USA/FILE: Film director David Lynch and actor Russell Brand want to help U.S. war veterans reduce stress through Transcendental Meditation

Record ID: 189953

  • Title: USA/FILE: Film director David Lynch and actor Russell Brand want to help U.S. war veterans reduce stress through Transcendental Meditation
  • Date: 14th December 2010
  • Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (DECEMBER 13, 2010) (REUTERS) ***CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** RUSSELL BRAND AND DAVID LYNCH TALKING DAVID LYNCH BEING INTRODUCED (SOUNDBITE) (English) DAVID LYNCH, FILM DIRECTOR, SAYING: "They come home, no one here, no one knows what they have done and what they have experienced, what they've seen, and their lives are a true nightmare. This thing of Transcendental Meditation is a simple, effortless, ancient form of meditation that can allow any human being to dive within, experience the deepest level of life, infuse that all positive qualities, and grow in that and see negativity start to lift away. It is a beautiful, beautiful thing for the human being." PEOPLE APPLAUDING
  • Embargoed: 29th December 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Afghanistan, Usa
  • City:
  • Country: Afghanistan
  • Topics: Entertainment,Health
  • Reuters ID: LVAE3AK3O0ORHV6P90BE186A74O3
  • Story Text: In effort to help 10,000 U.S. war veterans overcome PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) through Transcendental Meditation, comedian and actor Russell Brand joined Hollywood director David Lynch to launch a new program called "Operation Warrior Wellness" in New York on Monday (December 13).
    According to Operation Warrior Wellness, more than 400,000 U.S. veterans have been diagnosed with PTSD since 2001.
    David Lynch, director of acclaimed films such as "Blue Velvet" and "Mulholland Drive", said Transcendental Meditation helps relieve PTSD by reducing the symptoms of war stress, such as anxiety, depression, anger, insomnia, and substance abuse.
    Lynch said too often U.S. soldiers return home from war with feelings of desperation and isolation.
    "They come home, no one here, no one knows what they have done and what they have experienced, what they've seen, and their lives are a true nightmare. This thing of Transcendental Meditation is a simple, effortless, ancient form of meditation that can allow any human being to dive within, experience the deepest level of life, infuse that all positive qualities, and grow in that and see negativity start to lift away. It is a beautiful, beautiful thing for the human being," said Lynch during a news conference.
    Lynch hopes Operation Warrior Wellness can ease the pain of war stress for both veterans and their families.
    Comedian and actor Russell Brand offered his support for Transcendental Meditation. Brand, a former drug addict, amused the crowd as he told how Transcendental Meditation helped improve his mind and spirit after quickly achieving fame and fortune.
    "I wanted to learn about Transcendental Meditation due to my dissatisfaction with some of the pleasures that I talked about, drugs, physical nocturnal between the sheets hullabaloo, the fame, the celebrity, the consumerism, the wealth, all of these things that pledged happiness, but deliver so little of substance. And in learning about Transcendental Meditation I found very quickly access to a deeper state of happiness which is very profound and absolute. As I said, I can only talk about my personal experiences. What it felt to me was like the dissolution of my idea of myself. I felt like separateness evaporated. I felt this tremendous sense of oneness. I find that I am quite an erratic thinker, quite an adrenalized person. And through meditation, I felt this sort of beautiful serenity and selfless connection. My sort of tendency towards selfishness, I felt that kind of exposed as a superficial and pointless perspective to have. I felt a very relaxed sense of oneness. I felt love. You know, love for myself, but also love for everybody else, which again was unique, because typically I would express that in the nocturnal activities. But now it felt absolute, without initiation or conclusion, a constant sense of absolute love between all of us. This for me is a beautiful thing," Brand concluded.
    The "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" star humorously added that anyone can benefit from the meditation.
    "For me, what I have discovered is that Transcendental Meditation is useful to me not because of a unique set of circumstances, not because of my formerly secret brilliance, no, but because I am a human being, and it is applicable to all human beings. And what's really good about that is literally everyone in this room is one," he said.
    Fashion designer Donna Karan also supported the ancient practice of Transcendental Meditation.
    "What an opportunity this is for the world to be able to join forces, to be able to collaborate, and communicate, and truly create that change," said Karan.
    During the news conference, David Lynch sat down to meditate with World War II veterans Jess E. Weiss and Jerry Yellin.
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