Research

Do you ever shake your head while watching the news at night and think to yourself, “Why is there so much violence and suffering in the world?” and then think about how impossible it would be for one person to make a positive impact?

If so, then you may be happy to learn that over twenty-three peace meditation research studies have been performed demonstrating when a significantly sized group of individuals collectively hold intentions for peace, there can be an external measurable reduction in violence.   This research demonstrates that when we are skilled at holding a state of coherent peace, we all have the ability to  “vote with our hearts” to create the change we want to see in the world.

The Resonant Peaceful Cities Project team, sponsored by NUMINOUS, has conducted three city-wide peace meditations research projects, which yielded three statistically significant results.

2018 Schenectady, NY   25% reduction in violence

2019 Albany, NY  30% reduction in crime

2022 Louisville, KY 13% reduction in crime  (least number of meditators per area) 

Our next research study is scheduled for Summer 2023 in Louisville, KY.

Our lead researcher, Dr. Karina Reinhold, PhD, is compiling our findings and preparing to publish our results when the time is appropriate. 

We are indebted to the pioneering work of the Maharishi Foundation for inspiring our research.  Please see more of their findings below: 

Peace Meditation Research

Is there scientific evidence that coherence with intention approach is effective at improving the quality of life in a region as measured by the reduction of crime in the area?

Is there scientific evidence that individuals influence each other at a distance? 

Research carried out in the 80s, and 90s demonstrated the power of group meditation to reduce violence. More than 23 scientific research studies have been published in leading, peer-reviewed academic journals. The methodology of the studies were carefully evaluated by independent scholars who published their critical reviews. In every case, the researchers could answer the critics’ questions and offer additional analysis confirming positive findings. Nevertheless, the research is controversial because of the need for more research tools. There are so far no scientific tools to measure the effect of intention or the effect of meditation on a proposed “field of consciousness.” Just like astrophysicists look at the Doppler effect on stars to find the exoplanets we cannot see, researchers have looked at measures of violence to show, after accounting for other contributing variables, that meditation had an effect, producing statistically significant reductions in crime, social violence, terrorism, and war, and increased peace and positivity in society.

Meditating for Peace in war conflict zones: The following are the leading research studies that showed TM meditation had a significant effect in reducing the index of violence (created independently by the Rand corporation) in armed conflict zones, in chronological order:

1Orme-Johnson, D. W., C. N. Alexander, J. L. Davies, H. M. Chandler, and W. E. Larimore. “International peace project in the Middle East: The effect of the Maharishi Technology of the Unified Field.” Journal of Conflict Resolution, 32(4) (1988); 776–812.

2Orme-Johnson, D. W., C. N. Alexander, and J. L. Davies. “The effects of the Maharishi Technology of the Unified Field: Reply to a methodological critique.” Journal of Conflict Resolution, 34 (1990); 34:756–768.

3Orme-Johnson, D. W., M. C. Dillbeck, C. N. Alexander, H. M. Chandler, and R. W. Cranson. “Effects of large assemblies of participants in the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program on reducing international conflict and terrorism.” Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 36 (2003); 283-302.

4Davies, J. L. and C. N. Alexander. “Alleviating political violence through reducing collective tension: Impact Assessment analysis of the Lebanon war.” Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 17 (2005), 17: 285-338.

These articles address a study that was conducted during the peak of the Lebanon war, 1983-85. They showed that, on days when the number of participants was high, war deaths in neighboring Lebanon dropped by 76% (p = .0006). For more information about the results, please visit: https://www.gusp.org/defusing-world-crises/scientific-research/

What was interesting about this study is that groups of people were meditating around the world for peace in Lebanon. This would indicate that people could be located anywhere in the world and still have a measurable effect on the area that was intended.

Meditation Effect on Cities: The following are the leading research studies that were able to show that TM meditation had a significant effect on reducing crime in the city they meditated, in chronological order:

1 Iowa 1982-1985: Dillbeck, M. C. “Test of a field theory of consciousness and social change: Time series analysis of participation in the TM-Sidhi program and reduction of violent death in the U.S.” Social Indicators Research, 22 (1990); 399–418.

2 Canada 1972-1986: Assimakis P., and M. C. Dillbeck. “Time series analysis of improved quality of life in Canada:  Social change, collective consciousness, and the TM-Sidhi program.” Psychological Reports  76 (1995); 1171-1193.

3 Merseyside, England, 1978-1991: Hatchard, G. D., A. J. Deans, K. L. Cavanaugh, and D. W. Orme-Johnson. “The Maharishi Effect: A model for social improvement. Time series analysis of a phase transition to reduced crime in Merseyside metropolitan area.” Psychology, Crime & Law , 2 (3)  (1996); 165-174.

4 Washington DC 1993: Hagelin, J.S., Rainforth, M.V., Orme-Johnson, D.W., Cavanaugh, K.L., Alexander, C.N., Shatkin, S.F., et al. “Effects of group practice of the Transcendental Meditation program on preventing violent crime in Washington, DC: Results of the National Demonstration Project, June–July 1993.” Social Indicators Research, 47(2) (1999); 153-201.

For a more complete list of research papers, visit:

https://www.mum.edu/pdf_msvs/v06/orme-johnson.pdf

https://www.gusp.org/defusing-world-crises/selected-references/

http://www.truthabouttm.org/truth/SocietalEffects/index.cfm