By Arlene J. Schar & Dr. David Leffler
Despite ongoing efforts to mediate a meaningful resolution, the war between Russia and Ukraine continues. World leaders are concerned that the war could escalate, potentially leading to World War III. Similar concerns exist regarding conflict in the Middle East. It is crucial to reduce rising tensions and prevent further dangerous escalations, end wars, and prevent future conflicts, thereby putting an end to the suffering they cause.
Here is an ideal strategy that any military could use to alleviate these tensions and help end war. At its core, the root cause of social violence is the buildup of collective social stress. Addressing this human issue demands a human-centered solution. (See: “Peace through health: traditional medicine meditation in the prevention of collective stress, violence, and war,” published in Frontiers in Public Health.)
The ideal means of addressing social problems such as war, conflict, terrorism, and crime is to quickly and efficiently reduce societal stress.
Extensive scientific research suggests that one effective way to reduce collective stress and combat war is through an ancient strategy. The nonreligious approach known as Invincible Defense Technology (IDT), revived by the late Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, has been practiced quietly by individuals from many faiths in efforts to resolve conflicts. It is now time for militaries to consider this brain-based technology as a means of helping create lasting peace.
Militaries can reduce societal stress and lower tensions by establishing a Prevention Wing within the military. A large group would be trained in the Transcendental Meditation (TM®) program and its advanced techniques, including the TM-Sidhi® program. This IDT approach has been field-tested, including in war-torn regions such as the Middle East. According to research cited by proponents, when large groups practice these techniques twice a day, there are measurable changes in indicators of social harmony and peace: crime rates decline, quality-of-life indicators improve, and war and terrorism decrease. This large-group practice is proposed to create a “field effect of consciousness” that extends to the surrounding population, producing an influence toward peace.
For instance, an IDT intervention was examined in Washington, D.C., in 1993. Predictions were submitted in advance to government leaders and newspapers, and an independent Project Review Board approved the research protocol. When the group reached its peak size, crime was reported to have dropped 24 percent below the forecasted level. The researchers reported that the changes could not be explained by temperature, weekend effects, or previous data trends. The results were published in Social Indicators Research.
A study published in Studies in Asian Social Science reviewed previous empirical tests of IDT in Cambodia, India, the Philippines, and other countries. The authors reported findings consistent with earlier peer-reviewed research, showing significant reductions in crime and violence associated with group practice of the TM and TM-Sidhi programs.
The World Journal of Social Science published a study reporting that when the square root of one percent of the U.S. population practiced IDT together, multiple stress indicators decreased. Subsequently, when the size of the IDT group decreased, these stress indicators increased again. Other factors, such as economic conditions, political leadership, and demographics, were considered but, according to the study, could not account for the results. The reported pattern of stress indicators decreasing and then increasing in sync with changes in the size of the IDT group was interpreted as evidence that the group itself was responsible for the effect.
Twenty peer-reviewed studies, many of which are listed here, have been cited as evidence supporting the effectiveness of IDT. These studies suggest that a “national armor” is produced through IDT that cannot be penetrated by the collective negativity of other countries. According to this theory, this occurs through a process similar to the Meissner effect, in which a superconducting magnetic field repels the influence of an external magnetic field.
This concept can be compared to the interior of a superconductor, whose electrons function in a coherent, collective manner.
IDT is presented as offering a high degree of autonomy and freedom from external influence or control. When applied according to its proponents, IDT generates a field effect of collective consciousness that may neutralize hostile intentions from adversaries by channeling stronger, positive influences. This is described as occurring through a process similar to the Meissner effect. Proponents call this phenomenon the “Maharishi Effect,” after Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who predicted it.
Although the exact mechanism underlying the Maharishi Effect is not understood, research has reported that practicing TM enhances coherence in brain activity, as detected through electroencephalography (EEG), which records electrical activity in the brain through electrodes placed on the scalp. Research has found that TM practitioners exhibit greater EEG coherence and increased alpha-wave activity, while some advanced practitioners have demonstrated highly efficient brain function. In other words, a coherent brain is considered a high-performing brain. (See the International Journal of Psychological Studies and the International Journal of Neuroscience.) This biological effect, combined with the deep rest provided by the practice, is reported to reduce stress and tension, boost alertness, and enhance well-being and resilience in individuals.
A study in the Journal of Social Behavior and Personality (JSBP) provides a possible biological explanation for the proposed effects of IDT. Research on the neurotransmitter serotonin indicates that it is involved in feelings of happiness, contentment, and well-being, while low serotonin levels have been associated with violence, aggression, and depressed emotional states. The JSBP study found that higher numbers of IDT practitioners in the meditation group correlated with increased serotonin production among community members who were not practicing meditation and were unaware of the group’s size. The opposite relationship was found for cortisol, a stress-related hormone. When group numbers decreased, cortisol levels increased. These statistically significant changes, which followed periods of higher attendance, were presented as a possible stress-related neurophysiological mechanism for reducing aggression and hostility in society.
IDT’s global impact was documented in a study published in the Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, which used data from the RAND Corporation. Between 1983 and 1985, when the size of large IDT assemblies surpassed the threshold predicted to produce a measurable global effect, deaths from worldwide terrorism reportedly decreased by 72 percent, international conflict decreased by 32 percent, and violence in other countries declined without external government intervention.
The IDT approach also offers potential personal benefits for military personnel and civilians affected by the aftermath of conflict and war. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), for instance, is frequently observed among veterans and civilians alike. According to a study published in The Lancet Psychiatry, the non-trauma-focused Transcendental Meditation technique could be a promising option for reducing PTSD symptoms to the normal range in veterans with PTSD and could serve as an alternative for veterans who choose not to receive, or who do not respond to, common prolonged-exposure-based PTSD treatments.
Military forces are entrusted with the responsibility of safeguarding their nations. They have a duty to rigorously explore practical, scientifically supported methods for reducing war and terrorism. Military personnel are compensated for their service and for protecting their countries. Given the resources allocated for these purposes, we believe it is incumbent upon nations’ militaries to establish IDT Prevention Wings within their armed forces. If this is not immediately feasible, civilian groups could explore this possibility.
We strongly encourage willing militaries to promptly implement the IDT approach to help stabilize the current volatile situation.
Once this shift occurs, the military that first initiates such a large-scale deployment of IDT could gain international recognition for fostering enduring peace domestically, as well as for playing a pivotal role in helping avert escalating global conflicts and potentially safeguarding our endangered planet from extinction.
“Victory smiles upon those who anticipate the change in the character of war, not upon those who wait to adapt themselves after the changes occur.”
— General Giulio Douhet, The Command of the Air
The Command of the Air: “Ever since men first began to use weapons to fight each other, military men have been reproached for excessive conservatism, a polite term often intended to imply a dangerous class reluctance to accept new ideas.”
— Admiral William Sims, at the U.S. Naval War College 1921 Graduation, cited in CDR Benjamin F. Armstrong, USN, ed., 21st Century Sims: Innovation, Education, and Leadership for the Modern Era (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2015), 104.
Arlene J. Schar is the Director of Communications at the Center for Advanced Military Science (CAMS), and Dr. David Leffler is the Executive Director at CAMS.
