Director David Lynch enlisted the help of stars including Clint Eastwood and Russell Brand to launch a meditation scheme for war veterans.
The Mulholland Drive moviemaker has long championed transcendental meditation (TM) and previously encouraged children to take up the practice in a bid to improve their behaviour.
Lynch is now turning his attentions to former soldiers, launching Operation Warrior Wellness to help troops suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in war zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan.
The director's Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and Peace held an event in New York City on Monday night (13Dec10) to launch a campaign to train 10,000 veterans in the technique.
Eastwood and Brand joined a number of former soldiers at the event, and the Dirty Harry star revealed he has been using meditation for many years.
He says, "I'm a great supporter of transcendental meditation. I've been using it for almost 40 years now. It's a great tool for stress... especially considering the stress our men and women of the armed forces are going through."
Brand, who took up TM 14 months ago, adds, "(It's) extremely brilliant... In a way this sort of validates me as a human and my formerly secret brilliance. Let's get this out there."
Lynch is convinced Eastwood's backing will help convince veterans the practise does not compromise their masculinity, adding, "Clint Eastwood is about as macho as they get and he's been meditating longer than I have."