Blog

I wanted to create this page as a resource for you as well as feature some of the great works that have been published. As always, if you enjoy this page please consider sharing it with your colleagues and friends!

A Transcendental Cure for Post-Traumatic Stress

War wounds come in many forms. Some are obvious, such as scars, gashes and amputations. Others, the psychological ones, are less visible but equally devastating. The numbers in this second group are staggering: The military’s latest mental health survey of combat troops in Afghanistan found that 20%—one in five—suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Read Full Article By David Lynch and Norman Rosenthal

10 dangerous myths about meditation

What’s the truth about meditation? Does it really have health benefits – or is it just a silly waste of time? These are questions Dr. Noman Rosenthal, clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University Medical Center, knows a thing or two about. Best known for first describing the form of depression known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), he’s also a widely acknowledged experton meditation. In addition to practicing Transcendental Meditation and recommending it to his patients, he is the author of a new book on the topic entitled Transcendence: Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation. Read Full Article

Meditation Heals Military Vets With PTSD

For months, David George, 27, of Fairfield, Iowa, had been eyeing a pistol he saw at a local store.

In 2004, shortly after returning from Iraq, the former specialist in the 101st Airborne Division moved into his parents’ home in Maryland. At every noise, George, who owned a rifle, systematically moved from one room to the next to make sure the house was clear. The pistol, he thought, would make it easier. Read Full Article & See Video

Transcendental Meditation: Topping The Bestseller List Since 1975

When I saw that a book about Transcendental Meditation (TM), written by a scientist, had landed on the New York Times bestseller list, my reaction was to quote the great Yogi of Berra: “It’s déjà vu all over again.”

In 1975, “TM: Discovering Inner Energy and Overcoming Stress” was propelled onto the list when its lead author, psychiatrist Harold Bloomfield, appeared on Merv Griffin’s syndicated TV talk show (the Oprah of its day) with TM founder Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The book remained a bestseller for six months, and then had a solid run on the paperback list. During that period, Merv devoted a second show to Maharishi, and TM centers could barely keep up with the demand.  Read Full Article

Transcending a Different Type of PTSD — Helping Children of the Night

Lately there has been a storm of publicity – and deservedly so – about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in veterans of our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The public has become better educated about this potentially disabling disorder and its symptoms, such as hypervigilance, an exaggerated tendency to startle, flashbacks, nightmares and emotional numbness, to name just a few.

Mental health professionals have emphasized the need to diagnose and treat PTSD wherever it arises.  In this piece, I would like to draw attention to yet another group suffering from PTSD – child victims of prostitution who, against all odds, are trying to go straight and choose a different path in life. Read Full Article

If Stressed, Try Meditating: Psychiatrist

If you’re stressed, meditate, says a world-renowned psychiatrist. “Your nervous system is constantly being assaulted all day long — stresses from within, from other people, obstacles occur. When you meditate regularly, you don’t get bent out of shape so easily,” says  Dr. Norman Rosenthal, a clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown Medical. “Often times when we snap at people, we’re under stress,” he says. This can be especially true for those living in large cities like New York City. Read Full Article

Beating The Blues

SUSAN DENTZER: An estimated 18 million Americans suffer each year from depression. And as many as two million are believed to be treating themselves with this. St. John’s Wort is a simple yellow wildflower, so named because it blooms in Europe around June 24, or St. John’s Day. Extracts of it have been used for centuries to treat depression, including, reportedly, by the roman emperor Nero. It’s long been widely used in Europe and caught on in 1990s in the United States. Sold most frequently as an over- the-counter herbal supplement, St. John’s Wort has found its way not only onto pharmacy shelves, but also into breakfast cereals, herbal teas and fruit juices. Read Full Article

Stress, Health, and “Transcendence”-Dr. Norman Rosenthal

“It is not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it” – Hans Selye

Stress isn’t just a part of life, it is in some ways, essential to life.  Without any stress our bones would fall apart, we wouldn’t learn new ways of coping, and life would certainly be quite uninteresting.  Bt there’s another kind of stress – the unrelenting, toxic kind – that robs us of sleep, drains our joy, damages relationships, and makes us ill. The bad news is that chronic stress actually changes our brains to make flight-fight-freeze our default setting, regardless of the triggering event.  Something as major as being in combat, or as trivial as being cut off in traffic  can produce the same “0-60” reaction. The good news is… Read Full Article

Transcendental Meditation – Dr. OZ and Norman Rosenthal

Oprah Radio host Dr. Oz talks with Dr. Norman Rosenthal about his book Transcendence: Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation, which is about the mental and physical health benefits of meditating. Listen to Audio

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The easiest way to reach Dr. Rosenthal is by Email at

drnormrosenthal@gmail.com

Because of the large volume of e-mail he receives, it is not usually possible for him to provide advice or guidance to students about papers or dissertation projects, nor to advise patients about complex clinical problems. Hopefully, the contents of this web site and his writings will assist you in finding the information that you need.

If you have been referred to Dr. Rosenthal’s private practice or would like to set up an appointment for a consultation, please include the word Consultation in the subject of your e-mail.

If you wish to schedule a speaking engagement, please include the words Speaking Engagement in the subject.