In late 2022, the seventh paper from the Varieties of Contemplative Experience (VCE) project was published. Entitled The roles and impacts of worldviews in the context of meditation-related challenges, the paper was authored by Jared Lindahl, Roman Palitsky, David Cooper, and Willoughby Britton, and was published in the journal Transcultural Psychiatry.
Cult Mediation Specialist Patrick Ryan discusses how cults operate and how to intervene when someone needs help.
Patrick Ryan is a graduate of Maharishi International University. He has been a cult intervention specialist since 1984. He’s the co-founder of TM-EX, the organization of ex-members of Transcendental Meditation, established ICSA’s online resource (1995-2013), and has presented 50 programs about hypnosis, inner-experience, trance-induction techniques, communicating with cult members, conversion, cult intervention, exit counseling, intervention.
Patrick Ryan found himself deeply involved in Transcendental Meditation during the 1970s until he started to believe he was part of a harmful group. He is now a cult mediation specialist, otherwise known as exit counselling. He is also the head of TM-EX, an organization of ex-members of Transcendental Meditation and has worked extensively with The International Cultic Studies Association.
Far from being a meditation method that’s misleadingly sold as “not a religion,” almost every element of the program, from its marketing, its initiation or instruction methods, and its advanced programs, are of a “religious nature,” fundamentally suspect, and are offered by an organization that isn’t trustworthy. Its internally toxic, cultish, sexist nature is well known among those formerly involved, who’ve experienced firsthand the practices and habits common among the movement’s lifelong devotees.
World Government of the Age of Enlightenment
World Plan Executive Council – U.S. (WPEC-US) – umbrella
International Meditation Society – listed on brochures as Educational Service of World Plan Executive Council”
Students International Meditation Society
American Association for Ideal Education – copyright holder on recent brochures (1991)
Spiritual Regeneration Movement Foundation (1959)
Publishing
Age of Enlightenment Press
MIU PressSchools – Colleges – UniversitiesMaharishi International University (Fairfield, Iowa, USA) –
accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges
and Schools. Organizations based at MIU:Institute for Law, Consciousness and the Science of Creative Intelligence (1979)
Institute of World Leadership (1983)
Institute for Science, Technology, and Public Policy
Maharishi Institute of Management
American Association for Ideal Education – copyright holder on recent brochures (1991)
MIU College of Natural Law – the now defunct college based in Washington, DC; was licensed by the DC Educational Institution Licensure Commission, according to an MIU brochure (1982)
Maharishi European Research University, Seelisberg, Switzerland – alleged to be a few desks in the movement’s hotel there
Maharishi University of Natural Law, Mentmore Towers, Buckinghamshire England – is officially unrecognized.
Maharishi Vedic University – A corporate entity that has no campus, no course catalogue and no students
Maharishi Ayur-Vedic University – is a heading in MIU’s gopher server, status unknown
Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment, Age of Enlightenment School – Elementary and secondary schools for grades K-12 in Fairfield and Washington, DCCenters / Informal Groups / Etc.
Capital of the Age of Enlightenment, World Plan Center – the local TM center
Ideal Village Council
Sidha Village
Association of Executive Governors
Non-profit Corporations
Global Television, Inc. – Former owner of KSCI(TV), Channel 18, San Bernadino (Los Angeles), CA
For-profit Corporations and Projects
Maharishi Ayur-Veda Products Inc, Lancaster, Massachusetts, USA
Maharishi Heaven on Earth Development Corporation
Vedaland
American City Project
Politics
Natural Law Party
Maharishi European Council of Natural Law PartiesCompiled by Mike Doughney, mike@access.digex.net
Developers Earl and David Kaplan later disavowed transcendental meditation, angering some who said they had invested with the understanding that transcendental meditation would be the basis of the community.