The potential impact of meditation on collective processes

With the onset of Russia's attacks on Ukraine, my more recent companion, a clinical and health psychologist in her social network Facebook profile published by brief YouTube video of a quantum physicist John Hagelin about a study confirming that group meditation can influence warfare.

I took the time to read the study, dig into the topic and write a short review in Latvian.

From science - what causes war?

Social stress accumulated in the collective consciousness is cited as one of the precursors of violent social and political conflicts (Orme-Johnson, 1988). "All incidents of violence, negativity and conflict, crises or problems in any society are merely a manifestation of increasing stress in the collective consciousness. When stress levels become high enough, they manifest themselves (bursts out) as large-scale violence, war and civilian uprisings with military intervention (Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, 1979, 38)."

What creates peace?

Political psychologists, for example, Ralph White stresses that, in an environment of high emotional tension, efforts to reach a peaceful solution can only be achieved by taking concrete and systematic steps towards a radical reduction of social tensions in the collective consciousness (Orme-Johnson, 1988). To paraphrase it in simple terms, for peace to prevail, societies need to calm down emotionally. Massively and rapidly.

What is collective and individual consciousness?

Collective consciousness is the sum of the consciousnesses of the group members, which is greater than the sum of the consciousnesses of the individuals in the group. Just as an individual's consciousness determines his thoughts and actions, the collective consciousness determines the activities of social life. What happens in the collective consciousness corresponds to what is experienced at different levels of social organisation - in the family, the organisation, the city, the country and the world. In turn, coherence in the workings of collective consciousness is cited as a key determinant of the quality of social action (Orme-Johnson, 1988). To paraphrase, the more unanimously members of a society think, the lower the level of collective stress, and conversely, the more divided members of a society think, the higher the level of stress.

Individual consciousness is a basic unit of collective consciousness which has an influence on and is influenced by collective consciousness (Orme-Johnson, 1988). In analogy, just as a single neuron cell is the basic unit of the nervous system, so a single thinking person is the basic unit of collective consciousness, which has an influence on the whole and is influenced by the whole.

The all-inclusive field

The theory of an all-inclusive field of consciousness underlying both individual and societal consciousness has been debated for decades in both Western and Eastern belief systems. This idea has been supported by philosophers and scientists alike, among them, for example, the American psychologist William James, German philosopher and psychologist Gustav Theodor Fechner, Swiss psychiatrist and psychologist Carl Gustav Jung (Orme-Johnson, 1988). Today, the theory is being studied and confirmed by researchers in the field of psychology, such as Allan Combs, Stanley Krippner, Robert Kenny and others (Combs & Krippner, 2008).

The discoveries of quantum physics in our time also suggest that the theory might be true. For example, there is evidence that events that affect one quantum particle also affect other related particles in the same instant, even if there is a significant distance between them. And that this phenomenon seems to be not only possible but also common (Courmanopoulos, 2015).

How are these elements - war, peace, collective and individual consciousness - related?

There are concrete methods to reduce stress levels in the collective consciousness, thus potentially contributing to the expression of peace in society. One such method is proposed as Maharishi Mahesh Yogi developed by Transcendental Meditation (TM). During this meditation, one transcends (goes beyond) the usual active levels of individual consciousness, entering a state of inner peace (Orme-Johnson, 1988).

It is essentially an altered (transcendent, expanded) state of consciousness, during which brain activity changes from the mundane beta (13 - 38 Hz) brain waves experienced during active brain activity in the waking state, to Aunt (4-7 Hz) waves or high frequency gamma (39-42 Hz) oscillations that synchronise brain activity (Stapleton et al., 2020). Of these Aunt are slow oscillations in brain activity that are characteristic of deep relaxation, between sleep and wakefulness. The second gamma are the fastest and most subtle brain waves whose rhythm modulates perception and consciousness (Sinha Clinic, 2022).

These kinds of meditative experiences produce the effect of non-local (field) coherence - the opposite of stress-induced incoherence, radically reducing it. And - the TM process may also involve a set of steps that help to stabilise this state of calm (pure consciousness) and consciously act from the unified field of consciousness - in other words, to plant something new in the collective consciousness (Orme-Johnson, 1988). For example, peace!?

Studies to date

In view of the described interrelationship between individual and collective consciousness, as well as the possibility of reducing stress and stimulating development in an all-inclusive field through meditation, it was hypothesised as early as 1988: a sufficient number of individuals can create favourable conditions for increased coherence in the collective consciousness, thereby reducing violence and improving the quality of life of society as a whole (Orme-Johnson, 1988).

This hypothesis has allegedly been tested and confirmed several times. The first study was published in 1988 in a respected scientific journal Journal of Conflict Resolution (Impact Factor: 3.49). It measured Lebanon's war performance and the life satisfaction of the Lebanese population. The study showed that during group meditations, warfare decreased while the quality of life of the population increased.

I have now managed to find a source for 2019 which says that a total of 25 studies have been published in peer-reviewed international (peer-reviewed) in journals (Gelderloos et al., 2019). Due to time constraints, I have not read and checked all of them. However, I should mention that what makes me personally critical of this information is the fact that - unlike the first study in 1988 - a large part of these studies have been published in low-ranking scientific journals, and the main disseminator of the news and the researcher is the promoter of the TM method himself (Journal of Maharishi Vedic Research Institute). At the same time, it should be mentioned that science generally treats ideas and hypotheses of this kind with caution at best, and denial at worst, because they teeter on the edge of pseudoscience.

In any case, it is estimated that societal-level change can be achieved in this way if at least 1% of the population are involved in systematic collective stress reduction and development stimulation.

From myself

To summarise, simplify and generalise - it is known that there is a collective field that includes everything and everyone, in which every thought and emotion, conscious and unconscious, enters and accumulates. This field is a major influence in the creation of our social reality. It is also known that this field can be accessed through each person's individual consciousness, and new information can be consciously integrated into it through meditation, prayer and other mindfulness techniques and spiritual practices. What is not known is how to establish this knowledge of the existence of these phenomena in a scientific, mathematical way. So far there are only hypotheses, theories and studies that allow interpretations and conclusions to be drawn that these theories might be true, but science has not yet come to a real confirmation (and this is not the same as "there is no such thing").

My aim is not to invite everyone to join the 30-day meditation challenge to save Ukraine. I am simply shedding light on the situation by making visible some of the facts that I have - this is my way of helping, first of all, myself and perhaps someone else in the current situation.

Yes, this is half-tested truth. They are hypotheses and theories that have been confirmed by experiments. It is not known, and will not be known in the near future, whether meditation can prevent or reduce war, because it is impossible to measure events that did not happen.

I don't know about you - for me, this half-evidence is enough to do the job. People pray the same way in times of crisis - including me. This is about exactly that - but from a different angle. And the above outline suggests that it might even help. Moreover, meditation and prayer are good for one's mental health - this is both a proven and scientifically confirmed fact, including the TM technique (Sedlmeier et al., 2012; Alexander et al., 1991). Thus, even the worst-case scenario is a good scenario, because the beneficiary is, if not the collective, at least the individual.

Closing

My prayer, my meditation, is not for peace - it is for the best possible scenario in the current circumstances for all parties. Yes, of course, I am on the Ukrainian side - this is the time when you really have to take only one side. At the same time, with the knowledge and understanding that I have been given, I also understand that peace is not possible to the exclusion of anyone - neither the victim nor the perpetrator. The precondition for peace is the unconditional inclusion of both parties, but I personally cannot emotionally include the abuser in this situation. So I meditate on what I can believe - that if not peace is possible, then the path to it is...

Transcendental Meditation (TM) process

TM is a meditation that involves the silent repetition of a mantra for 15 to 20 minutes (or longer). The meditation requires a quiet, dimly lit room without unnecessary noise or music. The meditation can be preceded by lighting a candle, burning incense or diffusing essential oils to give the meditation process the right mood.

TM Steps:

1. Sit comfortably in a chair or on the floor. Sit with your back straight and your hands folded in your lap.
2. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths, relax your body - take a few seconds to a minute. Keep your eyes closed for the rest of the meditation.
3. Silently repeat your mantra in your mind. A mantra can be a Sanskrit sound, or a specific word or phrase, affirmation on which you want to focus your awareness.
4. Concentrate on the mantra for 15 to 20 minutes. If you feel confused or have difficulty gathering your thoughts, continue to focus on the mantra.
5. After meditation, open your eyes. Sit for a few more minutes until you feel ready to get up.

This free content is produced in my spare time without pay. If you see value in what I do, I'd be happy to make you a coffee! It's like a spur to create new content! 🙂

Sources:

Alexander, C. N., Rainforth, M. V., & Gelderloos, P. (1991). Transcendental meditation, self-actualization, and psychological health: A conceptual overview and statistical meta-analysis. Journal of Social Behavior & Personality, 6(5), 189-248.

Combs, A., Krippner, S. (2008). Collective Consciousness and the Social Brain. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 15(10-11), 264-276.

Courmanopoulos, S. (2015). Jung's Synchronicity Gains Support from Quantum Physics. Medius International. https://mediusinternational.com

Gelderloos, P., Cavanaugh, K. L., Frid, M. J., & Xue, X. (2019). Warming U.S.-Soviet relations during the Cold War as measured by U.S. presidential statements: Impact of the group practice of the Transcendental Meditation-Sidhi program. Journal of Maharishi Vedic Research Institute, 9, 93-134.

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1979). World government news # 11. Rheinweiler, Germany: Maharishi European Research University Press.

Orme-Johnson, D. W., Alexander, C. N., Davies, J. L., Chandler, H. M., & Larimore, W. E. (1988). International Peace Project in the Middle East. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 32(4), 776-812.

Sedlmeier, P., Eberth, J., Schwarz, M., Zimmermann, D., Haarig, F., Jaeger, S., & Kunze, S. (2012). The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 138(6), 1139-1171.

Sinha Clinic. (2022). What are Brainwaves? 

Stapleton, P., Dispenza, J., McGill, S., Sabot, D., Peach, M. & Raynor, D. (2020). Large effects of brief meditation intervention on EEG spectra in meditation novices. IBRO Reports, 9, 290-301.