Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Transcendence: Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was   keep. v/r - TP 01:24, 12 March 2012 (UTC)

Transcendence: Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation

 * – ( View AfD View log )

This article is about a book which fails notability per WP:NB

1. The book has not been the subject of multiple, non-trivial published works appearing in sources that are independent of the book itself. This includes published works in all forms, such as newspaper articles, other books, television documentaries and reviews. Some of these works should contain sufficient critical commentary to allow the article to grow past a simple plot summary. This excludes media re-prints of press releases, flap copy, or other publications where the author, its publisher, agent, or other self-interested parties advertise or speak about the book. The article sources, and a search of Google and Google News show no reviews or other coverage of this book in reliable sources other than routine reprints of press releases announcing of the author's book tour promotional appearances. There are listings on various best-seller lists, but that does not establish notability, as bulk purchases by interested parties or organizations can grossly distort sales figures. Other coverage cited is in blogs, user-created sources and other promotional and self-published sources.

2. The book has not won any major literary award.

3. The book has not been considered by reliable sources to have made a significant contribution to a notable motion picture, or other art form, or event or political or religious movement.

4. The book is not the subject of instruction at multiple grade schools, high schools, universities or post-graduate programs in any particular country.

4. The book's author is not so historically significant that any of his or her written works may be considered notable. Although the author has a Wikipedia entry, the author does not appear to be of exceptional significance such that his life and body of work would be a common study subject in literature classes.

Note that this is not an academic or technical book, but one for general readership, and thus is not to be judged for notability by academic standards. By those standards it is not published by an academic press, is not widely cited in academic publications and media, there is no basis to conclude that it is influential or that it is taught or required reading at a number of reputable educational institutions Fladrif (talk) 03:31, 29 February 2012 (UTC)

Comments from the creator of the article

 * I created the nominated article but I am happy to go by whatever is decided by members of the community who have not been involved with the Transcendental Meditation topic area. I'm sure it will receive a fair assessment. Some information for the community members to consider:
 * According to a Google Scholar search the book appears to have been cited in other publications: [note, these were added to the article on March 3, 2012]


 * THEMA: Transcendental Meditation and Medical Care Transcendental Meditation and Medical Care 4 Monate, 3 Wochen her# 216
 * B Zeiger - tm-darmstadt.de
 * “Norman E. Rosenthal, MD, clinical professor of psychiatry at Washington, DC's Georgetown
 * University Medical School and author of Transcendence: Healing and Transformation through
 * Transcendental Meditation, recently completed a small study of TM's effects on veterans ...


 * [PDF] Simple Natural Ways of Reversing Effects of Stress due to Life's Uncertainties
 * A Hankey… - aims-international.org
 * day stress management program. J. Ind. Psych, 2000, 18(1&2). 25. Rosenthal NE
 * Transcendence: Healing and Transformation through Transcendental Meditation.
 * 2011, Penguin; New York. 26. Kumari S. Nath NCB Nagendra ...


 * Just Say Om: Meditation May Alleviate PTSD Symptoms
 * D Brauser - Mil Med, 2011 - medscape.com
 * Environmental Therapeutics. The study authors have disclosed no relevant financial
 * relationships, but Dr. Rosenthal is author of the book Transcendence: Healing and
 * Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation. Dr. Kondwani ...
 * Vedic Principles of Therapy


 * RW Boyer - EXPLORE: The Journal of Science and Healing, 2012 - Elsevier
 * [CITATION] Transcendence
 * NE Rosenthal - 2012 - Hay House


 * KZZAD ŽIVLJENJE… - … –IZZIVI IN PRILOŽNOSTI V … - zbornica-fizioterapevtov.si
 * Medicine), podrobnosti o raziskavah o tehniki TM. " www. ncbi. nih. gov/entrez/query.
 * fcgi? db= PubMed 19. Transcendence: Healing and Transformation Through
 * Transcendental Meditation, Norman E. Rosenthal, MD, 2011 148


 * Also the following sources have not yet been [have today (March 3, 2012) been] incorporated into the article (which I would be happy to do given the opportunity) :
 * The IndependentSays: "Now a psychiatrist with 30 years' clinical experience, Dr Norman Rosenthal has written a book, Transcendence: Healing and Transformation through Transcendental Meditation, which gathers all the available evidence for TM and urges healthcare professionals to offer it to patients suffering from mental illnesses ranging from mild depression to bipolar disorder......"Those spiritual cravings explain why Rosenthal's boo is now riding high at number 14 on America's Publishers Weekly non-fiction list. And according to TM UK's official representative, David Hughes, there's a similar surge of interest on this side of the Atlantic; figures are vague, but he reports that "there's definitely an ongoing increase month by month" to the estimated 200,000 people who have learnt TM in the UK since 1960."......The bestselling Dr Rosenthal came to public prominence through his work on seasonal affective disorder at the National Institute of Mental Health in Maryland, where he also pioneered the use of light therapy to treat it. His interest in TM was piqued when one of his bipolar patients described how practising TM alongside his regular medication had helped him move from "keeping his head above water" to feeling "really happy 90 per cent of the time"......Dr Rosenthal began to examine the large body of scientific research into the effects of TM on long-term users, and also to collect anecdotal evidence from meditators. His book Transcendence is the result, though as he acknowledges in his introduction, "Some of you may find this preview of the benefits of TM – this seemingly simple technique – exaggerated and hard to believe. I don't blame you." He draws on 340 peer-reviewed research articles to back his argument that TM can not only reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease, but also assist in treating addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, ADHD and depression, not to mention helping high-functioning individuals achieve greater "self-actualisation".
 * Fox News October 8 2011 (note: article written by Rosenthal) says: Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D. is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Georgetown University Medical School and author of "Transcendence: Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation"
 * USA Today says: Rosenthal also suggests meditation. He published a book this year called "Transcendence: Healing and Transformation through Transcendental Meditation."
 * Wall Street Journal (note: article written by Rosenthal) (Subscription needed to view source)
 * LA Times June 1st 2011 says: Dr. Norman Rosenthal, clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University and author of "Transcendence: Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation."
 * NY Times Book is on the NY Times bestseller list for June 19 2011-Ranks #7
 * Fox News May 29 2011 (note: written by Rosenthal) says: Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D. is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Georgetown University and the author of "Transcendence: Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation."
 * LA Times June 1 2011 says: People with winter depression often oversleep, overeat, gain weight and are generally lethargic, says Rosenthal, author of "Transcendence: Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation."
 * CNN says: A Georgetown Medical School clinical professor, Dr. Norman Rosenthal, said he has the facts, figures and testimonials to show that meditation can be a low-cost, low-risk alternative to strong narcotics often prescribed by government doctors. The Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs "are big institutions," Rosenthal said in a telephone interview. "Our hope is someone will raise an eyebrow and say, "Well, well." He includes case studies in his new book, Transcendence-healing and Transformation through Transcendental Meditation. In one case, he quotes a Marine gunner on a Humvee who saw heavy fighting in Iraq. The Marine wrote that PTSD symptoms disrupted his sleep and derailed his family life upon his return to the United States, but "TM (transcendental meditation) has helped with organizing, prioritizing and just being calmer overall. I just feel better."
 * Washington Post says: The author, a clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown Medical School, and also in private practice, discusses his new book, "Transcendence: Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation,"
 * Washington Post 6/10/2011 Says: Georgetown University Medical School professor of psychiatry Norman Rosenthal, author of a new book about TM, titled “Transcendence,”
 * Washington Post 6/12/2011 Book on the Bestseller list for June 12 2011--Ranks #8
 * ABC News says:"The study demonstrated feasibility in doing it with a limited number of people and at low cost," said Rosenthal, author of the book "Transcendence."
 * The Sunday Times (South Africa), June 26, 2011 Sunday, Hollywood loves SA doc's therapy by Rowan B. Philp says: Dr Norman Rosenthal, who left South Africa in the '70s when he was aged just 26, reported that war veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder showed a 50% reduction in symptoms after two months of routine transcendental meditation. The results were published this month in the US journal Military Medicine. Rosenthal has also written a book, Transcendence, about his findings. The book contains interviews with Paul McCartney, film director Martin Scorsese and actress Laura Dern. Movie director David Lynch has used the findings as a basis for a campaign to train 10000 US war vets in the practice of "TM" and to lobby the US government to fund the training. Rosenthal won world scientific fame in the '80s for becoming the first person to define "seasonal affective disorder" (SAD), after suffering symptoms himself when he left sunny South Africa and lived through the cold winters of the eastern US. He pioneered "light therapy" to counter its effects. Now a professor at Georgetown Medical School in Washington DC, Rosenthal, 61, said TM could also offer healing to thousands of South Africans traumatised by apartheid and criminal violence. "In 10 years of looking at all the major drugs coming across my desk, I have not seen one drug as effective as TM with stress disorders," he said. "Of course, there are those who see it as woo-woo and New Age, but these results - and actually many others - speak for themselves. "When I proposed light therapy, the idea that you could get medication through the eyes instead of the mouth ... there were people who thought that wacky as well." He said trials showed that meditation kept patients' blood pressure lowered for hours after sessions and that electric brain signals were shown to "cohere" in a healthy pattern. Rosenthal said of Scorsese: "Martin found it helped with his panic attacks and with his creativity." For Lynch: "It turned his whole life around." -- — Keithbob • Talk  • 05:22, 29 February 2012 (UTC)


 * Comment: WP:NB says: "This page in a nutshell: A book is generally notable if it verifiably meets through reliable sources, one or more of the following criteria: (1) The book has been the subject of multiple, non-trivial published works whose sources are independent of the book itself. This includes published works in all forms, such as newspaper articles, other books, television documentaries and reviews. Some of these works should contain sufficient critical commentary to allow the article to grow past a simple plot summary. This excludes media re-prints of press releases, flap copy, or other publications where the author, its publisher, agent, or other self-interested parties advertise or speak about the book."-- — Keithbob •  Talk  • 00:32, 4 March 2012 (UTC)
 * Keep  A NYT bestseller, with multiple reviews. The bestseller information was in the article when it was nominated, and the reviews could easily have been found. Another good example for why   WP:BEFORE should be required.     (I was asked to take a look at this, by the way, but I don't see why that matters; in view of the sources, there's nothing else I could possibly have said.)     The article tone should be more descriptive and less advocacy, but that's an editing matter; I assume it may have been  that factor that led to this   nomination.     DGG ( talk ) 02:34, 3 March 2012 (UTC)


 * Comment I suspect it is TOO SOON to create an article on this book, given the paucity of reviews (the newspaper mentions I checked are either listings or about the author) and as nom says the lack of any other grounds for inclusion. The one review quoted seems to be from a reasonably stable site but it's not enough on its own as we need multiple sources. Chiswick Chap (talk) 07:43, 29 February 2012 (UTC)
 * Comment The references that show up on Google Scholar do not establish notability per WP:NB The THEMA reference is to a blog entry on a SPS website of the TM Movement, not a RS. The Hankey reference is a paper at a conference, not a published RS, and the book is simply a footnote with no substantive discussion of it. The Medscape reference is user-created content on a website, not a RS. It contains no discussion of the book, but simply notes that Rosenthal recently wrote it. The Boyer article simply references the book as part of a string citation in a footnote with no discussion of the book or its contents. I have no idea what the last reference says - can't read Slovenian. The book shows up in a footnote only, not in the body of the text. These are not the kinds of sources that WP:NB requires and do not contain the kind of non-trivial, critical commentary required. Fladrif (talk) 13:59, 29 February 2012 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Literature-related deletion discussions.  • Gene93k (talk) 14:00, 29 February 2012 (UTC)
 * Of the 14 sources listed by KBob above as potential additional sources to establish notability, only one appears to have any independent, non-trivial discussion of the book itself. Four are by the author himself, and thus are not independent; three are about Rosenthal's advice for treating seasonal affective disorder, not about the book, and simply mention in passing that he wrote this new book, without discussing it at all; two are simply best seller lists, with no substantive discussion of the book at all; one is a press release for a book tour event; one is coverage of a David Lynch Foundation fundraiser in which Rosenthal is interviewed and the recent book is mentioned in passing; one is coverage of a veteran in Fairfield Iowa with PTSD who took up TM, in which Rosenthal in interviewed and the recent book is mentioned in passing; one is an interview with Rosenthal in which the recent book is mentioned in passing. These 13 sources don't meet the requirements of WP:NB for independent, non-trivial analysis and coverage of the book itself. As Chiswick says, the one review is not enough to establish notability, at least not at this time. Fladrif (talk) 17:05, 1 March 2012 (UTC)


 * Keep I had a look around, and decided to go with the keep option here. Reasons:  On the WP:GNG side I think there's enough significant coverage over reliable source (Fox news, USA Today, CNN, WSJ, NY Times, LA Times, etc.) that I think it could stand on that alone to some extent.  While a couple of those are "self published" in that Rosenthal was the author - it does persuade me to the point of number 5 in the criteria of the WP:NB guideline. (which I find to be a bit undefined if not ambiguous).  Not saying he's an Edgar Allan Poe or anything, but his GA article certainly establishes him as a notable author.  Now WP:CRYSTAL won't tell us if the book will win any awards (still too early in its release for that) - the fact that it has made some of the best seller lists I find also persuasive.  guess that about covers it from my view.  ty, and luck to all. — Ched :  ?  16:55, 2 March 2012 (UTC)
 * Comment --In addition to the citations already in the article, there are 14 notable sources above. The Independent, CNN and The Sunday Times all give significant coverage to the book while the other high profile publications give it a mention, plus two, high profile, best seller lists. In my opinion, this is beyond 'trivial' coverage. (Note: I am the author of the article and Fladrif has nominated the article for deletion. We are both 'involved' editors who have many edits on the Transcendental Meditation topic and its corresponding arbitration cases)-- — Keithbob • Talk  • 17:42, 2 March 2012 (UTC)
 * So long as interactions between the two of you remain respectful, and there's not rush to just XfD all TM related stuff, I doubt it's much of a problem. Neither of you are under any kind of topic ban, or interaction ban as far as I know. — Ched :  ?  18:01, 2 March 2012 (UTC)
 * Sorry, Ched, I didn't mean to indicate that I anticipated any problems here. I respect the opinions of those that are participating here, whether they agree with me or not. I just wanted to identify Fladrif and I as involved editors in order to distinguish us from others and make it easier, for the person who summarizes and closes the AfD at the appropriate time. Thanks for allowing me to clarify this point. Cheers!-- — Keithbob • Talk  • 20:01, 5 March 2012 (UTC)


 * Keep Per comments and evidence of notability above. Many book articles in WP passed notability threshold criteria on far less favorable news coverage.  Hitting NYT list alone seems adequate.    Montanabw (talk) 18:58, 2 March 2012 (UTC)
 * WP:NB does not list being on a best-seller list as a factor in determining notability. The reason is obvious - sales figures are easily, and frequently manipulated through bulk purchases. That is clearly the case here, as the NYTimes list notes that this book is one with bulk purchases. The coverage, as noted above, is clearly only trivial. Fladrif (talk) 17:51, 3 March 2012 (UTC)


 * Keep, subject has multipile non-trivial independent reliable sources, including multiple best-seller lists. There is sufficient verifiable source material to create an encyclopedia article about this book, so there's no doubt this is a keeper.  Dreadstar  ☥   19:32, 3 March 2012 (UTC)


 * keep The article appears to have made a small splash in the tabloids. I think it's rather dubius as to how reliable they are about the specific claims though. We need more reliable sources to actually include specific claims of the book. The sourcing in the article currently needs to be tightened up keeping in mind the WP:FRINGE guidelines. IRWolfie- (talk) 20:39, 8 March 2012 (UTC)

Comment:
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.