Evaluating a Field Theory of Consciousness and Social Change: Group Practice of Transcendental Meditation and Homicide Trends
Kenneth L. Cavanaugh, Michael C. Dillbeck, David W. Orme-Johnson
Studies in Asian Social Science July 29, 2022 DOI: 10.5430/sass.v8n1p1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Prospective national social experiment Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | United States national population |
| Intervention | Transcendental Meditation |
| Duration | 15-year study with experimental period 2007-2011 and subsequent period 2012-2016 |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Group practice of Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs by a theoretically predicted number of participants was associated with reduced homicide trends during 2007-2011, followed by increased trends after the group fell below required size. |
Abstract
This study outlines and empirically tests a field-theoretic view of consciousness and positive social change based on the ancient Vedic tradition of knowledge from India (Veda means “knowledge” in Sanskrit) as brought to light by the Vedic scholar and scientist of consciousness, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. In contrast to most contemporary theories of mind and consciousness originating in the West, Maharishi’s Vedic science of consciousness posits the existence of an interpersonal, nonlocalized dimension of consciousness that underlies both individual consciousness and the “collective consciousness” of society, or “national consciousness.” We review previous empirical tests in Cambodia, India, the Philippines (and other countries) of hypotheses derived from this field-theoretic view of consciousness. We then present new empirical results, which together with prior research, provide evidence for an interpersonal dimension to consciousness. Segmented-trend regression analysis of data from a prospective, 15-year U.S. national social experiment found support for the hypothesis that “field effects of consciousness” created by group practice of Transcendental Meditation® and its advanced technique, the TM-Sidhi® program, by a theoretically predicted number of participants contributed to a reduction in social stress in national consciousness as indicated by improved monthly homicide trends during the study’s experimental period 2007-2011 (p < .0001). These results are consistent with significant reductions in crime and violence associated with group practice of the TM® and TM-Sidhi® program as reported in previous peer-reviewed research. This reduction was followed by a predicted subsequent increase in homicide trends 2012-2016 (p < .0001) after the group fell below the required size (approximately the √1% of the U.S. population).
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Empirical Evaluation of the Possible Contribution of Group Practice of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi Program to Reduction in Drug-Related Mortality. Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) January 18, 2023
- 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 World Journal of Social Science December 20, 2022
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and 16 more in the library