| Brainwave coherence increased in three individuals exactly when 2,500 people meditated 1,170 miles away. |
This fascinating study demonstrates how brain coherence radiates across a population. Or in other words how improvements in individual brain coherence somehow impact the brain states of other people, even at some distance. And this phenomenon can work across a whole population.
It is already well established that meditators experience surges in coherent brain waves during the transcending process. This is specifically the case with Transcendental Meditation and the more advanced TM-Sidhi programme. What this study confirms is that these improvements in brain state influence other non-meditators as well. Furthermore, the influence of coherent brain waves on other people’s brains radiates even over great distances. Another significant factor is that this effect occurs without any other physical interaction taking place.
Is consciousness a fundamental field of intelligence?
The underlying theory that predicts that meditation has a broadcasting effect on the surrounding population is based on the understanding that consciousness is a fundamental unbounded non-localised field that connects us all. The researchers in this study reasoned that if consciousness really is a field, then we should see changes in individual consciousness effecting the overall field and therefore other people as well.
In other words changes in one person’s individual consciousness would register with other individuals elsewhere. It is this ‘field’ quality of consciousness that enables the powerful Maharishi effect (1% effect) and the even more powerful Super Radiance effect to take place.
What is the Maharishi effect?
The Maharishi effect is achieved when 1% of a given population practice Transcendental Meditation (TM). At the point when 1% of a community, town, city state or even nation learn TM, then there is a distinct change in negative social trends. As an example high crime rates suddenly start to decline as do suicide rates and say car accidents. You can read more about the Maharishi effect and its astounding possibilities here.
What is Super Radiance
A community achieves Super Radiance when the square root of 1% of a population practice the more advanced meditation known as the TM-Sidhi programme together in a group. Read more about the Super Radiance effect …
When these numbers of specialist meditators meditate together they not only create brainwave coherence for themselves but also create improved coherence in the collective consciousness of the whole population.
From previous sociological studies we know that this collective coherence results in an immediate and significant drop in a range of negative and incoherent behaviour such as social disorder, warfare, terrorism, crime, accidents and so on. At the same time there is a commensurate rise in more positive activity such as business start-ups, increased employment etc.
Using EEG to trace how Brain coherence radiates across a population
Researchers had already observed that EEG is sensitive to changes in individual consciousness (EEG stands for electroencephalogram. Essentially an EEG is a recording of the ‘brainwaves’ or the electrical activity of the brain). So, in this study the researchers used EEG readings to test the idea that, if consciousness were an unbounded field, then fluctuations in this field would be detected by EEG readings between different individuals.
The researchers speculated that different sets of subjects under test (Those meditating and control subjects) might show synchronized rises and falls in their EEGs readings. They anticipated that this effect would happen in much the same way as corks rise and fall together on the same wave.
The Amherst Experiment
In 1979, an opportunity arose to carry out this experiment during a major TM-based peace project in Amherst USA. The project involved 2,500 TM-Sidhas meditating together in one group (See research summary 9). This group was large enough to create the Super Radiance effect for the whole of the USA. The researchers reasoned that during the group meditations they should be able to witness synchronized changes in consciousness elsewhere in the US.
So the researchers designed the experiment to measure changes in the EEG readings of subjects in Fairfield Iowa whilst the group was meditating in Amherst. If synchronized changes occurred, this would mean changes occurring over an amazing 1,170 miles distance.
The study measured what was termed as ‘Inter-subject EEG coherence’ between three healthy individuals located in Fairlfield and the group in Amherst. It involved six experimental experimental periods timed to occur exactly when the group in Amherst were meditating.
As a further control the researchers carried out the same measurements on the same three subjects during six-control periods when the 2,500 group were not meditating. Incidentally, this was also a blind study with the control subjects unaware of the timing of the Amherst group’s activities.
Research results
As the researchers predicted the experiment showed how brain coherence radiates across a population. During the experiment there was a significant increase in the level of inter-subject EEG coherence during the experimental periods. Similarly, the control periods showed no synchronized changes in coherence. In other words, the study found that the subjects’ brainwave coherence increased considerably more on experimental days compared to control days. (p=0.02)
Research title
Inter-subject EEG coherence: Is consciousness a field?
Research authors
Orme Johnson DW, Dillbeck MC, Wallace RK;
Publications
International Journal of Neuroscience 16: 1982, pp 203 - 209
Scientific Research on Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programme, Collected papers volume 3 paper 222
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