Meditation and Prayer Survey

There has been a recent surge of scientific research looking at changes in the brain during various spiritual
practices such as meditation and prayer. While demonstrating much about brain activity, that research
typically ignores the wealth of subjective experiences that sometimes occur and also tends to ignore the
involvement of other areas of the body besides the brain. This survey examines subjective experiences that
occur while a person is engaged in spiritual practices, primarily meditation and prayer. It is hoped that this
will increase understanding of the mechanisms through which meditation and prayer influence physiological
systems, leading to changes in energy states, mental function and consciousness. It is important to realize
that the information sought in this survey should not be interpreted as the goal of meditation and prayer, or
as signs of success.

This research is being conducted by Richard Maxwell, Ph.D., and sponsored by Ananda Marga Gurukul, a
global education network. Dr. Maxwell is a licensed psychologist who recently retired from private practice
in Ithaca and Elmira, New York. He has specialized in clinical neuropsychology. This survey was previously
administered between 2007 and 2009. If you completed the survey during those years, you should not take it
again. An effort is currently being made to increase the number of completed surveys so that the statistics
are stronger which will facilitate the capacity to publish the results.

To be eligible to complete this survey, you must be at least 18 years old, practice daily meditation for at least
5 minutes per day and have reasonable skill with English. Completing this survey may require revealing
private qualities associated with your meditation or prayer, and personal aspects of your life. It is possible
some discomfort could be experienced through revealing this information. It is hoped that you will answer
all questions completely and honestly. If necessary, you may decline to answer a question, although this will
diminish the relevance of the rest of your responses. Some responses are required and are indicated by a red
star next to the question title. You are free to choose not to complete the survey. It should take between 30
and 60 minutes to complete this survey. As much as is possible, please plan to do this all at one time. There
is no save function in this system. However, you can "sleep" or "hibernate" your computer and return to the
survey at a later point as long as you do not close the tab in your internet browser.

The first page of this survey with your name on it will be separated from the rest of the survey before your
responses are analyzed. All information used in any publication or presentation will be completely
anonymous. The information received will not be used for any purpose other than research on meditation
and prayer. As a token of appreciation for your participation, a $5 donation will be made to a program you
specify or the organization or denomination that you specify. You will be asked to provide that information
at the end of the survey,

If you would like to receive a copy of any research published using the information that you provide, a copy
will be sent to the email address you have specified below. Please also indicate if you would be willing to
participate in any additional research.

By entering your name below, you acknowledge that you are consenting to participate in this research study.

From: Richard Maxwell rwmaxw@gmail.com [margii_inspiration] <margii_inspiration@yahoogroups.com>

Date: 2016-01-03 11:12 GMT-02:00
Subject: [margii_inspiration] Buddhists Do Lots of Research-Can't We?
To: margii_inspiration@yahoogroups.com
Namaskar. Our sadhana is complex which makes scientific research difficult. A descriptive analysis of subjective
experiences is helpful because it provides a base of information upon which further research can be designed. The
more who participate, the more meaningful the information will be. Hopefully with the holidays over, you can find
an hour to help in this process by clicking the link below. Thank you to those who have already completed a
survey. His, Raghuviira

Help Needed on a Meditation and Prayer Survey

Volunteers are needed to complete a survey for a research project on subjective experiences
during meditation and prayer. This survey was previously distributed in 2007 and 2009, but
additional data would be helpful. If you have previously completed this survey, please do not do
it again. In order to participate, you need to have a daily practice of meditation or prayer that is
at least 5 minutes long. You need to be at least 18 years old and should have reasonable skill
with English. The survey questionnaire is long and will require as much as an hour of your time
to be completed. You will not be able to save your responses, so you will need to keep the
browser tab open until you complete the survey. (You can sleep or hibernate your computer.) As
a token of appreciation for completing the survey, a $5 donation will be made to an organization
that you specify. This research project is sponsored by Ananda Marga Gurukul, a global
education network. If you would like more information or need assistance in any way with this,
please send an email to rwmaxwell@gurukul.edu. The following link will take you to the survey
(copy and paste it into your internet browser if clicking on it does not work):
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/12sVQ0hbILRZaWLrEpxEFdKb-
DWnAIXYPhSUB0txYTYU/viewform?usp=send_form

Thank you for considering to help with this.

Respectfully,

Richard Maxwell, Ph.D.

Clinical and Neuropsychologist

Ithaca, NY, USA