Tm Reviews

I thought I was learning a meditation based a science and I m sure it probably us but they focus more on it coming from Hinduism religious aspect App is just ok the very beginning 5-10 seconds of every video skipped and I had to rewind to beginning And too much focus on whether or not the person is doing correct meditation or not After the 5th video where it was mentioned I was over Teacher was just meh and reminded me of an old used car salesman

One single issue is driving my two star review Besides this issue I have given more stars This issue has had me request the promised refund in the event that I was not satisfied after thirty days It s about not having been told just how much of the content I d not have access to because where I live I have no Internet and may NOT have ANY options for years to come I realize that not many people share this unfortunate issue I live in a very rural area with limited to NO options

I have taken away a fair amount of information from my instructor and the practice has its importance but I am thoroughly unimpressed with the way in which it was taught through the app I believe that for the price you are paying the app should not crash on you multiple times during the same lesson or make you restart completely when you are at the end of one lesson because of an error I want to be able to recommend TM but I imagine it is much better suited for in-person instruction

I am a bit over a week into TM and have yet to get much benefit other than physical relaxation during meditations While that is a benefit in itself it is not why I am doing TM I am going to stick with it for weeks and months why not and am hoping something more beneficial happens I have no doubt that other people have wonderful experiences with TM but nothing like that has happened to me -- at least not yet

This may be good for some people but I knew after a few days that it wasn t for me That s fine but what I strongly objected to was the intense pressure to continue and an unfair refund policy that wanted all sorts of info from me about why and wouldn t refund anything unless I continued on for quite a while first I knew that wasn t good for me didn t want to share anything more as to why and certainly didn t want to continue for a lengthy additional time with something not good for me I feel like I got ripped off and the impression that the decision to stop conveyed was what it was all about was money I realize it s not all about money only and is good for some but if you want to quit and not do all they say to get a refund then that s the feeling you may well encounter I lost almost 400 but kept my pride and did what was best for me

During my first meditation class within the first five minutes of my first meditation session I had a very painful memory arise I hadn t thought about this memory in 5 or 6 years It came out of nowhere and I didn t know it was still that painful When I told my instructor his reaction was Wow that s amazing That almost never happens There really wasn t any guidance on how to process and move past that memory so we could continue with the class this was the initial one-on-one session I kept going and wasn t surprised when another different slightly less painful memory arose in my second meditation session Again no real guidance on how to handle it It seemed like he had a rote script for the first one-on-one session and he followed it regardless of what was happening with me By the third meditation session I was used to painful memories arising and I just dealt with it I spent most of the next day crying as I processed the initial painful memory trying to understand why it still held so much power over me and how I could not have realized it I did not want to return for the final 3 group training sessions I was concerned that I would continue to have painful memories arise I did not want to have that happen in a group format and I didn t think my instructor was going to help me So I didn t go My instructor did offer to talk about the experience afterwards I haven t done so With the Thanksgiving holiday I didn t have time last week and now I just don t know what he could possibly say that might help I have no desire to return to TM I feel like an abnormal person TM is supposed to be easy and natural and relaxing For me it was none of those things I received no information as to why or how to address it or even that this happens to other people and might be expected There are two additional items First the initial session went 3 5 hours This is far too long In Bob Roth s book Strength in Stillness he says the first session is 1 5 hours long My instructor said it would be 2 5 When I departed it had been 3 5 hours I was mentally emotionally and physically exhausted Second the instructor is very hard of hearing I realize this is not his fault and is no reflection on his knowledge expertise or ability as an instructor However it does necessitate shouting or it did on my part This makes asking questions very difficult consequently I did my best to avoid asking questions It also makes nuanced conversations difficult simply because he couldn t hear me unless I shouted I was really excited about TM but was very disappointed I would not recommend it to others and do not plan to return myself

In short my experience with the Transcendental Meditation class was negative I found the repetition of material unproductive the focus on celebrity endorsements and secrecy off-putting and the scheduling and communication around class times confusing Additionally I was disappointed that the uniqueness of the mantras was not upheld as I was able to find them online and accommodations for scheduling conflicts were not offered Overall this left me feeling uneasy about the program and questioning its legitimacy While I will say that the meditation itself did have a positive impact I feel like I was taken advantage of in terms of cost deliverables and accommodations The price was steep for what was offered and scheduling conflicts were met with shame The promised uniqueness of the mantras was not upheld as I was able to easily find them online While the meditation itself was effective I feel like I was misled and not given what I paid for It is understandable that I feel frustrated about the cost of the Transcendental Meditation class and the lack of unique deliverables Had I known beforehand that the mantras were publicly available by searching for the Maharishi mantra list I would have saved myself 780 This experience highlights the importance of researching and considering all options before making a financial investment in a program or service P S As of March 2 2023 a month after the TM organization replied to this review they have not responded to the email sent on Feb 2nd they requested I send for more information about their satisfaction guaranteed policy

I felt the videos were not helpful at all they kept regurgitating the same information over and over

It is a lot of money for what you get The course material should never be locked I would not recommend to others

I liked it as it helps me with daily stress relief I don t like the price tag as I don t believe it was worth that much 2nd I was told the mantras had no meaning I researched quite a bit and was able to find multiple sources leading to the meaning of each mantra and how the trainers are taught to give out the mantras This puts me in conflict with my religious beliefs and makes me not trust TM org If they had been honest upfront that the mantras do indeed have meanings from ancient times but they do not hold them to those meanings anymore - they would have been closer to being honest although I don t know if they hold those meanings or not So between the price tag and the desire to hide the truth about the fundamentals of their teaching I do not consider them an honest organization I trust the science of how meditation affects the brain and why it is effective But they did not choose to consider how their teachings have an impact on one s conscience What I have learned on my own is that there is no difference if you used the mantra they give you or another one of your choosing when it comes to the effect on your brain The important thing to know is that science cannot comment on or address religious beliefs and their effects on a person so what mantra you choose to achieve this effect can matter depending on your faith If you are a Hindu then TM as it seems to be fine But if not and you are of other faiths this will mess with your conscience and can negate the effects of the meditation For religious believers conscience matters and it is important to walk in concert with your conscience for optimum health