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Healing & Intention

A curated collection of research papers focusing on healing & intention. Explore the methodology, key findings, and ongoing debates in this field.

Total Papers 25

Year Range 1988 – 2024

Top Contributors

Radin, DeanSchwartz, Stephan ABengston, William F

Recent Publications

Effects of Intentionally-Treated Water on Cell Migration of Human Glioblastoma Cells

Yu, Chang-Tze Ricky; Radin, Dean I; Chu, Chen-Yu; Shiah, Yung-Jong • 2024 • Explore

Four Buddhist monks directed meditative intention into bottles of ultrapure water with the specific aim of causing beneficial changes in glioblastoma cancer cells. In a double-blind design, U87MG human glioblastoma cells were cultured in growth media prepared with treated vs. untreated water, and cell migration was measured via wound healing assay at 0, 3, 6, and 9 hours across three experimental replications. Cells in treated water migrated significantly less: repeated measures ANOVA yielded a time x water condition interaction of F(3,9) = 8.560, p = 0.005 (Huynh-Feldt corrected p < 0.008). At 9 hours, migration was reduced by approximately 25%. The study extends the Shiah/Radin treated-water paradigm to a clinically relevant cancer cell line.

#intentionally_treated_water #glioblastoma #cell_migration #wound_healing_assay #mind_matter_interaction

Water, Wine and the Sacred, An Anthropological View of Substances Altered by Intentioned Awareness, Including Objective and Aesthetic Effects

Schwartz, Stephan A • 2019 • Explore

Twelve blind wine-tasting experiments tested whether group meditation intention could alter aesthetic preference for wine. Each session used a single 750ml bottle decanted into two 375ml carafes; one received 20-30 min intention from 6-10 meditators (93 total intenders), the other served as control. Seven blinded tasters per session (84 total) voted preference. Eleven of 12 sessions showed majority preference for treated wine (binomial p=0.00049); 95% CI [0.76, 1.0]. Effect consistent across different intender groups, party hosts, and session compositions. Extends water spectroscopy (Schwartz 2015) and crystal formation (Radin 2006) findings to consumer-relevant aesthetic judgment. Statistical analysis by Prof. Jessica Utts.

#distant_intention #wine_tasting #aesthetic_judgment #meditation #nonlocal_perturbation

Transcriptional Changes in Cancer Cells Induced by Exposure to a Healing Method

Beseme, S; Bengston, W; Radin, D; Turner, M; McMichael, J • 2018 • Dose-Response

In vitro experimental study testing whether 'stored' or 'recorded' healing intention (the Bengston method) induces transcriptional changes in breast cancer cells. Three delivery methods were compared: cotton charged by trained healers, an electromagnetic recording (R18) of 3 healers captured on 38 channels in a Faraday chamber, and direct hands-on treatment. Of 167 genes screened by qRT-PCR, 68 showed significant changes (p<0.05) when cells were exposed to R18, with 37 exceeding 1.5-fold change. ATP citrate lyase (ACLY) was consistently downregulated at 4 hours across 3 independent experiments (fold: −1.35 to −2.11, p=.011 to .00007), and IL-1β was consistently downregulated at 24 hours (fold: −1.73 to −1.61, p<.004). Hands-on delivery produced faster and stronger effects. ACLY and IL-1β are proposed as candidate biomarkers of the healing method.

#healing #intention #in_vitro #gene_expression #cancer

Two Meta-Analyses of Noncontact Healing Studies

Roe, Chris A; Sonnex, Charmaine; Roxburgh, Elizabeth C • 2015 • Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing

Are the positive findings from noncontact healing studies robust after excluding fraudulent work and accounting for methodological quality? Two meta-analyses examined 49 non-whole-human biological studies (cell cultures, animals, plants) and 57 whole-human clinical trials of distant healing, excluding the discredited studies of Daniel P. Wirth. Phase 1 yielded weighted r = .258 (CI95 .239-.278), reducing to r = .115 when restricted to 22 quality-threshold studies. Phase 2 yielded r = .203 (CI95 .180-.232), increasing to r = .224 for 27 quality-filtered studies. Both databases were heterogeneous and showed quality-outcome correlations, but significant effects survived quality filtering.

#meta_analysis #noncontact_healing #intercessory_prayer #therapeutic_touch #methodological_quality

Infrared Spectra Alteration in Water Proximate to the Palms of Therapeutic Practitioners

Schwartz, Stephan A; De Mattei, Randall J; Brame, Edward G. Jr; Spottiswoode, S. James P • 2015 • Explore

Pilot study testing whether sealed sterile water vials held proximate to the palms of 14 therapeutic practitioners during healing sessions with recipients show measurable IR spectral changes. Using attenuated total reflection IR spectrophotometry with a JANOS MIR unit (25 reflections), the O-H bonding ratio (3350 cm⁻¹ / 3620 cm⁻¹) was measured. With zinc selenide IRE: Treated vs calibration controls z = 3.54, P = .0004; all three exposure durations (5, 10, 15 min) individually significant. However, no dose-response relationship was found. Practicing practitioners showed more robust effects (P = .001) than Non-practicing (P = .04). Temperature, barometric pressure, and sampling order were examined as artifacts and did not explain the results. Some session controls were also affected, raising questions about proximity effects or researcher influence.

#healing_intention #water_structure #infrared_spectroscopy #therapeutic_touch #o_h_bonding

Crossing Disciplinary Boundaries: Going Beyond Even Meta-Analysis of Distant Intention Effects

Bengston, William F • 2012 • Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine

Editorial commentary comparing Stefan Schmidt's meta-analysis of distant intention effects (11 studies, 576 sessions showing small but consistent effect sizes) with the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) laboratory's 30-year program. Schmidt's attention-focusing facilitation experiments (AFFEs) are part of the larger DMILS paradigm. PEAR's work with random-event generators found similarly small effect sizes but with extreme statistical significance from large databases. Key PEAR findings: no attenuation by distance or time, multiple operators producing stronger effects than individuals, and operator intentions correlating with RNG deviations regardless of generation method. Argues that both research programs are studying the same phenomenon from different disciplinary angles, and calls for cross-paradigm integration to identify common patterns rather than continuing to debate existence.

#distant_intention #healing #meta_analysis #pear #mind_matter_interaction

Distant Healing of Surgical Wounds: An Exploratory Study

Schlitz, Marilyn; Hopf, Harriet W; Eskenazi, Loren; Vieten, Cassandra; Radin, Dean • 2012 • Explore

A three-arm NIH-funded RCT examined whether distant healing intention (DHI) affects surgical wound healing in 72 women undergoing plastic surgery. Participants were randomized to blinded DHI (n=23), blinded control (n=24), or unblinded expectancy (n=25), with 40 experienced healers providing 20+ minutes/day of DHI for 8 days post-surgery. The primary outcome, subcutaneous collagen deposition via IMPRA implants, showed no significant group differences (F(2,62)=0.79, P=.46). However, post-hoc analyses revealed that participants' prior belief in DHI negatively predicted mental health (rho=-0.27, P=.04), and healers' perceived connectedness negatively correlated with mood change (rho=-0.57, P=.001) and collagen deposition (rho=-0.30, P=.04). Breast cancer reconstruction patients receiving blinded DHI showed significantly improved mood compared to cosmetic surgery patients (P=.004).

#distant_healing_intention #wound_healing #collagen_deposition #expectancy_effects #belief_moderators

Nonlocality, Intention, and Observer Effects in Healing Studies: Laying a Foundation for the Future

Schwartz, Stephan A; Dossey, Larry, MD • 2010 • Explore

A critical narrative review exploring the current status of healing-intention and prayer research, using the STEP trial (Benson et al. 2006; N=1802 cardiac bypass patients; Group C harm P=.003, z=2.8) as a detailed case study. Argues that the pharmacological dose-dependent model adopted for prayer studies is fundamentally inappropriate for intention-healing research. Critiques assumptions about blinding and randomization, presents evidence for nonlocal observer effects from experimenter-effect studies (Wiseman-Schlitz), sheep-goat research, Decision Augmentation Theory (May et al.), MANTRA II (N=748), and Achterberg's healer fMRI study (P<.0001). Proposes that the intentions and beliefs of all participants—including researchers and critics—must be evaluated in study design.

#healing #intention #prayer #observer_effects #methodology

Intercessory Prayer for the Alleviation of Ill Health

Roberts, Leanne; Ahmed, Irshad; Davison, Andrew • 2009 • Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

Systematic review of 10 randomised controlled trials (N=7,646) evaluating whether intercessory prayer added to routine care improves health outcomes. Searched 10 databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, and ATLA Religion Database through June 2007. Found no clear effect of prayer on death (5 RCTs, RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.74-1.36), clinical state (5 RCTs, RR 0.98, CI 0.86-1.11), CCU readmission (4 RCTs, RR 1.00, CI 0.77-1.30), or rehospitalisation (2 RCTs, RR 0.93, CI 0.71-1.22). Of 33 specific complications, 3 marginally favoured prayer but likely reflect multiple testing. Awareness of being prayed for was associated with more complications (RR 1.15, CI 1.04-1.28). Authors conclude evidence is equivocal and recommend no further trials.

#intercessory_prayer #cochrane_review #distant_healing #randomised_controlled_trials #prayer_efficacy

Compassionate Intention as a Therapeutic Intervention by Partners of Cancer Patients: Effects of Distant Intention on the Patients’ Autonomic Nervous System

Radin, Dean; Stone, Jerome; Levine, Ellen; Eskandarnejad, Shahram; Schlitz, Marilyn; Kozak, Leila; Mandel, Dorothy; Hayssen, Gail • 2008 • Explore

Seventy-two participants in 36 couples (38 usable sessions) took part in a DMILS experiment where a sender directed compassionate intention toward a receiver in an electromagnetically shielded chamber 20 meters away. Skin conductance was measured during randomly timed 10-second intention epochs. Three groups were compared: trained (12 cancer couples, partner given 3 months compassionate intention meditation training), wait-list (10 cancer couples before training), and control (14 healthy couples, no training). Overall receiver SCL at stimulus offset was significantly elevated (z = 3.9, p = .00009, two-tailed). Per-session effect sizes for the motivated groups (e = 0.74) were 6.7x larger than prior DMILS meta-analytic estimates, though the between-group difference was not significant.

#dmils #skin_conductance #compassionate_intention #cancer_patients #electromagnetic_shielding

Effects of Distant Intention on Water Crystal Formation: A Triple-Blind Replication

Radin, Dean; Lund, Nancy; Emoto, Masaru; Kizu, Takashige • 2008 • Journal of Scientific Exploration

Triple-blind replication of the 2006 pilot study testing whether water exposed to distant intentions produces more aesthetically beautiful ice crystals. Over three days, ~1,900 people in Austria and Germany directed gratitude intentions toward water samples in an EM-shielded room at IONS, California (~5,700 miles away). 6 bottles randomly assigned to treated (2), proximal control (2, same room, unknown to intenders), and distant control (2). 50 water drops per bottle frozen; 300 crystal photographs rated by 2,579 blind independent judges on 7-point beauty scale online. Nested ANOVA: treated crystals rated significantly more beautiful (p=0.03); planned treated vs proximal comparison p=0.05 one-tailed (beauty>1.0 subset p=0.01). Combined with 2006 pilot: Stouffer Z=3.34, p=0.0004. However, distant controls were slightly (NS) more beautiful than treated for all trials, and many uncontrolled degrees of freedom acknowledged.

#distant_intention #water_crystals #triple_blind #aesthetic_rating #emoto

Prayer and Health: Review, Meta-Analysis, and Research Agenda

Masters, Kevin S; Spielmans, Glen I • 2007 • Journal of Behavioral Medicine

An updated meta-analysis of 15 randomized studies on distant intercessory prayer found no discernible health effects. Using a random effects model, the overall effect was g = 0.082 (p = .26); excluding a fraudulent study (Cha & Wirth, 2001), the effect dropped to g = 0.003 (p = .97). No moderator variables — random assignment, prayer frequency, or intervention duration — significantly influenced outcomes. A narrative review of prayer frequency, prayer content, and prayer as a coping strategy found mixed but suggestive results via recognized psychological mechanisms. The authors recommend abandoning distant intercessory prayer research and focusing on naturally occurring prayer practices studied via longitudinal and experimental designs.

#intercessory_prayer #meta_analysis #prayer_coping #null_results #complementary_medicine

Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer (STEP) in Cardiac Bypass Patients: A Multicenter Randomized Trial of Uncertainty and Certainty of Receiving Intercessory Prayer

Benson, Herbert; Dusek, Jeffery A; Sherwood, Jane B; Lam, Peter; Bethea, Charles F; Carpenter, William; Levitsky, Sidney; Hill, Peter C; Clem, Donald W. Jr; Jain, Manoj K; Drumel, David; Kopecky, Stephen L; Mueller, Paul S; Marek, Dean; Rollins, Sue; Hibberd, Patricia L • 2006 • American Heart Journal

A $2.4 million multicenter randomized clinical trial at six US hospitals examined whether intercessory prayer affects recovery from coronary artery bypass graft surgery. 1,802 patients were randomized to three groups: prayed-for but uncertain (n=604), not prayed-for and uncertain (n=597), or prayed-for and certain of receiving prayer (n=601). Three Christian prayer groups prayed for 14 days starting the night before surgery. Complications within 30 days occurred in 52% of uncertain prayed-for patients vs 51% of uncertain non-prayed-for patients (RR=1.02, 95% CI 0.92–1.15, p=.67), showing no effect of prayer. Patients certain of receiving prayer had significantly more complications at 59% (RR=1.14, 95% CI 1.02–1.28, p=.025). Intercessory prayer had no effect on complication-free recovery, and certainty of receiving prayer was associated with worse outcomes.

#intercessory_prayer #coronary_artery_bypass #randomized_controlled_trial #nocebo_effect #templeton_foundation

Double-Blind Test of the Effects of Distant Intention on Water Crystal Formation

Radin, Dean; Hayssen, Gail; Emoto, Masaru; Kizu, Takashige • 2006 • Explore

A pilot study testing whether distant intention affects ice crystal formation, specifically Masaru Emoto's claim that positive intentions produce aesthetically pleasing crystals. Approximately 2,000 people in Tokyo directed positive intentions toward water samples stored in an electromagnetically shielded room at IONS in California (~5,000 miles away), while matched control samples were kept separately. An analyst blindly identified and photographed 40 ice crystals (24 treated, 16 control), which 100 independent judges rated for aesthetic appeal on a 0–6 scale. Treated crystals received significantly higher ratings (mean 2.87 vs. 1.88, t(38) = 3.27, p < .001, d ≈ 1.04). A second group of 100 raters confirmed the result (p < .002).

#water_crystals #distant_intention #double_blind #aesthetic_rating #emoto_method

Music, Imagery, Touch, and Prayer as Adjuncts to Interventional Cardiac Care: The Monitoring and Actualisation of Noetic Trainings (MANTRA) II Randomised Study

Krucoff, Mitchell W; Crater, Suzanne W; Gallup, Dianne; Blankenship, James C; Cuffe, Michael; Guarneri, Mimi; Krieger, Richard A; Kshettry, Vib R; Morris, Kenneth; Oz, Mehmet; Pichard, Augusto; Sketch, Michael H. Jr; Koenig, Harold G; Mark, Daniel; Lee, Kerry L • 2005 • The Lancet

A multicenter 2x2 factorial RCT tested whether bedside music, imagery, and touch (MIT) therapy or double-blind off-site intercessory prayer improved outcomes in 748 patients undergoing cardiac catheterization or PCI at nine US centers. Neither MIT therapy nor prayer significantly affected the primary composite endpoint of in-hospital MACE plus 6-month death or readmission (MIT: HR 1.09, 95% CI 0.86-1.39; prayer: HR 0.97, 95% CI 0.77-1.24). A secondary analysis found significantly lower 6-month mortality with MIT therapy (HR 0.35, 95% CI 0.15-0.82, p=0.016). MIT therapy also significantly reduced pre-procedural distress (p<0.0001). The authors concluded that neither therapy significantly improved clinical outcome after elective catheterization or PCI.

#intercessory_prayer #noetic_therapy #randomized_controlled_trial #cardiac_catheterization #music_imagery_touch

Effects of Healing Intention on Cultured Cells and Truly Random Events

Radin, Dean; Taft, Ryan; Yount, Garret • 2004 • The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine

Four experienced Johrei practitioners directed healing intention toward cultured human astrocytes inside an electromagnetically shielded chamber over 3 days, with 6 treated and 6 control flasks per day in a double-blind design. Three truly random number generators monitored the environment continuously. No overall main effect of healing on cell growth was found (p = 0.45), but a significant treatment-by-day interaction (p = 0.02) showed treated cells grew progressively more than controls, with day 3 treated-vs-control contrast at p = 0.02. The three RNGs peaked at z = 4.8 (bootstrap p = 0.00009) on day 3. Combined evidence for cumulative space conditioning: z = 4.15 to 4.32 (p = 0.00002 to 0.000008).

#johrei_healing #cell_culture_experiment #random_number_generator #space_conditioning #negentropy

Integrative Noetic Therapies as Adjuncts to Percutaneous Intervention During Unstable Coronary Syndromes: Monitoring and Actualization of Noetic Training (MANTRA) Feasibility Pilot

Krucoff, Mitchell W; Crater, Suzanne W; Green, Cindy L; Maas, Arthur C; Seskevich, Jon E; Lane, James D; Loeffler, Karen A; Morris, Kenneth; Bashore, Thomas M; Koenig, Harold G • 2001 • American Heart Journal

A prospective, randomized pilot study (MANTRA I) at Duke University examined four noetic therapies — stress relaxation, imagery, touch therapy, and off-site intercessory prayer — as adjuncts to percutaneous coronary intervention in 150 patients with unstable coronary syndromes. Patients were randomized across five arms (four noetic plus standard therapy). Acceptance was excellent (88% consent, 98% treatment completion). No outcomes reached statistical significance, but there was a 25-30% absolute reduction in adverse periprocedural outcomes with noetic therapy (ACE 20.4% vs 25.9%). Off-site prayer showed the lowest complication rates. However, all 6-month mortality occurred in noetic therapy groups (9.2% vs 0%, P = .12), raising safety considerations for future trials.

#intercessory_prayer #noetic_therapies #cardiac_intervention #randomized_pilot #distant_intention

Effects of remote, retroactive intercessory prayer on outcomes in patients with bloodstream infection: randomised controlled trial

Leibovici, Leonard • 2001 • BMJ

Double-blind RCT testing whether retroactive intercessory prayer affects outcomes in 3,393 patients with bloodstream infection at Rabin Medical Center, Israel (1990-1996). In July 2000, patients were randomized and a single person said a short prayer for the intervention group's recovery — 4 to 10 years after the infections. Mortality was 28.1% (475/1691) in the intervention group versus 30.2% (514/1702) in controls (P = 0.4, not significant). Length of hospital stay was significantly shorter in the intervention group (median 7 vs 8 days, P = 0.01), as was duration of fever (P = 0.04). Published in the BMJ Christmas issue, the study is both methodologically rigorous and conceptually provocative, testing retrocausal prayer with a large, well-balanced sample.

#retroactive_prayer #distant_healing #randomized_controlled_trial #retrocausation #bloodstream_infection

The Efficacy of "Distant Healing": A Systematic Review of Randomized Trials

Astin, John A; Harkness, Elaine; Ernst, Edzard • 2000 • Annals of Internal Medicine

Systematic review of 23 randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials (N = 2,774 patients) examining the efficacy of distant healing — prayer, Therapeutic Touch, and other distant healing modalities — for medical conditions. Studies were identified through five databases searched through 1999. Of the 23 trials, 13 (57%) yielded statistically significant positive treatment effects, 9 showed no effect, and 1 showed a negative effect. Average weighted effect sizes were d = 0.25 for prayer (P = 0.009), d = 0.63 for Therapeutic Touch (P = 0.003), and d = 0.38 for other distant healing (P = 0.073). The overall effect size across 16 evaluator-blinded trials was d = 0.40 (P < 0.001). The authors conclude methodological limitations prevent definitive conclusions but the evidence merits further study.

#systematic_review #distant_healing #prayer #therapeutic_touch #clinical_trials

The Effect of the 'Laying On of Hands' on Transplanted Breast Cancer in Mice

Bengston, William F; Krinsley, David • 2000 • Journal of Scientific Exploration

Four experiments at Queens College and St. Joseph's College tested whether 'laying on of hands' techniques could cure transplanted mammary adenocarcinoma (H2712 strain) in mice facing 100% predicted fatality within 14–27 days. Bengston and trained skeptical volunteers placed hands outside cages for 1 hour/day. The tumors developed a blackened area, ulcerated, imploded, and closed; mice lived their full lifespans. Across 33 experimental mice, 87.9% achieved complete remission. On-site controls that were observed by healers remitted at 69.2%; off-site controls sent to another city died 100%. Histological analysis found viable cancer cells throughout remission stages, suggesting an immune-mediated response. Reinjected remitted mice showed immunity to the same cancer. Stated belief in healing was not required to produce the effect.

#healing_intention #animal_experiment #cancer_remission #laying_on_hands #immune_response

A Randomized, Controlled Trial of the Effects of Remote, Intercessory Prayer on Outcomes in Patients Admitted to the Coronary Care Unit

Harris, William S; Gowda, Manohar; Kolb, Jerry W; Strychacz, Christopher P; Vacek, James L; Jones, Philip G; Forker, Alan; O'Keefe, James H; McCallister, Ben D • 1999 • Archives of Internal Medicine

Consecutive coronary care unit admissions (N=990) at Mid America Heart Institute were randomized to receive daily remote intercessory prayer from teams of 5 Christian volunteers for 28 days, or usual care alone, under fully double-blind conditions with an IRB waiver of informed consent. Using a newly developed weighted MAHI-CCU composite score of 34 adverse events and procedures, the prayer group scored 11% lower than usual care (6.35 vs 7.13, P=.04). The unweighted event count also favored prayer (2.7 vs 3.0, P=.04). However, the effect did not replicate using Byrd's original categorical hospital course score (P=.29), and no individual outcome component reached significance. Length of CCU and hospital stay did not differ. The authors concluded that intercessory prayer may be an effective adjunct to standard medical care.

#intercessory_prayer #coronary_care_unit #randomized_controlled_trial #byrd_replication #composite_outcome_score

A Randomized Double-Blind Study of the Effect of Distant Healing in a Population With Advanced AIDS: Report of a Small Scale Study

Sicher, Fred; Targ, Elisabeth; Moore, Dan II; Smith, Helene S • 1998 • Western Journal of Medicine

Forty patients with advanced AIDS (CDC category C-3, CD4+ <200) were pair-matched for age, CD4+ count, and AIDS-defining illnesses, then randomized to receive 10 weeks of distant healing from 40 rotating practitioners or a control condition. In this double-blind trial, treatment subjects acquired significantly fewer new AIDS-defining illnesses (0.1 vs 0.6, P=0.04), had lower illness severity (BHS score 0.80 vs 2.65, P=0.03), required fewer doctor visits (9.2 vs 13.0, P=0.01), and had fewer hospitalizations (0.15 vs 0.6, P=0.04). Mood improved significantly in the treatment group (POMS P=0.02). A multivariate randomization test across all 11 outcomes was significant (P=0.0154). The authors conclude these data support a possible distant healing effect in AIDS.

#distant_healing #aids_hiv #double_blind_rct #clinical_trial #prayer_healing

Remote Mental Influence of Electrodermal Activity

Braud, William G • 1993 • Journal of Indian Psychology

Reviews 15 experiments testing whether mental intention of one person can influence the electrodermal activity (skin resistance responses, SRR) of another person in a separate, isolated room. Conducted at the Mind Science Foundation, the protocol seated subjects in a shielded room while an influencer 20 m away attempted to mentally calm or activate them during randomly scheduled 30-second periods (10 influence, 10 control per session), with subjects blind to the timing. Data from 323 sessions with 271 subjects and 62 influencers were analyzed using Stouffer's z. Thirteen of 15 experiments yielded results in the expected direction; 6 of 15 (40%) were independently significant at p < .05, versus 5% expected by chance; combined Stouffer z = 4.08, p = .000023; mean effect size d = 0.29. Subjects and influencers were unselected community volunteers, suggesting the effect may be broadly distributed. Traces historical precedents in Soviet psychophysiology (Vasiliev, Bekhterev) and calls for independent laboratory replications.

#dmils #electrodermal_activity #remote_mental_influence #psychophysiology #replication_call

Consciousness Interactions with Remote Biological Systems: Anomalous Intentionality Effects

Braud, William G; Schlitz, Marilyn J • 1991 • Subtle Energies & Energy Medicine

Summarizes a 13-year research program (37 experiments, 655 sessions) investigating direct mental influence of living systems (DMILS). Influencers attempted to mentally affect remote biological targets — including human electrodermal activity, blood pressure, muscular tremor, fish orientation, gerbil locomotion, and red blood cell hemolysis — while isolated in separate rooms with randomized influence/non-influence epochs. Twenty-one of 37 experiments reached individual significance (57% vs. 5% by chance). The overall Stouffer z = 7.72 (p = 2.58 × 10⁻¹⁴) with mean effect size r = .33 across all systems. Additional studies showed electrodermal correlates of remote attention (staring detection). Results are interpreted as laboratory analogs of mental healing.

#dmils #electrodermal_influence #remote_staring #hemolysis #bio_pk

Positive Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer in a Coronary Care Unit Population

Byrd, Randolph C • 1988 • Southern Medical Journal

A prospective randomized double-blind study of 393 coronary care unit patients at San Francisco General Hospital tested whether intercessory prayer by born-again Christians affected clinical outcomes. Each of the 192 prayer-group patients was assigned 3-7 intercessors who prayed daily until discharge; the 201 control patients received standard care. Groups were statistically equivalent at entry. The prayer group had significantly fewer episodes of congestive heart failure (4% vs 10%), pneumonia (2% vs 7%), cardiopulmonary arrest (2% vs 7%), and required less intubation (0% vs 6%), fewer antibiotics (2% vs 9%), and fewer diuretics (3% vs 8%), all P<.01. Multivariate analysis separated groups at P<.0001. A post hoc severity score showed 85% good outcomes in the prayer group vs 73% controls (P<.01). No significant mortality difference was found.

#intercessory_prayer #coronary_care_unit #randomized_controlled_trial #distant_intention #clinical_outcomes

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