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  On Being Stoned

    Charles T. Tart, Ph. D.

        Chapter 26.    Meditation and Growth


    THE QUESTIONNAIRE asked whether the users regularly practiced any sort of meditation or non-drug discipline for spiritual or personal growth. Sixteen percent indicated regular practice of some form of Oriental or Occidental meditation. Seven percent indicated they were or had been regularly involved in some form of conventional psychotherapy (2 percent) or growth discipline (5 percent), such as psychoanalysis, Gestalt therapy, sensitivity training, encounter groups, etc. Users indicating irregular practice were not included in either the Meditation group or the Therapy and Growth group.
    Overall, the three-way chi-square analyses comparing the Meditators and the Therapy and Growth group against all other users were quite significant. Twenty-eight analyses were significant at the .05 level (19 expected by chance), 14 at the.01 level (4 expected by chance) and 2 at the.001 level (none expected by chance).
    In most analyses, either the Meditators or the Therapy and Growth group were clearly higher or lower than Ordinary Users. Occasionally both these groups were higher or lower than the Ordinary Users, and in such cases both groups have been indicated in the summary tables as significantly different from Ordinary Users.[1]
    Most often the Meditators were clearly higher or lower on various effects than the Therapy and Growth group or the Ordinary users. Tables 26-1 and 26-2 summarize significant differences for the Meditators. The Meditators more frequently experience a variety of effects, which we would expect in such a group of fairly disciplined[2] people.
    Table 26-3 summarizes significant differences for the Therapy and Growth group. This is a rather mixed group in terms of disciplines followed, making the results difficult to interpret.

TABLE 26-1
MEDITATION AND FREQUENCY OF VARIOUS INTOXICATION EFFECTS
CATEGORYINTOXICATION EFFECTSIGNIFICANCE
LEVEL
Meditators more frequently experience:
    VisionFACE OF ANOTHER PERSON CHANGES.05
    TasteRETASTE FOOD WHEN BELCHING.01
    Space/Time    AIR, SPACE BECOMES SOLID05
    Paranormal*OOBEs before beginning marijuana use.01
    BodyENERGY FEELINGS IN BODY.05
    Energy in spine.05
    Aware of chakra centers.01
    EmotionPRE-INTOXICATION MOOD AMPLIFIED.05
    IdentityMERGE WITH OBJECT OR PERSON CONTEMPLATED.01
    AT ONE WITH THE WORLD.01
    SpiritualIN TOUCH WITH A HIGHER POWER.01
    MEDITATE MORE EFFECTIVELY.05
    a. Spiritual experiences while intoxicated.0005
    a. Religious significance to getting intoxicated.01
 
Meditators less frequently experience:
    HearingAUDITORY IMAGERY BETTER.01
    TasteVIVID TASTE IMAGERY.05
    Space/TimeJERKINESS OF FLOW OF EVENTS.05
    SocialFEEL ISOLATED.01
    TALK MORE.05
    SexNEW QUALITIES TO ORGASM.01
    ThoughtRECALL LESS OF MATERIAL READ.05
[a]Not coded as to frequency of occurrence by type style.

 

TABLE 26-2
MEDITATION AND LEVELS OF INTOXICATION FOR VARIOUS EFFECTS
CATEGORYINTOXICATION EFFECTSIGNIFICANCE
LEVEL
Meditators must be more intoxicated to experience:
    HearingAUDITORY IMAGERY ENHANCED.05
    Social LESS SOCIABLE.05
    Miscellaneous FEEL THE WORLD IS ALL RIGHT.01
 
Meditators need be less intoxicated to experience:
    HearingAUDITORY SPACE.05
    TouchNEW QUALITIES TO TOUCH.05
    TOUCH MORE SENSUAL.01
    TasteVIVID TASTE IMAGERY.01
    Space/TimeWALKING DISTANCE CHANGED.01
    BodyHYPERAWARENESS OF BREATHING.01
    SocialFEEL PARANOID.05
    ThoughtMORE HERE-AND-NOW.05
    THINK MORE INTUITIVELY.05
    SleepEARLY EVENING DROWSINESS.001

 

TABLE 26-3
THERAPY AND GROWTH GROUP AND
FREQUENCY OF VARIOUS INTOXICATION EFFECTS
CATEGORYINTOXICATION EFFECTSIGNIFICANCE
LEVEL
Therapy & Growth Group less frequently experiences:
    Vision NEW COLORS.05
    Thought HARDER TO READ.05
    Memory RECALL LESS OF MATERIAL READ.05
 
Therapy & Growth Group more frequently experience:
    Paranormala. OOBEs.05
    a. Multiple OOBEs.05
    BodyAWARE OF INTERNAL ORGANS WHEN DEFECATING.05
    MemoryRECALL MORE OF MATERIAL READ.05
    EmotionPRE-INTOXICATION MOOD AMPLIFIED .05
    IdentityPossessed by a good force or will.05
    SpiritualIN TOUCH WITH A HIGHER POWER.01
 
Therapy & Growth Group must be more intoxicated to experience:
    Space/Time     EVENTS FLOW SMOOTHLY.05
 
Therapy & Growth Group need be less intoxicated to experience:
    Space/Time WALKING DISTANCE CHANCED.01
    SexMORE NEED FOR SEX .05
[a]Indicates not coded as to frequency of occurrence by type style.

 

Footnotes

    1. One consequence of this is that there are more significant effects listed in the tables. because of duplication, than are reported below. (back)
    2. Given the generally young age of the sample, the Meditation group should not be considered representative of what sorts of results might be gotten with highly trained meditators. (back)

Chapter 27

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