After many years of being hopelessly devoted to Transcendental Meditation (TM), I switched to Primordial Sound Meditation (PSM) in February 2023. I started studying under Deepak Chopra in October 2022, and one of the main focal points of his curriculum is PSM. So, I thought, “If I’m going to teach this, I need to try it.” I almost felt a twinge of guilt for cheating on my TM practice, but after one week of practicing PSM twice daily, I was hooked.

I got many questions when I introduced PSM to my social media followers. I thought addressing all of those in an article would be beneficial. If you’re curious about PSM and TM, you’ll be glad you found me. Consider this article as a one-stop shop for information about both meditation practices.

What is Transcendental Meditation?

Commonly referred to as TM, Transcendental Meditation is a simple silent mantra meditation that produces the best results when practiced twice daily in twenty-minute increments, so you meditate for a total of forty minutes each day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. TM was developed by an Indian spiritual master named Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

Meditators use a mantra to get in the gap. The gap is where you access a field of infinite possibilities. By getting in the gap twice daily, you experience a relaxed state of awareness, stress release, and access higher states of consciousness (tm.org).

What is Primordial Sound Meditation?

Like TM, PSM is a form of silent mantra meditation where you use a personal mantra based on the time and place of your birth to help you reach a heightened state of awareness and further connect with your truest self; the place filled with joy, peace, and infinite possibilities (chopra.com). Deepak Chopra revived PSM. He worked with Vedic scholars in India and America to package it and make it accessible to anyone that wanted to use it.

Imagine meditating with the sound the universe was making when you were born. Can you think of a better way to connect with your true nature? The way the mantras are selected is the only significant distinction between TM and PSM, but the mantra is powerful! The selection process is explained in the next question.

Your personal mantra is your vehicle to help your mind experience expanded levels of awareness to help you slip into the “gap,” which is the stillness between your thoughts and where that beautiful feeling of peace and calm exists. When you repeat it silently during meditation, you achieve a state of deeper awareness, which supports whatever intentions you set for your life — from healing and personal growth to inner awakening (chopra.com).

Like TM, PSM is best practiced twice daily, but Deepak Chopra emphasizes the importance of meditating for 30 minutes each time. With TM, I meditated for about 40 minutes daily, but now I’m meditating for about an hour. A best practice, however, is to meditate for however long feels most comfortable. A little bit of meditation is better than none at all.

How are mantras assigned?

I participated in a three-day, in-person workshop when I was trained in TM. On day one, I filled out a questionnaire that was mainly filled with questions about my lifestyle habits, goals, and strengths and weaknesses. Based on my answers, I was assigned a mantra.

My PSM training did not take as long, and it was done virtually. PSM training can be completed in about four hours. I was instructed to provide my birthdate, place of birth, and exact time of birth, and that information was used to calculate my mantra. The Universe makes sounds, and my mantra is the sound the Universe made at the time I was born. How cool is that?

PSM uses Sanskrit mantras that have magical powers because the vibrations of the sounds of the mantras actually cause things to manifest.

TM and PSM are silent mantra meditations; therefore, you never say your assigned mantra aloud. The mantras are designed to take you within, away from the outside world’s noise, so if you repeat the mantras aloud, you weaken them. With both practices, you treat your mantra as if it is sacred. You don’t share it with other people. It’s yours and yours only.

How much does it cost?

The fees vary with PSM, but an average price is $300-$500 per person for the condensed training and $1,000-$1,500 for the full training.

TM pricing is standard. I paid $1,200 to be trained in 2017. Grants are available through tm.org.

There are payment plans available with TM. It is at the discretion of the PSM instructor if payment plans are offered. I offer payment plans and reduced rates for certain individuals and groups. Plus, there are two versions of PSM instruction, a condensed version, and an extended version, and the version you choose determines pricing. As far as I know, a condensed version isn’t offered for TM training.

What are the benefits of these meditation practices?

The benefits of TM and PSM are well-documented in the scholarly literature. Both practices have the potential to impact the entire physiology positively. Some common benefits are:

· Lower blood pressure

· Reduce and/or elimination of inflammation in the body

· Better sleep

· Increase emotional intelligence

· Higher energy levels

· Heighten awareness

· Higher states of consciousness

· Less stress

· Create inner peace

· Improved relationships

· Awakened intuition

· Reduce anxiety

· Less judging, more wisdom

· Reverse aging

There are more documented benefits, but these are the most common. I can honestly say I have experienced all of these, but my experiences are even more astounding. The next section discusses what has unfolded since I started practicing PSM.

PSM v. TM and My Experiences

As I write this, it is May 30, 2023. I started practicing PSM in February 2023, so I’ve been using PSM for roughly four short months. Some of the changes have been subtle, but others are not so subtle. Frankly, some of the changes I’ve witnessed are difficult to explain, but here I go.

Let’s start with the most profound change — My Personality.

Personality

I know this may sound odd, but TM dulled my senses. It gave me superhuman strength, but I drifted away from my true self and wasn’t as clever and lighthearted. TM made me very serious, and I wasn’t as funny as I had always been. I stopped focusing on having fun and was shy about speaking my truth and being myself around certain people. Was I able to work 60 hours per week and then climb Mt. Everest on Sundays? Yes, I was, but I wasn’t myself, and I could feel it.

Within one week of practicing PSM, I felt more alive, and that’s when I realized that my senses had been dulled. I started speaking my truth again and was unapologetic about it. Over the past few years, I have become embarrassed easily when speaking in front of certain people, but that embarrassment is gone. I am more confident than I think I’ve ever been, and that fiery spunk I’ve always had is BACK! My fiery spunk has gotten me into trouble a time or two, but it’s who I am. I have always loved my fiery spunkiness.

Interstitial Cystitis BeGone!

Interstitial Cystitis (IC) is a rare bladder condition that debilitates most women. I was diagnosed with IC in 2016 after a long, weird battle with bladder pain. Since 2016, I have managed the condition with proper diet and medication. It’s been a royal pain in the ass, but I’ve never been debilitated by it.

About two months ago, I noticed I wasn’t symptomatic anymore. For the past six and a half to seven years, I have taken a medication called Prelief before I eat or drink anything that is highly acidic because acid triggers painful flares. I am no longer taking Prelief because I don’t seem to need it. PSM has reduced the inflammation in my body that was causing the IC and all of the symptoms that go along with IC.

Solutions to Problems Naturally Emerge

This is true. If a problem presents itself, all I have to do is acknowledge the problem, and an answer finds me effortlessly. I experienced this benefit with TM, as well, and that was a miraculous benefit. It’s even stronger with PSM. Here is one example to demonstrate how this works.

Although TM provided exceptional benefits that raised my quality of life, I still struggled with bouts of insomnia. Insomnia has reared its evil head consistently in my lifetime and is linked to anxiety. When I was trained in PSM, I was taught to make an intention list to read silently to myself before my meditations. So, being the good student that I am, I did that, and each day before I sat down to practice PSM, I read my intention list. The number one intention on my list was, “I want to experience deep sleep each night.”

I had been practicing PSM for about a week and saw an ad on TikTok for a product called Shilajit. Typically, I would scroll past an ad like that, but it captivated me upon sight. Without giving it a second thought, I ordered the product and started using it the moment it arrived. Within one week, I was experiencing the deepest sleep that I can ever remember.

PSM enhances intuition, and my Shilajit story is a prime example of how we can make excellent, fast decisions based on nothing but gut instinct. My intuition led me to a product that solved a lifelong problem.

Other benefits I have noticed include:

· Heightened intuition

· Increased energy levels

· Better comprehension and retention of information

· Improved memory — COVID greatly hindered my memory, but now it’s as strong as it’s ever been.

· Articulate my thoughts more effectively

· Less introverted — I became slightly introverted when I practiced TM, but PSM has brought me out of that. I want to socialize more than I have wanted to over the past few years.

· Improved communication skills overall — Verbal and Listening

· Increased productivity and fewer mistakes

Reverse Aging

Reverse aging is a documented benefit of TM and PSM, and I have definitely experienced this; however, I started noticing that I looked younger a few years ago. I am convinced that TM contributed to that. I haven’t experienced any new benefits within the aging realm since I’ve been practicing PSM, but reverse aging is inevitable because I am reducing the inflammation in my body daily. When we release toxins and stress, we are more prone to youthfulness and longevity. So, I’ll keep you posted on that one.

Closing Remarks

TM and PSM have made my life better in more ways than one. The key to incorporating meditation into your daily life and sticking with it is to find a practice you love. I have tried about fifty different meditation techniques over the past seventeen years, and all of them have benefited me in one way or another. As long as you practice some form of meditation daily, and it can be as simple as gazing into the flame of a candle for a few minutes, that’s all that matters.

If you’re interested in being trained in PSM, email me at paula@paulaswope.com. We go way deeper into the benefits during training. Please know that when you are trained, it’s for personal use, not to teach it to others.

Thank you for giving me your most precious asset, your time. Please visit www.paulaswope.com and signup for my free monthly newsletter.

Namaste