The Buddha Pill

Millions of people meditate daily, but can meditative practices really make us better people?

In The Buddhe i pioneering psychologists Dr Miguel Farias and Catherine Wikholm put meditation and mindfulness under the microscope: Separating fact from fiction, they reveal what scientific research including their own groundbreaking study on yoga and meditation with prisoners – teils us about the benefits and limitations of these techniques for improving our lives. As well as illuminating the potential, the authors argue that these practices may have unexpected consequences, and thal peace and happiness may not always be the end result Offering a compiling examination af research on transcendental meditation to recent studies on the effects of mindfulness and yogo, and with fascinating contributions from spiritual teachers and therapists Farias and Wiwhom weave together unique Flory about the science and the delusions of personal change.

DR MIGUEL FARIAS studied and lectured Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford. He currently leads the Brain, Belief and Behaviour Group at Coventry University. Most of his research and publications explore the impact of spiritual beliefs and practices on people’s minds and health.

CATHERINE WIKHOLM read Philosophy and Theology at Oxford and has a Masters in Forensic Psychology. She is in the final year of her doctoral training in Clinical Psychology at the University of Surrey.