Super Mind

How to Boost Performance and Live a Richer and Happier Life Through Transcendental Meditation

By: Norman E. Rosenthal MD

Narrated by: Dan Woren

Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

The noted research psychiatrist and New York Times best-selling author explores how Transcendental Meditation permanently alters your daily consciousness, resulting in greater productivity, emotional resilience, and aptitude for success.

Most of us believe that we live in only three states of consciousness: wakefulness, sleep, and dreaming. But there is so much more. In Super Mind, clinical psychiatrist and bestselling author Norman E. Rosenthal, MD, shows how the incredibly simple daily practice of Transcendental Meditation (TM) can permanently alter your state of mind during the routine hours of waking life - placing you into a super-mind state of "cosmic consciousness" where you consistently perform at peak aptitude.

In his most ambitious book yet, Rosenthal shows how TM is more than a tool for destressing or for general wellness. It is a gateway to functioning physically, emotionally, and intellectually at levels we never knew we could attain. Written in Rosenthal's trademark style of restraint and intellectual carefulness, Super Mind explores how we can aspire to so much more than we ever thought possible.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2016 Norman E. Rosenthal (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

He does love name dropping!

I meditate so I listened just out of interest. The author seems very star struck with celebrity story after celebrity story.
Hard to know who would benefit from this especially if you read his book Transcendence.

Narrator has strange emphasis and cadence

The content is great but the narration takes away from the overall impact. I found myself imagining the text spoken differently. I'm not sure why, but the narration made this very serious and interesting content seem more silly.

Very good deep dive on TM.

Enjoyed this very much. Informative and enlightening. If you are a TM practitioner or are interested in becoming one, this will facilitate your search for answers.

Very informative

I found this book very informative as a TM practitioner. It explains many phenomenons that I experience in a very understandable way and Has helped me be more dedicated to my practice. The book will not teach you to meditate, but will explain why you should learn.

Benefits for everyone!

I wanted to take a few moments and talk about my experience with TM. My story goes back to the mid 80s, when I was a freshman in high school. I don’t recall where I first heard of TM, but somehow I ended up at an introductory lecture by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. I remember him saying that students are better able to concentrate and retain information and that thought excited me. However, my mother, who suffered her entire life with mental illness was very much against me doing anything “non-catholic” and refused to let me take the training. After the lecture, I shook Maharishi’s hand with tears of disappointment running down my face. He asked me what was wrong and I told him, “my mom won’t let me learn to meditate”. He simply smiled and said, “then it is not your time to learn”.
Fast forward to 2019: I’m a homeless, disabled veteran with PTSD. I haven’t slept more than three hours in a night because of recurring nightmares. However, I’ve always kept a job, always had my dogs, always read and studied, and always desired life to get better. My dogs and I have been sleeping in a filthy storage shed since January: quite a feat in Alaska. There were quite a few days where I was in the depth of despair, hungry and ready to end my life just to stop the suffering. Since January, I’ve had a deep spiritual yearning. I think I’ve had that my entire life, but it grew in magnitude considerably at that time. I guess when you reach your lowest point, you can only look up. I’ve always been a veracious reader, consuming well over 200 books per year. I’ve read hundreds of books on sales, business, personal-development, etc. One day last month, I was reading a book and the author used the phrase, “it’s not your time to learn”. Immediately I was transported back in time to the mid 80s and my conversation with Maharishi. I remembered TM! A quick Google search took me to the TM.org website. I filled out the form and found out that there was an instructor an hour away. After submitting the form, I watched every TM video on YouTube and read, “Strength in Stillness” by Bob Roth; and, “Supermind” by Norman Rosenthal, M.D. Finally, I was contacted by the TM teacher, Barbara. We met at a local grocery store and I shared a little bit of my story. She told me that she had time that afternoon to begin my training and I needed to bring fruit and flowers. I searched the small grocery store and found a beautiful bouquet of flowers and then headed to the produce area, looking for the perfect fruit. I finally spotted a cluster of grapes that resonated with me and proceeded to checkout. Arriving at Barbara’s apartment, she began a beautiful ceremony of thanks to Guru Dev and then gave me a word that would change my life. She instructed me on how to use my mantra and then led me through my very first meditation. The first thing that I noticed was that my hearing had become extremely acute. I think I could have heard a pin drop a block away. Then I noticed that I was smelling things that I hadn’t noticed before. In the minutes that followed the meditation, as I was attempting to open my eyes, I noticed that they had become sensitive to the light and it took a few minutes for them to adjust. I thanked Barbara and then drove back to the storage unit. That night, I slept five hours with no nightmares! The following morning, I awoke feeling groggy, but pushed myself to get up and meditate. For over 25 years, my back, shoulders and feet have been in constant agony. But I suddenly realized that the pain in my shoulders was gone and the other pains were lessened. I did my morning meditation and then headed to work. Without the intense pain, I was able to concentrate much better. I also had a much higher than usual energy and alertness. That evening, I met Barbara again for my second session. Again, a marvelous experience where I experienced “colors” flashing before me. That night, however, I was unable to sleep. I felt too awake and alert. So I used that time to read more about TM. The third evening, I again met with Barbara and we meditated together. Afterwards, I again slept the entire night with no nightmares. I woke and did my morning session, went to work and then one final meditation with Barbara. Today is my fifth day of meditation using the TM technique. My energy level is amazing, my shoulder doesn’t hurt at all. My back and foot pain have reduced about 40%, my alertness is unreal. I’ve even noticed that my condition of homelessness isn’t bothering me the way it used to. I seem to be filling with hope and witnessing improvements in life that I know will only get better. Today, my boss even commended me for catching some mistakes that he had made at work. And the biggest miracle of all - I was smiling today! I highly recommend finding a TM teacher and starting a regular twice daily routine of TM. Imagine owning a Ferrari your entire life, admiring its beauty and power daily: then one day someone hands you the keys and teaches you to drive it. Your entire life, you could have traveled a breathtaking speeds, but you were unaware of what that machine was capable of doing. That has been my experience with TM. Don’t wait another day, learn to drive that Ferrari and find out what it’s capable of doing!

Essential for students of TM

Answers many of the questions that about the process and journey of a meditator. A good supplement to the curriculum that TM provides.

Loved it!

Very well done. Very informative. Everyone should meditate regularly. The more people that meditate regularly the better the world will be. The more an individual meditates, twice a day for at least 15 minutes, the better their life will be in everyway. The book makes a strong case for meditation. But it's not a how to meditate course.

Must Read for those interested in TM

After starting TM just a few days prior to downloading the book, I was anxious to have additional insight. The audio book was enjoyable and I'm very pleased with my purchase. The various accounts from Dr. Norman Rosenthal's experiences himself with TM and of some of his practicing colleagues was fascinating. After listening to the book, it further solidified my belief in TM and I even sent it to several friends I thought may benefit from listening to it. I highly recommend it to anyone considering TM.

NOT a how-to book

While fascinating, it's little more than a compilation of anecdotes and research results of transcendental meditation.

Another powerful book on Transcendental Meditatio.

Loved this book. Did not want it to end. I recommend it to anyone who wants to understand themselves and the world around them.