Event, Whitney Cummings, Transcendental Meditation, Definition of a Cult
The Queens Long Island Community Services directed by Paul Engel is offering a Post-Election Discussion: Blues and Reds addressing the question; How does the election affect you, your family, and your community?
Gather with others to find support and learn to develop strength and strategies for coping while integrating change in your lives on Tuesday, December 17 at 7:30 PM EST on Zoom. This forum is for former cult members and others, while not being a place for political recruitment. Please contact 516-547-4318 or paul.engel@flushingjcc.net with any questions and/or to get the link to join.
"Sarah and Nippy welcome friend and comedian Whitney Cummings to the podcast to explore the nuanced overlaps of culty dynamics and Hollywood culture. Whitney shares her unique perspective on vulnerability, healing, and her fascination with neuroscience, while also opening up about her personal quest for meaning. From the allure of community and control to a hilarious recount of being "rejected by Scientology," Whitney blends humor with insight as she navigates topics like forgiveness, boundary-setting, and her less-than-conventional healing experiences."
"My first exposure to Transcendental Meditation (TM) was when Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was on the Merv Griffin Show in the 1970s. I was a young teen back then and found this giggling Yogi fascinating. His image stuck in my mind for years to come. Years after seeing him on TV, I found his book at a yard sale and read it. I decided Maharishi's cure for everything that ails this planet was something I had to have.
I relentlessly searched, and after several months I found a Transcendental Meditation (TM) teacher who lived about an hour's drive from my home. I was now 23 years old. We made an appointment, and soon I was "initiated" and taught the technique.
I was thrilled with TM; it was a godsend. It gave me the peace I was looking for. It gave me the badly needed relaxation I was craving. I became angry at my church and commented that one week of TM did me more good than reading the Bible a hundred times. Hopefully, I didn't offend any Christians, but this was the truth. I thought so highly of TM that I got some of my friends into it.
Several years later, I was intrigued with the beautifully done pamphlets and fliers I was receiving from Maharishi International University (MIU).[1] They claimed it was one of the best universities around.
During this time, I gradually began noticing that I was having difficulty finishing my thoughts and was getting spacy. I checked with my TM teacher, and she said that was part of the normal process of "enlightenment" and not to pay attention to it. "Just watch the thoughts as if you are in a train and watching the scenery go by." I didn't realize it then, but I was being trained to dissociate from my emotions and thoughts.
I applied and was accepted into MIU, and very happy to be in such an enlightened school. The classes started, and the first of the core courses was quantum physics. This was the classic "trying to get a drink out of a fire hose" type of course—too much new information all at once. I was surprised to be one of the few who got an A+ from that course. Never has so much been said about things so small.
Honestly, I didn't "get" quantum physics, but they told me I had the best paper they had ever seen. I told them that I took random statements by Maharishi from those handwritten on sheets of paper they had stuck on the classroom walls. These statements were so general in nature that they could be applied to understanding quantum physics, changing your tire, or catching chickens.
The following courses were the dullest, most miserable, and most useless courses I had ever experienced. The Science of Creative Intelligence (SCI) had nothing to do with creativity or intelligence. I told the Vedic psychology instructor that his course cured my insomnia and told the business teacher that I learned how not to teach business.
Meanwhile, I was getting more spacy and having to force myself to be able to finish a thought. Anxiety was creeping into my meditations and starting to spill over into daily life; it eventually developed into a full-blown mental disorder. At that time, I chose to quit TM, and my thoughts for a while seemed to get crystal clear.
The classes continued to worsen by the day. I thought they couldn't get any worse, but they did. I began talking to other students about the poor-quality classes, and some agreed with me. Several told me just not to question the school—"just get your degree and get out." I was there to learn; a degree was secondary to me, I told them.
Sorry to say, a year's worth of classes, and I didn't learn anything worth remembering. Others disagreed and said I was "unstressing." They said MIU was perfect and I was the problem. This view left me confused, and I didn't know what to make of it. My impression was that, by Christmas break, more than one-half of the freshman class had dropped out.
Every morning, world news would be announced in class. Then we were told how our collective consciousness in the practice of TM and the siddhis was changing the world for the better. I don't recall anybody really believing this, but most of us learned to keep our opinions to ourselves.
If any bad news came up, the explanation given was that the world was unstressing. I struggled for about a month with what unstressing could be. What is wrong with me? What's missing? And a thousand other questions to myself. It wasn't making any sense.
Eventually I earned the reputation as a rabble-rouser because I was complaining about the lousy classes. One of the teachers called me into her office and told me I was unstressing for saying the classes were garbage."
Brighton and Hove Psychotherapy: The psychology of cults: part one – what defines a cult? (Sam Jahara)
What is the definition of a cult?
"I'm going to share with you how some academics in this field describe a cult – there are five key attributes that can help us with this explanation. Let's go through each one of them."
- A charismatic leader
- A transcendent belief system
- High demands and exploitation
- A closed and hierarchical structure
- Mind control techniques – brainwashing
News, Education, Intervention, Recovery
Intervention101.com to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.
CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.
CultNEWS101.com news, links, resources.
Cults101.org resources about cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations, and related topics.
The selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not mean that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly agree with the content. We provide information from many points of view to promote dialogue.
Please forward articles that you think we should add to cultintervention@gmail.com.
Thanks,
Ashlen Hilliard (ashlen.hilliard.wordpress@gmail.com)
Joe Kelly (joekelly411@gmail.com)
Patrick Ryan (pryan19147@gmail.com)
If you do not wish to be subscribed to this list, or you think you are being maliciously subscribed to the list, or have any other questions, send them to: pryan19147@gmail.com or send an email to: cultnews101+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment