Faculty: Dr Dharma Khalsa MD renowned author of Meditation as Medicine. Gerrilyn Smith aka Prem Amrit Child Psychologist and Trauma specialist. The ISKY team of teachers and assistants.
Dr Dharma MD: Born in Ohio and raised in Florida, Dharma Singh Khalsa. M.D. is a graduate of Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska. Dr. Dharma, as he is usually called, received his training in Anesthesiology at the University of California Medical School in San Francisco, where he was Chief Resident. Dr. Dharma has also received advanced training at Harvard and UCLA.
Dr. Dharma has helped people from all over the world, including a past president of a foreign country, Hollywood writers and celebrities, business leaders, doctors, lawyers, professionals, and others from all walks of life. He has been invited to share his work at medical meetings in the USA, South America, Europe, Monte Carlo, and India.
Since 1993 he has been the President and Medical Director of the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation in Tucson, Arizona, the original voice in the integrative medical approach to the prevention and treatment of memory loss. The ARPF is dedicated to fighting Alzheimer’s disease and finding a cure through research and prevention.
In 2003, Dr. Khalsa spearheaded a brain function research study of SPECT Scans Before and After Kirtan Kriya Meditation on healthy subjects, in conjunction with the Amen Clinic (UCI Irvine, CA).
Since then, he has participated in three additional groundbreaking scientific research studies:
1. Global Cerebral Blood Flow in fMRI Scans of Advanced Meditators. This study was completed in 2007, and was part of a fully funded University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine study.
2. Kirtan Kriya and SPECT Scans in Subjects with Memory Loss. This study took place in 2006-2008 and examined the effectiveness of a specific mind/body technique on people with a diagnosis of memory loss. The results were encouraging and showed promise that stress-reducing techniques and mind/body exercises can lessen or even prevent cognitive decline.
3. Meditation use to reduce stress response and improve cognitive functioning in older family dementia caregivers. This study was carried out in 2009 and 2010 at UCLA, in conjunction with the Department of Psychiatry.
In May 2003, Dr. Dharma testified before Congress about his pioneering work in the area of lifestyle influence on Alzheimer’s disease, and called on Congress to fund a national education and outreach campaign designed to inform the public of the benefits of an integrative medical approach to Alzheimer’s. After testifying, he had a private meeting with the Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, M.D., to discuss the public health challenges of this disease. At that meeting, Dr. Carmona voiced strong support for Dr. Dharma’s work.
An ordained minister and yogi, he is the author of the international best sellers Brain Longevity, The Pain Cure, Meditation As Medicine, Food As Medicine, The Better Memory Kit, The New Golden Rules, and The End of Karma. His latest book project is Dead Brain Cells Don’t Lie.
Dr. Dharma is also the author of several mind/body CDs and DVDs, such as Wake Up To Wellness CD and DVD, Boost Your Brain Power DVD, Here Comes the Sun DVD, and Sleepy Time Nice DVD.
He is the creator of the groundbreaking From Darkness to Light, a holistic program to Healing Adverse Childhood Experiences, as well as a pop-music album entitled Love is in You, featuring his group, Bliss. All these products are available on his website: www.drdharma.com
He lectures and consults worldwide. Dr. Dharma lives in Tucson, Arizona with his wife Kirti, who is originally from Rome, Italy.