| Within the last forty years meditation has gone from an esoteric Eastern curiosity to a remarkably widely used spiritual practice, psychological therapy, medical technique, and research subject. Several hundred research studies now demonstrate numerous psychological, physiological, and transpersonal effects, including psychological changes in personality, perception, and performance, physiological changes in cardiovascular and cerebral function, and transpersonal shifts in lucidity and consciousness. This talk will provide an overview of these research findings, examine classic claims about the nature and goals of meditation, and explore the implications for our understanding of human nature, development, pathology, and potentials. |