Palm Beach Island TM Center Launches Women's Health Initiative

The Palm Beach Island TM Center hosted its Second Annual Holiday Gathering and Benefit Luncheon on Sunday, December 14, at Salute Ristorante in Palm Beach. The event marked an important milestone for the Center: the inauguration of its partnership with the David Lynch Foundation in support of a new Women’s Health Initiative dedicated to expanding access to transcendental meditation (TM) for women throughout the Palm Beach area.

A branch of the nonprofit Maharishi Foundation USA, the Palm Beach Island TM Center provided instruction in transcendental meditation to help individuals cultivate inner peace, reduce stress and live healthier, more fulfilled lives. The Center’s new partnership with the David Lynch Foundation — an organization that over the last two decades had brought TM instruction to more than one million at-risk individuals worldwide — represents a significant expansion of local outreach to women in the Palm Beach area, including women in underserved communities.

The event was sponsored by Joanna Plafsky, a longtime TM teacher and board member of the David Lynch Foundation. “My goal is to bring the joy and enlightenment of transcendental meditation to people throughout the Palm Beach community,” she said.

A Focus on Women’s Well-Being

The Women’s Health Initiative aims to bring TM to populations facing chronic stress, trauma or health disparities, including women who had experienced domestic violence or sexual assault. Research supported by the David Lynch Foundation shows that TM can reduce anxiety and depression by 35%, improve sleep by 50% and reduce symptoms of PTSD by 33%. “For women who have experienced domestic violence or sexual assault, TM has been shown to have a profound impact on helping them move forward and rebuild their lives,” said Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, a nationally recognized cardiologist, CEO of Heart-Tech Health in New York and author of Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum’s Heart Book. Dr. Steinbaum, who formerly led women’s cardiovascular prevention programs at Mount Sinai and Northwell Lenox Hill hospitals, is helping lead the Women’s Health Initiative and served as a guest speaker at the luncheon.

TM was also highlighted as an effective tool for women navigating highly stressful caregiving roles. “Women tend to be the caregivers in all communities,” said Melody Katz, co-director of the Palm Beach Island TM Center. Katz pointed to the phenomenon of compassion fatigue in the nursing field, which refers to emotional, physical and psychological exhaustion resulting from prolonged exposure to others’ trauma or suffering. “Compassion fatigue often leads to early retirements and shortages of experienced nurses,” she said. “TM has an incredibly powerful influence in reviving the nervous system and helping women overcome trauma. It has proven to be incredibly helpful for women in nursing and other caregiving roles.”

“Women’s health has been notoriously overlooked,” Dr. Steinbaum said. “We know how profound the impact of TM is on women’s health. TM provides reductions in anxiety, depression and PTSD — issues so many women struggle with. When we address stress, we address a root cause of disease.”

Drawing from decades of clinical experience, Dr. Steinbaum emphasized the deep physiological connection between stress and cardiovascular health. “There is a profound connection between the mind and the heart,” she said. “Chronic stress elevates blood pressure and contributes to heart disease. I can increase a patient’s medication, or I can teach them a tool that reduces the stress driving those numbers. TM helps people heal from the inside instead of putting a Band-Aid on the problem.”

She noted that many women who shouldered emotional and caregiving burdens often powered through symptoms of stress, depression and exhaustion while placing themselves last on their list of priorities. “It’s important for women to understand not only the value of exercise and diet to a healthy lifestyle, but also the importance of addressing stress,” she said.

Dr. Steinbaum highlighted studies showing that nurses faced a 33% increase in cardiovascular risk related to job stress alone — a troubling statistic in a field dominated by women. “There are so many women experiencing stress and depression who think they can handle it,” she said. “But we’re not always given treatment strategies for the emotional toll we endure. TM is one of those strategies.”

Her hope, she said, is that more women would be empowered to understand their personal health risks and advocate for themselves. “When we understand our own personal risks for disease, we can get the help we need,” she said, noting, “80% of heart disease is preventable. Education and tools like TM can change lives.”

Partners in Meditation

Joining Dr. Steinbaum as a guest speaker at the luncheon was Bob Roth, one of the nation’s most respected meditation teachers and author of The New York Times bestseller Strength in Stillness. Roth, who has taught TM for more than 50 years, serves as CEO of the David Lynch Foundation and directs its Institute for Mental Health and Resilience. He has taught meditation to Fortune 100 executives, political leaders, military personnel and award-winning artists.

Under Roth’s leadership, the David Lynch Foundation has helped bring TM to veterans, survivors of domestic abuse, frontline medical workers and other underserved groups around the world. His presence at the luncheon underscored the significance of the new collaboration in Palm Beach.

Through the Palm Beach Island TM Center, many area residents have already experienced the benefits of TM. “I am forever grateful to Joanna Plafsky and Melody Katz, who introduced me to transcendental meditation,” said Victoria Schneps, publisher of Dan’s Papers Palm Beach. “I do TM daily for 20 minutes as a way to begin my day, and it’s a worthwhile investment of my time.”

For more information about the Palm Beach Island TM Center, visit tm.org/centers/palm-beach-island.