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Soledad O'Brien on Transcendental Meditation at women's forum: 'A life-saver in a crazy world'

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31 March 2012

Emmy-award winning CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien opened the recent 'Healing and Empowering Women' Forum, held at the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum in New York City in honour of Women's History Month.

The sold-out public forum brought together a distinguished panel of experts exploring new research and the clinical applications of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) Technique for women veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress and abuse, teenage girls rescued from life on the streets, and women and their children in war-torn areas around the globe.

Ms O'Brien lauded private and government agencies dedicated to addressing the 'staggering, unconscionable' scale of abuse among women and girls.

However, she singled out one organization—the David Lynch Foundation—for providing Transcendental Meditation 'to help them overcome and heal these terrible traumas'. She also described how her own TM practice can be 'a life-saver in a crazy world'.

Addressing the forum by video (explaining that she had been called to a timely news assignment), Ms O'Brien began: 'The numbers of women and girls who are abused at home, on the streets, and in the line of duty in the military serving our country is staggering, it's unconscionable,' she said, quoting statistics to underscore the scope and severity of the problem.

'I applaud all the good works of all the private organizations and governmental agencies that are dedicated to addressing the plight of these women and these girls who suffer such unimaginable wrongs,' she said.

'At the same time, I am speaking today in support of the good works of the David Lynch Foundation, because it provides something that's missing in the lives of women and girls—a tool to help them, in their own terms, overcome and heal those terrible traumas and abuse that can grip their lives. That tool is meditation.

'I learned Transcendental Meditation several months ago at the recommendation of my friend Russell Simmons—and of course I really didn't think I could do it. If you know me at all, you know I have a crazy schedule, I have four small children, I am always going.

'So the idea of calming my mind . . . I thought, ''not possible''.

'But I was able to learn it. I was able to do it, and I appreciate the opportunity to take the time to focus and meditate, and it allows me to experience a state of deep rest and relaxation that can be game-changing and sometimes a life-saver in a crazy world.

'[Transcendental Meditation] helps alleviate stress and pressure if you're trying to balance life as a wife and a mother, and as a journalist. I feel healthier, have fewer stressful days, and have more energy and more clarity of mind.

'So that's all literally my own personal experience—and that's why I'm speaking today in support of Transcendental Meditation.'

Global Good News will feature more about the 'Healing and Empowering Women' Forum, held 31 March in New York City.

Click here to watch a video of the 2-hour event.

See related articles:
∙ 'Healing and empowering women': 31 March conference video available online
∙ Women, Violence and Meditation: Transcending Traumatic Stress - Huffington Post

© Copyright 2012 David Lynch Foundation

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