Field-Effects of Consciousness: A Seventeen-Year Study of the Effects of Group Practice of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi Programs on Reducing National Stress in the United States

A group practicing the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi techniques, when reaching or exceeding a predicted threshold of 1725 individuals (√1% of the U.S. population), was associated with significant reductions in national stress indicators including homicides, rape, aggravated assault, robbery, infant mortality, drug-related deaths, motor vehicle fatalities, and injury fatalities in youths ages 10-19 during 2007-2011 compared to a baseline period of 2000-2006. When the group size fell below the threshold from 2007 to 2016, all stress indicators increased again. Alternative explanations such as economic changes, political leadership, demographics, and policing strategies could not account for the results.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Many conceptions of field-effects of consciousness have been proposed. The most well-developed of these is Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s, which holds that every individual in society, whether stressed or coherent, contributes to collective consciousness. Collective consciousness in turn impacts the life of every individual, guiding the trends of life in the nation. Over 600 studies have documented that the Transcendental Meditation® and advanced TM-Sidhi® program increase coherence in the individual, as indicated by improved brain integration, health, cognitive abilities, and behavior. Fifty additional studies indicate that these more coherent individuals radiate an influence of coherence throughout society, as reflected in reductions of conflicts and improvements in quality of life. In the present study, interrupted time series analysis was used to evaluate the effectiveness of this population-level health intervention that was implemented at a clearly defined point in time. It found that during the Demonstration period of 2007-2011, compared to the Baseline period of 2000 to 2006, when a group practicing the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi techniques reached or exceeded a predicted required threshold of √1% of the U.S. population (1725) there were significant and meaningful trend reductions in indicators of national stress: homicides, rape, aggravated assault, robbery, infant mortality, drug-related deaths, motor vehicle fatalities, fatalities due to injuries in youths ages 10-19, and in a composite index of all eight variables (p’s < .0001). Moreover, from 2007 to 2016, when the size of the group decreased to below the required threshold, all stress indicators increased again. Potential alternative explanations in terms of changes in economic conditions, political leadership, population demographics, and policing strategies could not explain the results. The results support a new highly practical field-theoretic understanding of social dynamics.