| Consciousness Research & Health
Care Otto Schmitt Symposium on Consciousness Research by Tim Miejan "Transformation comes more from pursuing profound questions than seeking practical answers." -- Peter Block ST. PAUL, Minn. -- What is consciousness? And how can our best understanding of it lead to more effective and holistic care of the human body? Four noted researchers in the field of consciousness and health care pondered those and many other challenging questions during a recent three-day forum sponsored by the Center for Spirituality and Healing of the University of Minnesota and made possible by a grant from the Otto Schmitt Biomimetic Charitable Foundation. The Otto Schmitt Symposium on Consciousness Research, attended by 100 area healers, physicians, researchers, students and others dedicated to areas of spirituality and integrative healing, was the first such event conducted in the spirit of the late Otto Herbert Schmitt (1913-1998), best remembered for his scientific contributions to biophysics and his crucial role in establishing the field of biomedical engineering. "I can't think of anything more important than putting our attention on consciousness to transform civilization," quantum physicist and author John Hagelin, Ph.D., said in his introductory remarks. Other noted guest speakers were: Wayne B. Jonas, M.D., director of the Samueli Institute for Information Biology and former director of the Office of Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes for Health; Dean Radin, Ph.D., senior scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences and author of The Conscious Universe; and Marilyn Schlitz, Ph.D., vice president for science and education at the Institute of Noetic Sciences and senior scientist at the Complementary Medicine Research Institute at the California Pacific Medical Center. Dr. Hagelin, who has committed his life to applying the latest scientific knowledge of natural law for the benefit of the individual and society [see article on Dr. Hagelin in section on Peace & War], presented the only definitive explanation of consciousness during the conference. "Progress in theoretical physics during the past quarter century has led to a systematically more unified understanding of the laws of nature, culminating in the recent discovery of completely unified field theories," he reported. "These theories locate a single, universal 'unified field' of nature's intelligence at the basis of all forms and phenomena in the universe." Hagelin, a professor of physics at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, has led experiments to demonstrate the effect of human consciousness on societal conditions. His most publicized study showed correlations between the practice of Transcendental Meditation and a reduction of violent crime in Washington, D.C. Other studies have showed similar results in war-torn areas of the world. Such research, he said, allows him to conclude that we must revise our understanding of human consciousness. "Specifically," he reported, "consciousness has been widely viewed as...a byproduct of complex, electro-chemical processes in the brain. Now, according to the above research, consciousness is the most fundamental phenomenon in the universe -- the unified field at the foundation of subjective and objective existence." Hagelin offered a detailed correlation between models of the universe as viewed by quantum physics and as revealed by the ancient practice of Ayurveda. His experience with both realms has led him to conclude that tapping into the vibrations of consciousness, through such means as mantras or sound vibrations, can offer powerfully effective (and cost-effective) means of restoring "physiological balance or eliminate disease from different parts of the body." "We dance around in a ring and suppose, but the secret sits in the middle and knows." -- Robert Frost Dr. Jonas, described as a "practical mystic," currently serves on the White House Commission for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy. He told symposium guests that "consciousness is really a topic about death" -- the death of obsolete thinking and the death of resistance within the scientific community in discussing the "C" word. He said it is important that science begin to discover ways to measure or identify the effects of such practices as meditation and spiritual healing to advance our collective acceptance that much more is going on than we are aware. Dr. Jonas' talk exposed just how little we understand about the role consciousness plays in healing. To what degree do our expectations actually promote healing? What about your physician's expectations? Why do new pharmaceutical medications work well when they are first introduced on the market, but perform less effectively after a period of time? He and others consistently referred to our awareness of consciousness as the "tip of the iceberg." "It is our obligation to use the best of both worlds -- science and spirituality," Dr. Jonas said. Dr. Schlitz, who spoke on intentional healing -- "the projection of awareness, with purpose and efficacy" -- and its role in mind-body-spirit healing, said it is important that science be used to engage the mystery of consciousness and assist us in understanding how we are affecting life without even knowing it. She reviewed a number of experiments and studies on expectation, on how our intention can influence the physiology of someone else, and emphasized how vital it is to upgrade the quality and quantity of scientific exploration in this field of study. Citing energy medicine as the fastest-growing modality within alternative medicine, Dr. Schlitz said Western scientists still have no understanding of how it works. "Very likely, we will make breakthroughs," she said, "but it would be complete arrogance to think we have any answers now. But we are beginning to formulate the questions." She said many current ways in which we look at healing may change dramatically in the years to come, once we gain a better understanding of how consciousness works in the healing process. She said this about where we are now: "We serve as hospice workers for an old paradigm that no longer works." "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." -- Marcel Proust Dr. Radin, who for 16 years has conducted experimental studies of psi phenomenon in academia and industry, presented one of the more scientific, but fascinating, reports at the symposium on "mass consciousness as an organizing influence." In 1998, the internet-based Global Consciousness Project was launched to study the output of electronic random number generators (RNG) positioned in various locations around the world and detect any correlation between their results and changes in human consciousness. The way they do that is to compare changes in the outputs during quiet times and moments when there is high excitement among communities of people, including times of natural disasters, celebrations and high-interest sporting events. Intense scrutiny of the random fluctuations of numbers occurred on January 1, 2000, in connection with the perceived panic about Y2K. Other global events included an earthquake in Turkey, the O.J. Simpson verdict on television and the funeral of Princess Diana. Dr. Radin said it is clear that such events do affect the outputs of the RNGs worldwide, and clear correlations between RNG units situated thousands of miles apart have been detected. "We view these RNGs as not a bunch of buoys floating in the ocean, but random buoys in the ocean of consciousness," Dr. Radin said. "News events correlate to spikes in random generator peaks." He revealed that the largest daily average intercorrelation between all RNGs worldwide in the year 2001 occurred on Sept. 11. "Normally, the outputs we see from the RNGs are like a wind chime tinkling," Dr. Radin said. "Events will cause changes that are like a strong wind blowing. 9/11 was a mental tsunami event." Surprisingly, the spike detected on the random number generations occurred shortly before the first tower of the World Trade Center was struck by terrorists. Like a dog sensing an earthquake before the tremors are felt, outputs of the RNGs sensed a global shift in human consciousness before 9/11 occurred. "Somehow," Dr. Radin said, "people new something was going to happen." Speakers at the symposium have committed their professional lives to identifying the interaction between mind and matter, and without question, they have done that. They said that our task is to unveil the mystery and understand how it works -- and how it can be used for the betterment of humankind. Tim Miejan is editor of The EDGE. Contact him at (651) 578-8969 or e-mail editor@edgenews.com Copyright © 2003 Tim Miejan |
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