Beach Boys’ Mike Love Discusses Healing with Local Veterans (VIDEO & PHOTOS)
The Beach Boys founding member Mike Love met with local veterans at a “Giving a Voice to Veterans, A Message of Healing,” event on Tuesday night. The event was hosted by the Montgomery County Commission on Veterans Affairs at the American Legion Hall, Post 41 in Silver Spring. MyMCMedia’s, Maureen Chowdhury reports.
Love along with members of the Commission discussed transcendental mediation (TM) and its healing impact on veterans who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
According to the David Lynch Foundation, transcendental meditation is a “technique practiced 20 minutes twice a day while sitting comfortably with the eyes closed.” Those who practice TM are taught through a personal course of instruction by a trained and certified teacher.
Love has been practicing TM since 1967. “It’s been very beneficial to me and it’s been very beneficial to so many people, in particular people who have been in stressful situations such as war, which is about as stressful as you can get on the planet,” Love said. “Whether they’re injured or [suffering from] PTSD, and all that, [TM] is of tremendous value,” he said.
Wayne Miller, commissioner on the Montgomery County Commission on Veterans Affairs, was on the panel with Love and says transcendental meditation helps calm him. Miller served during the Vietnam War.
PHOTO | MIke Love signing autographs for veterans.
“I’m here to share that transcendental meditation works for my post traumatic stress disorder and it helps me come to a calm state. And it takes away all the bad memories and helps me make it through the day a little easier. It helps me ground myself [and] puts me in a state of relaxation and safety,” Miller said.
Miller also said that having the support of a public figure like Love means a lot to him.
“Especially for veterans from the Vietnam era, The Beach Boys were very famous and kept us going and reminded us of being back in the states, being on the beaches and all the fun and laughter, that didn’t happen when [we] fought in the war,” Miller said. “For [Mike Love] being here and being transcendental meditation friendly…it just gives you more moral support,” he said.
“Music gets through in a lot of severe cases,” Love said. “It gets beyond the surface level of stress and negativity and reaches the core of the person, brings peace and joy and happiness. That’s a great thing. And we see it all the time and it’s really so simple; taking a photo, giving an autograph, singing a song. But it really lifts people’s spirits,” he said.
For more information on transcendental meditation, visit the David Lynch Foundation website. For more information on local benefits for veterans, visit the Montgomery County Commission on Veterans Affairs website.
My 2 cents: TM has been and is a big support in my life, helping me manage my stress and anxiety. I do think it is a tool that most everyone can benefit from doing.
So glad to hear how the veterans connected with TM, Mike Love and the Beach Boys. For Vietnam era vets, I can see how this would be particularly meaningful. We’ve instructed 28 veterans at our home near Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and we’ve seen some very positive results for reducing the symptoms of PTSD and TBI.