The Bank of America Foundation awarded a $10,000 grant to The Big Red Barn Retreat recently to fund its Transcendental Meditation (T.M.) training program. The money will be used to offer T.M. training for veterans, active-duty service members, first responders, and their immediate family members in an effort to improve the mental wellness of South Carolina’s military and first responder communities.
The cost of transcendental meditation can be very costly, but due to the generous grant award from Bank of America, the Big Red Barn Retreat has been able to offer the training at no cost to participants. The T.M. training takes place over four days on-property at the Big Red Barn Retreat, where participants participate in one individual training session and three group training sessions. Once trained, participants become part of a global wide T.M. community that gives them access to virtual T.M. training events. With the Bank of America grant, the Big Red Barn Retreat was able to provide transcendental meditation for 18 participants who live in the Midlands.
Transcendental Meditation is one of the oldest and most studied forms of silent meditation and is a cornerstone regulation practice taught in the Warrior PATHH program offered at The Barn. T.M. is free from any religion or philosophy and is simply a way of quieting the mind from intrusive thoughts and stress.
There have been hundreds of independent research studies that correlate T.M. practice with significantly higher levels of calmness, creativity, energy, clarity, and happiness. This training has been found to be extremely beneficial to those suffering with post-traumatic stress or severe anxiety and depression symptoms, many of whom happen to be veterans and first responders.
The Big Red Barn Retreat (BRBR) is a 501( c)( 3) located in Blythewood, South Carolina that provides free therapeutic services, programs, and training to veterans, active-duty service members, and first responders struggling with combat-related or critical incident related stress. Established in 2014, the BRBR helps more than 2,500 military and first responders personnel annually. All services provided at the BRBR are funded through grants and private donations. For more information about T. M. training, please visit www.thebigredbarnretreat.org or email info@thebigredbarnretreat.org.
Transcendental Meditation is a secretive, religious practice firmly rooted in Hinduism. Learning TM requires the student’s mandatory participation in an initiation that’s a Hindu worship service known as the puja. The TM teacher chants the puja in Sanskrit and bows while making 17 offerings to a photo of a guru, which is the centerpiece of an altar. The puja is not translated, making informed consent impossible. The Lynch Foundation and TM organization share many features of cultic organizations.
Practicing TM has been documented to produce severe and debilitating side effects, which the TM organization denies. Side effects may be exacerbated in veterans with PTSD.
Transcendental Meditation has relieved great suffering of veterans and first responders and their families, as seen here: www.resilient-warriors.org/ Thanks to the Bank of America Foundation for their wise, compassionate support.
Excellent and congratulations! We received a grant from Veteran Affairs Canada to bring the TM program to Veterans suffering the trauma of PTS also. And our Veterans love it and are so appreciative!