User:Steve Crossin/Mediation/Prem Rawat/Proposal5

A study of DLM members found that 45% of members had used marijuana daily before joining, while only 7% did so at the time of the study. Seventy-one percent had psychological stress before joining compared to 37% at the time of the study. Overall, 38% had sought profesional help for psychological problems before joining.^[1] The same researcher reports that 82% of members were single, 97% were white, and 73% were in their twenties. The percentage of members with Catholic or Protestant backgrounds mirrored the general population, while there were ten times as many members with Jewish backgrounds as in the general population (21% versus 2%). Three-quarters of members had attended college.^[2] A different study, of deprogrammed former members, found that 58% were Jewish, 33% Protestant, and 7% Catholic. They first came in contact with the DLM at an average age of 25 and stayed for three years.^[3]

These observations led to reveal what Galanter's describes as "an apparent overall improvement in psychiatric state derived from conversion and its retention through continued membership", and that members, whether they were seriously distressed or not before joining, reported an improved emotional state after joining. Galanter reports that 82% of members surveyed were single, 97% were white, and 73% were in their twenties. The percentage of these with Catholic or Protestant backgrounds mirrored the general population, while there were ten times as many members with Jewish backgrounds as in the general population (21% versus 2%). Three-quarters of them had attended college.^[4]

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James V. Downton conducted a study of 41 DLM members from three cities and, for comparison, 29 members of the Hare Krishna movement and 40 local college students. Among the DLM members the average age was 23 and ranged from 19 to 29. They came from middle-class backgrounds, all white, and had attended an average of 1.5 years of college, similar to the Hare Krishnas sample, though DLM members were less likely to have come from broken homes. Sixty-five percent of DLM members reported having religious experiences while tripping on LSD. Overall, 95% of DLM membes had used psychedelic drugs, compared to 89% of Hare Krishans and 67% of college students. Compared to the college student sample, fewer DLM members had had religious upbringings and they tended to have had worse family experiences though only 17% came from "broken homes".^[5]

James V. Downton conducted a study of 41 DLM members from three cities and, and 40 local college students for comparison. Among the DLM members the average age was 23 and ranged from 19 to 29. They came from middle-class backgrounds, all white, and had attended an average of 1.5 years of college. Sixty-five percent of DLM members reported having religious experiences while tripping on LSD. Overall, 95% of DLM membes had used psychedelic drugs, compared to 67% of college students. Fewer DLM members had had religious upbringings and they tended to have had worse family experiences though only 17% came from "broken homes" in comparison with the college students sample.^[6]

James V. Downton conducted a comparative study of 41 DLM members from three US cities, 29 members of the Hare Krishna movement and 40 college students. Among the DLM members the average age was 23 and ranged from 19 to 29. They came from middle-class backgrounds, all were white and had attended an average of 1.5 years of college, similar to the Hare Krishnas sample, though DLM members were less likely to have come from broken homes. Sixty-five percent of DLM members reported having religious experiences while tripping on LSD. Overall, 95% of DLM members had used psychedelic drugs, compared to 89% of Hare Krishnas and 67% of the college student cohort. Compared to the college students, fewer DLM members had had religious upbringings and they tended to have had worse family experiences though only 17% came from "broken homes".[5]

James V. Downton conducted a comparative study of 41 DLM members from three US cities, 29 members of the Hare Krishna movement and 40 college students. Among the DLM members the average age was 23 and ranged from 19 to 29. They came from middle-class backgrounds, all were white and had attended an average of 1.5 years of college, similar to the Hare Krishnas sample, though DLM members were less likely to have come from broken homes. Sixty-five percent of DLM members reported having religious experiences while tripping on LSD. Overall, 95% of DLM members had used psychedelic drugs, compared to 89% of Hare Krishnas and 67% of the college student cohort. Compared to the college students, fewer DLM members had had religious upbringings and they tended to have had worse family experiences though only 17% came from "broken homes".[5]