Page 49 - Demo

47Is the TM technique the same as bio-feedback? No. Bio-feedback is a process whereby a person learns to control some aspect of the body%u2019s functioning which is usually not under conscious control%u2014for example, the heart rate, circulation, or brain activity. This is done by connecting some light or sound with what is being controlled, so that the subject can see or hear an indication of what their body is doing, and figure out how to change that indication (the light or tone) by changing their physiology.Unlike bio-feedback, the TM technique is completely natural and effortless. Everything that happens, happens spontaneously, unlike bio-feedback, which requires conscious control and effort to produce some specific change, which may or may not be useful or healthy. The changes in the body and mind during the TM technique occur without our willing them or learning to do them. They are the result of the natural tendency of the mind to move to something more charming, and the natural tendency of the body to heal when it rests.Can bio-feedback get the same results as TM?No. Different techniques produce different results. The TM technique produces far more than one specific change such as more alpha waves. It produces a spontaneous state of restful alertness for the body and the mind. This shows up as an integrated physiological response that includes a whole pattern of brainwave activity. The brainwaves found during the TM technique (including alpha) reflect this unique restful alertness that improves the functioning of every aspect of the mind, the body, and the emotions. It produces these changes simultaneously, in a completely balanced way.Alpha waves?Alpha waves are a specific frequency of brainwaves, or the electrical activity of the brain, measured by an electroencephalograph (EEG) machine. Since some research connected alpha waves with meditation, tranquility, and subjective good feelings, researchers tried using bio-feedback to produce alpha waves as a way to generate these good feelings and experiences. But although tranquility does produce alpha, alpha isn%u2019t the cause of the tranquility. It doesn%u2019t work both ways.