Group Practice of Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi Program in Australia: Implications for Social Work
Sandy Gowing Price
Journal of Maharishi Vedic Research Institute May 1, 2024 DOI: 10.66743/vwba9497 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Time-series analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Australia |
| Interventions | Transcendental Meditation TM-Sidhi program Yogic Flying |
| Duration | January 1983 |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | When the group of practitioners reached √1% of Australia's population, there were significant decreases in fatal traffic accidents and unemployment, and a significant increase in the stock market index. |
Abstract
For many years it has been predicted that group practice of Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program alleviates social stress and that this phenomenon is measurable using specific social indicators. This study examines this prediction in two parts: Part I: To test the prediction in an Australian context; and Part II: To relate the significance of the outcomes of Part I to future directions of social work for the reduction of disorder and suffering in society. The test period in Part I was January 1983 when the size of a group of participants in Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program, including Yogic Flying, reached the √1% of the population of Australia. Using a Box-Jenkins (ARIMA) time-series analysis, it found there was a significant improvement in the quality of national life in Australia as measured by reduced fatal traffic accidents, reduced unemployment, and an increased value of the main Australian stock market index. The results can be summarised as follows: a) Highly significant decreases (14.0%) in fatal traffic accidents, p = 0.0005; b) Highly significant decreases (8.3%) in unemployment, p = 0.0005; and Significant increases in the Sydney-Melbourne All Ordinaries Stock Exchange Index, p = 0.025.