصح العديد من الأطباء النفسيين مرضاهم باللجوء لنوع من ممارسات الإسترخاء المتعلقة بالتأمل والهدوء ومراقبة التنفس والأفكار. ولكن هل يوجد "علم" خلف تلك الأفكار؟
يناقش هذا الكتاب أثر التأمل كأحد الممارسات البوذية والهندوسية في الحالة النفسية للشخص
هل من الممكن ان يخفف التأمل القلق والتوتر الداخلي ويخلي مساحة من الصفاء النفسي الداخلي؟
الكتاب يتعرض لتلك الفكرة مرة بتجميع الحقائق المختلفة وتتبع الفكرة منذ كانت رائجة في سبعينات القرن الماضي, أيضا يتتبع الأبحاث العلمية الأساسية التي حاولت أن تبحث حقيقة تأثير الممارسات التأملية مثل اليوجا وجلسات التأمل في تغيير الحالة النفسية للإنسان, ورصد الكتاب نقط الضعف في تلك الأبحاث, والمبالغات, وأيضا أوجه الحقيقة فيها أيضا.
رصد الكتاب أيضاَ تجربة رائدة في سجون أكسفورد حيث قامت إحدى الجمعيات الخيرية بالإتفاق مع ادارة السجون علي تعليم المساجين بعض تعاليم وطرق اليوجا. وكانت النتيجة إيجابية جداَ حيث قللت الممارسات السلوك العنيف لدي المساجين وكتب العديد من المساجين كيف حسنت هذه التجربة من احساسهم بقيمة حياتهم وإدراك معاني جديدة لها.
يتعمق الكتاب في فكرة التغيير.. ما هي الذات التي نريد لأنفسنا أن نكونها؟ ماذا نريد تغييره في انفسنا؟
هل نريد أن نصبح أكثر تأملا وحكمة؟ أكثر إيجابية؟ أكثر انفتاحاً؟
يعرض الكاتب بعض الأفكار المتعلقة بالتغيير والمبنية علي أبحاث علمية.. مثلا ان ما يحرك الإنسان أكثر هو خوفه من الفقد بينما اكتساب مزايا جديدة يعتبر دافعاً أضعف بمقدار النصف.. فمعني ذلك ان التغيير شيء صعب جدا بالنسبة لنا كبشر.. فأي تغيير يتولد عنه فقد ما سنقاومه من داخلنا بشدة.
هل يستطيع التأمل التهوين من شأن الفقد؟ فيصبح التغيير متاحا؟
يتعرض الكتاب أيضا للجانب "الضار" أو "السلبي" للتأمل.. كأن يصبح الإنسان بعيداً عن الواقع.. أو مخدَّر الإحساس أو لا مبالي.. وضح الكتاب أيضا كيف يقوم بعض الرهبان البوذيون بالقتل المتعاطف. وهي أن قيمة الحياة نفسها هشة وغير حقيقية , وما يتبع ذلك من إمكانية سلب الحياة لإتاحة الفرصة لشيء جيد أن ينمو, وهي أفكار تعتبر ضارة جدا وخطيرة يتجاهلها الباحثين عادة عند تعرضهم للبوذية
ينتهي الكتاب ببحث علمي علي مجموعة من المساجين .. بعضهم يقوم بتدريبات اليوجا والبعض في مجموعة معيارة لا تفعل شيئاً وفي نهاية فترة التجربة يعرض المجموعتين لإختبار يدرس الرؤية السلبية والإيجابية وصفاء الذهن, ويجد الكاتب دليلاً قوياً ان المجموعة التي مارست تدريبات اليوجا قد تحسنت عن المجموعة الأخري
الكتاب رائع وممتع ورحلة جميلة في داخل النفس ورؤية متعمقة لكل من البوذية وفكرة التغيير وفكرة التأمل
استمتعت جدا بقراءته
يمارس التأمل و اليوجا حوالي 250 مليون شخص حول العالم, والعدد في ازدياد مستمر , وينصح العديد من الأطباء النفسيين مرضاهم باللجوء لنوع من ممارسات الإسترخاء المتعلقة بالتأمل والهدوء ومراقبة التنفس والأفكار. ولكن هل يوجد "علم" خلف تلك الأفكار؟
يناقش هذا الكتاب أثر التأمل كأحد الممارسات البوذية والهندوسية في الحالة النفسية للشخص
هل من الممكن ان يخفف التأمل القلق والتوتر الداخلي ويخلي مساحة من الصفاء النفسي الداخلي؟
الكتاب يتعرض لتلك الفكرة مرة بتجميع الحقائق المختلفة وتتبع الفكرة منذ كانت رائجة في سبعينات القرن الماضي, أيضا يتتبع الأبحاث العلمية الأساسية التي حاولت أن تبحث حقيقة تأثير الممارسات التأملية مثل اليوجا وجلسات التأمل في تغيير الحالة النفسية للإنسان, ورصد الكتاب نقط الضعف في تلك الأبحاث, والمبالغات, وأيضا أوجه الحقيقة فيها أيضا.
رصد الكتاب أيضاَ تجربة رائدة في سجون أكسفورد حيث قامت إحدى الجمعيات الخيرية بالإتفاق مع ادارة السجون علي تعليم المساجين بعض تعاليم وطرق اليوجا. وكانت النتيجة إيجابية جداَ حيث قللت الممارسات السلوك العنيف لدي المساجين وكتب العديد من المساجين كيف حسنت هذه التجربة من احساسهم بقيمة حياتهم وإدراك معاني جديدة لها.
يتعمق الكتاب في فكرة التغيير.. ما هي الذات التي نريد لأنفسنا أن نكونها؟ ماذا نريد تغييره في انفسنا؟
هل نريد أن نصبح أكثر تأملا وحكمة؟ أكثر إيجابية؟ أكثر انفتاحاً؟
يعرض الكاتب بعض الأفكار المتعلقة بالتغيير والمبنية علي أبحاث علمية.. مثلا ان ما يحرك الإنسان أكثر هو خوفه من الفقد بينما اكتساب مزايا جديدة يعتبر دافعاً أضعف بمقدار النصف.. فمعني ذلك ان التغيير شيء صعب جدا بالنسبة لنا كبشر.. فأي تغيير يتولد عنه فقد ما سنقاومه من داخلنا بشدة.
هل يستطيع التأمل التهوين من شأن الفقد؟ فيصبح التغيير متاحا؟
يتعرض الكتاب أيضا للجانب "الضار" أو "السلبي" للتأمل.. كأن يصبح الإنسان بعيداً عن الواقع.. أو مخدَّر الإحساس أو لا مبالي.. وضح الكتاب أيضا كيف يقوم بعض الرهبان البوذيون بالقتل المتعاطف. وهي أن قيمة الحياة نفسها هشة وغير حقيقية , وما يتبع ذلك من إمكانية سلب الحياة لإتاحة الفرصة لشيء جيد أن ينمو, وهي أفكار تعتبر ضارة جدا وخطيرة يتجاهلها الباحثين عادة عند تعرضهم للبوذية
ينتهي الكتاب ببحث علمي علي مجموعة من المساجين .. بعضهم يقوم بتدريبات اليوجا والبعض في مجموعة معيارة لا تفعل شيئاً وفي نهاية فترة التجربة يعرض المجموعتين لإختبار يدرس الرؤية السلبية والإيجابية وصفاء الذهن, ويجد الكاتب دليلاً قوياً ان المجموعة التي مارست تدريبات اليوجا قد تحسنت عن المجموعة الأخري
الكتاب رائع وممتع ورحلة جميلة في داخل النفس ورؤية متعمقة لكل من البوذية وفكرة التغيير وفكرة التأمل
استمتعت جدا بقراءته
January 16, 2016
If you are expecting an indictment of meditation, this is not it. It’s also far from universal praise of meditation. But – if you are even remotely interested in meditation and Eastern spirituality, this is essential reading. Let me state that again. ESSENTIAL.
It’s essential because it is so measured and so unbiased. It’s essential because not only does it put everything in its correct sociocultural, historical, and psychological context, but it also lucidly explains exactly how that context is important. Truly an incredible accomplishment for a topic as hallowed as meditation.
On a sliding scale between spirituality and scientism, Dr. Farias and Wikholm lean on the science side (if they didn’t then I would’ve stopped reading) and yet are incredibly open-minded and nonjudgmental about meditation and all types of spiritual practice. There is a great deal of misinformation and propaganda out there, and this book cleared up much of which I’d blindly accepted.
The chapter titled The Dark Side of Meditation is especially insightful and stands on its own as a paragon of investigative journalism.
While the writing is at times syntactically dull, it is always incredibly genuine, lacking even the slightest hint of pretension or judgment. The authors are naturally self-reflective and are able to relate their experiences in a way that engages the reader. By this I mean you will feel like you’re sitting right there with them, in London prisons, in Indian ashrams, in therapy sessions, in research conferences.
After having read this book I can honestly say that I’ve learned a great deal and I greatly appreciate all the effort that was put into this. Enlightening.
Docked: Half a point for some unnecessary subheadings (repetition), half a point for the terrible font they chose for the text which is why it took me so long to get through this. My eyes are burning.
It’s essential because it is so measured and so unbiased. It’s essential because not only does it put everything in its correct sociocultural, historical, and psychological context, but it also lucidly explains exactly how that context is important. Truly an incredible accomplishment for a topic as hallowed as meditation.
On a sliding scale between spirituality and scientism, Dr. Farias and Wikholm lean on the science side (if they didn’t then I would’ve stopped reading) and yet are incredibly open-minded and nonjudgmental about meditation and all types of spiritual practice. There is a great deal of misinformation and propaganda out there, and this book cleared up much of which I’d blindly accepted.
The chapter titled The Dark Side of Meditation is especially insightful and stands on its own as a paragon of investigative journalism.
While the writing is at times syntactically dull, it is always incredibly genuine, lacking even the slightest hint of pretension or judgment. The authors are naturally self-reflective and are able to relate their experiences in a way that engages the reader. By this I mean you will feel like you’re sitting right there with them, in London prisons, in Indian ashrams, in therapy sessions, in research conferences.
After having read this book I can honestly say that I’ve learned a great deal and I greatly appreciate all the effort that was put into this. Enlightening.
Docked: Half a point for some unnecessary subheadings (repetition), half a point for the terrible font they chose for the text which is why it took me so long to get through this. My eyes are burning.
June 24, 2015
This is a scientific book, but I wouldn't call it secular. The authors do not use the weakness of the evidence for the therapeutic efficacy of mindfulness and meditation as a stick for smacking spirituality over the head, because, of course, the scientists behind the research were possibly just as much the victims of wishful thinking as the western Buddhists and other yoghurt weavers.
None of the dichotomies you might expect are evident in this book. Instead it seems genuinely to try to grasp how meditation might change us, without falling prey to the assumption that it can. I was shocked to discover that the experimental studies of mindfulness often neglect control groups, or else -- where they include one -- fail to compare its efficacy with a similar activity. When both a control and a suitable placebo are in place (the authors show) the efficacy of mindfulness falls away to nothing greater than other relaxation techniques. My shock was not so much due to this finding in itself, but at how easily the authors could pick holes in the so-called evidence base.
They also include some unflinching exploration of the psychological drawbacks of meditation, and the nasty side of Buddhism, yet still manage to suggest that meditation isn't entirely down and out. The trouble with mindfulness is its suggestion that it will necessarily help. Instead, meditation seems to offer different things to different people, dependent on various other factors. It's not just what you do, but who's doing it, and how.
None of the dichotomies you might expect are evident in this book. Instead it seems genuinely to try to grasp how meditation might change us, without falling prey to the assumption that it can. I was shocked to discover that the experimental studies of mindfulness often neglect control groups, or else -- where they include one -- fail to compare its efficacy with a similar activity. When both a control and a suitable placebo are in place (the authors show) the efficacy of mindfulness falls away to nothing greater than other relaxation techniques. My shock was not so much due to this finding in itself, but at how easily the authors could pick holes in the so-called evidence base.
They also include some unflinching exploration of the psychological drawbacks of meditation, and the nasty side of Buddhism, yet still manage to suggest that meditation isn't entirely down and out. The trouble with mindfulness is its suggestion that it will necessarily help. Instead, meditation seems to offer different things to different people, dependent on various other factors. It's not just what you do, but who's doing it, and how.
March 30, 2016
I first learned to meditate from a Catholic priest in Sydney’s inner-West who was spouting heresies from Matthew Fox in the same breath that he was teaching us the Jesus prayer. Since then I’ve meditated with academics, Buddhists, Christians, and psychiatrists. Therapy gurus such as Herbert Benson and Jon Kabat-Zinn have been recommending the healing powers of meditation for decades, and I’ve even promoted its benefits from the pulpit. But how good actually is it? Will meditation ease your pain? Heal chronic anxiety or depression? Make you a better person? For years enthusiasts have been claiming that there is a lot of scientific evidence demonstrating that meditation and mindfulness make a measurable impact on your body and mind, but in The Buddha Pill (2015) Miguel Farias and Catherine Wikholm question the validity of these claims and even suggest that meditation might be bad for some people. They’re popularizing a complex field, but they do so in a very readable way and ask some penetrating questions along the way.
See my full review here: http://wordsbecamebooks.com/2016/03/3...
See my full review here: http://wordsbecamebooks.com/2016/03/3...
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