by Judy L. Van Raalte, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
Springfield College

Effective Treatment for Epilepsy Without Side Effects
O ur son’s epilepsy began just before he started kindergarten. We were shocked when he had his first tonic-clonic seizure and was rushed to the emergency room. The doctors started him immediately on anticonvulsant medication and we (his two college professor parents) actively read the scientific and medical literature to learn more about what was happening to him.

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by Siegfried Othmer, PhD

Day 17

October 2 (Thursday)

The day of our departure was a holiday. The birthday of Mahatma Ghandi was being celebrated. This was also the day on which the Dalai Lama’s Nobel Peace Price was to be commemorated at the monastery, the culmination of the five-day celebration.

by Siegfried Othmer, PhD

Day 16

October 1 (Wednesday)

This day marked the beginning of the 2nd International Conference on Body, Mind, and Life. Experts had been drawn together from all of the schools of medical practice that bore a kinship or compatibility with Tibetan Medicine. Since neither Kara nor I were involved in the clinical work, we were both given courtesy admittance to the first day of the conference. The conference opened with an invitation to all of the attendees to a welcome from the Dalai Lama at his personal compound. The appointment was for nine o’clock.

by Siegfried Othmer, PhD

Day 15

September 30 (Tuesday)

Barbara and Virginia decided to rise early and join the festivities at the monastery. Chanting was interspersed with spoken text; many participated by way of circumambulation. Some of us preferred sleep.

This was the third day of training actual patients. The second meditator returned for his 40-Hz session. He had nothing further to report from the alpha experience. The same held true after the 40-Hz session, so Sue did not ask him to return.

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by Siegfried Othmer, PhD

Day 14

September 29 (Monday)

In the early morning hours we were awakened by the sound of chanting wafting up from the monastery. This was the second of five days of festivities leading up to the 25th anniversary celebration on the 2nd of October. Soon it came time to head off for our meeting at the Dalai Lama’s personal residence. There was extensive security, and then we simply had to wait. It was a time for me to frame my message succinctly. I decided to follow the same thought that had guided my lectures, namely to emphasize that we had indeed brought a new method of mind-training to Men-Tsee-Khang, which brought an immediate welcoming response. A little later I actually boldly interrupted his monologue to say that in fact we were mainly bringing back what had originated in India in the first place. The Dalai Lama responded immediately to that as well, recalling that Tibetan Medicine has had a long-term history of being open to outside influences, a history that dates back to the eighth century. That was a time when Tibetan sages opened themselves up to Greek medicine (Unani), which also lies at the root of Western medicine, Indian medicine, Ayurveda and Siddhi, as well as Chinese medicine, mainly acupuncture.

by Siegfried Othmer, PhD

Day 13

September 28 (Sunday)

I received an e-mail from the office of the Dalai Lama telling me that our request to meet with him, which had been mediated by Minh Chau, could not be accommodated. This was no surprise at all. There are so many demands on his time, and there is the matter of his health and endurance to consider. I also thought that it might even be a bit premature to ask him to come to terms with what we were about. It would be best if word came to him from the people he trusted after they had more experience with the training.