Traditional medicine practices like Transcendental Meditation and the advanced Transcendental-Sidhi program can enhance social wellbeing and foster peace, which in turn helps lower collective stress and violence, according to a recent study published in the Frontiers in Public Health journal. The study highlights the urgent need for innovative public health strategies in peace building, especially amid global armed conflicts like the Israel-Hamas and Ukraine-Russia wars.
The devastating impact of wars, including mortality, injury, disease, and the diversion of healthcare resources, necessitates effective and durable interventions. This aligns with WHO recommendations and examines the role of evidence-based meditation from Ayurveda and yoga in public health to mitigate collective stress and prevent collective violence and war.
Robert H Schneider, Dean of the College of Integrative Medicine at Maharishi International University in the US and one of the authors, emphasizes the collective consciousness effect that can be scientifically measured when a relatively small group participates in these meditation programs, leading to a correlated drop in societal stress and violence indicators.
Tony Nader, another author and a neuroscientist at Institute for Consciousness and its Applied Technologies, Maharishi International University, explains that population neuroscience provides a powerful framework to understand how collective meditation can stabilize societal stress on a large scale and potentially influence collective consciousness. By fostering a calmer and more connected collective mind, this practice can serve as a powerful preventative measure, averting outbreaks of collective violence and wars.
The research, led by Maharishi International University, analyzes data demonstrating a remarkable decrease in violence rates when a specific percentage of the population practices Transcendental Meditation (TM) and TM-Sidhi together. The study highlights the crucial role meditation can play in public health initiatives, particularly in conflict zones.
Gunvant Yeola, Principal, DY Patil College of Ayurveda, Pune, Maharashtra, and another author of the study, emphasizes the profound impact of group meditation on brain synchronization and societal coherence. The article viewed through the lens of population neuroscience suggests that group meditation can reduce stress-related behaviors by synchronizing brain activity across individuals.
Yeola adds that Ayurveda and Yoga have long recognized the interconnection between individual wellness and societal health. These findings provide a modern scientific validation of ancient wisdom, highlighting meditation’s pivotal role in public health and peace-building.
The authors note that the introduction of group meditation was associated with a noticeable decrease in violent incidents and improved quality of life metrics in conflict zones.
