The "Power of 8" Method by Lynne McTaggart
In her 30s, U.S. journalist Lynne McTaggart sought medical treatment for spinal problems and a candida infection. She was confronted with statements such as 'You're a candidate for hip surgery.", or "This is going to be a long and painful road." or, "You have scoliosis, which is unfortunately incurable." All assumptions that in retrospect turned out to be wrong, but left her in a deep hole. On another occasion, she heard physical therapy staff say, "Let's see if she's still lame after this exercise." She thus felt in her own body the destructive effect of such statements and judgments by people "who ought to know."
How burdensome the Nocebo effect for many patients can be here can be read.
Lynne McTaggart, however, did not allow herself to be further irritated by what she heard and sought out doctors and therapists who approached her problems with a positive and uplifting attitude, and was able to successfully treat her ailments in a relatively short time.
So she experienced on her own body both what counterproductive statements can do to a person and the opposite.
Quite a journalist, she now became interested in the physical effects of thoughts in general.
Years of intensive research followed, which led McTaggart deep into the inner workings of quantum physics, brain research, sociology, psychology and the study of PSI phenomena. She herself repeatedly emphasizes that, as a non-scientist, it was often tremendously difficult for her to understand the connections and to follow the scientists she visited around the world in a technical way. Although her books have the claim to present exactly these connections for everyone understandably, so for example to explain why spiritual healing works over distances and what role the zero-point-field plays for it, she nevertheless had to take some criticism for parts of the described facts, above all from those representatives of the research, who have the quantum physics not as a bridge between spirituality and science.
In her book, "The Zero Point Field," she tries to bring out that humanity is in the process of moving into a new paradigm: The old perception was that humans are basically self-contained machines, defined solely by genes and chemical processes, but essentially disconnected from everything else. The new paradigm is that we are part of a gigantic field made up of pulsating energy that includes everything and connects everything at the subatomic level. It postulates this pulsating energy field as the central drive for human consciousness and as an indication that the boundaries between "I" and "not-I" are in fact blurred.
"The most fundamental realization, however, was the proof that we are all connected to each other and to the world through the basic framework of our existence (=zero point field). It had been proved by scientific experiments that there can be something like a life force flowing through our universe, which has been variously called collective consciousness or, in the language of theologies, the Holy Spirit. There was now a plausible explanation for all that humanity had believed in for centuries without solid evidence or adequate proof, from the efficacy of alternative healing or even prayer, to life after death. "
From the book "The Zero Point Field" by Lynne McTaggart
Lynne McTaggart was obsessed with the question: if we are all connected, how strong is the power of an intention sent by a group in a simultaneous and focused way?
For two decades, she has been conducting her own elaborate research on this in cooperation with scientists, sometimes with thousands of participants taking part in her intention experiments, sometimes online, sometimes gathered through physical meetings. Her experiments originally revolved around the interaction of as large a group as possible to produce a measurable effect of consciously directed intention, such as on plant growth, the purification of polluted water, but also effects on human behavior.
McTaggart finds the "power of 8"
At a workshop with several hundred participants, small groups were formed within which attempts were made to send healing intentions to one of the group members.
Thus it came out that about eight people are ideally suited to generate healing effects via concertedly directed intention, and sometimes dramatic ones at that.
The term "Power of 8" was born, and this is also the title of McTaggart's latest book. The technique has now been used thousands of times around the globe for over ten years, and numerous anecdotal successes seem to confirm McTaggart's assumptions.
Healing successes through a "Power of 8" session do not follow any particular pattern. Sometimes there is an immediate effect in just one session, then again improvement occurs step by step. In any case, there are significant success stories, some of which are described in detail below.
To conduct a "Force of 8" session, about 8 people need to get together. It can be a physical meeting or a virtual one, in which the participants are connected only by video telephony. The number eight is considered a guideline, the procedure also works with a few people more or less.
Procedure of a "Force of 8" session
- One person from the group with a healing need is designated as the intent recipient.
- The healing intention is defined in writing. It must precisely describe what is to be cured or how one imagines the future ideal state of the person.
- This is followed by the so-called "Power Up" process, which is designed for participants to activate their heart energy and strive to achieve a kind of energetic harmony within the group, for example through breathing exercises.
- Then, the previously formulated healing intention is sent silently by each group member to the recipient for about 10 minutes, with the participants, if physically gathered, forming a circle while holding hands.
- Afterwards, one steps out of the meditative state again and reflects on the experience from the perspective of both the sender and the receiver. A noticeable tingling sensation, the perception of warmth and other physical sensations are often reported.
- It is also possible to direct the intention in such a way that the patient becomes aware of the cause of his disharmony, and in such a way to enable it to be resolved through changed behavior.
There are authentic reports from "Power of 8" participants who report success on a wide variety of levels. The spectrum ranges from the resolution of a financial bottleneck, to newly inspired relationships, to the healing of protracted chronic and sometimes serious illnesses.
The probably even more surprising factor is that the "senders" also benefit extensively from the procedure. So there seems to be a feedback effect, according to the motto: "What you send out comes back to you, and in amplified form".
"Power of 8" case studies
Case study 1: Lisa, 44, has suffered since the age of seventeen from the consequences of a genetic defect called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, which, among other things, also causes pathological changes in the liver, a disease process that conventional medicine can only delay but not cure. Thus, she was offered the prospect of a liver transplant. After her annual liver biopsy in 2017 once again showed deteriorating liver tissue, Lisa decided to become a participant in a "Power of 8" group in England, which she then attended weekly. When it was Lisa's turn to be a recipient, she felt physical changes taking place in the liver area. These continued for quite a while after the session. The subsequent biopsy in 2018 then showed that her liver was back to normal levels, so no further treatment was needed. On YouTube she describes her illness and the healing effect she experienced through the "Power of 8" group: https://youtu.be/sx5nQMzGCiI
Case study 2: Wess, 69, was drafted into the Vietnam War when he was 19. He was about to begin university studies and his life was full of hopes and dreams. None of those remained after he returned from the war; instead, like so many veterans, he suffered from chronic depression that lasted 40 years. "My life, even after the war, was all about bare survival."
In 2018, Wess became a member of a "Force of 8" group and was active there only once and then only as a transmitter. "During the session I felt: something is happening here, there was suddenly a flow of energy through my hands and the vibrations in the room changed noticeably. A very special atmosphere spread." The next day, Wess woke up and his depression was blown away. He felt thoroughly positive and full of drive. For 40 years, he had not experienced such a life-affirming state of being. "At 69, I'm starting a new life again."
The full story, told by Wess himself, can be found here (in English): https://youtu.be/JqxhUDGCBU8
Case study 3: This is about Maya, a professional dancer and dance teacher from England, who suddenly found herself unable to walk in January 2019 due to what doctors called a "functional nerve disorder." She had to learn to walk again for weeks, only to be confined to a wheelchair again in March due to a recurrence of the symptom. Then the game repeated itself again in July. In August, she attended a Lynne McTaggart event, at the end of which a "Power of 8" session was conducted. Maya was chosen as the recipient of the group intention. She reports, "I was overwhelmed with gratitude that so many people saw me dance again in their intention. The gratitude was felt as an intense flow of energy and I had the impulse to both accept it and pass it on to a family member suffering from cancer. After the session, I was prompted by Lynne' to share what I was feeling. When I was handed the microphone, I felt I should stand up, which I did, and without any assistance. This would have been unthinkable even before the session. Maya has had no more relapses to date (Dec. 2019). In this video report, she describes what happened: https://is.gd/zkrTnl
How can such miraculous effects be explained?
- Participants report an altered state of consciousness that spreads during the session. Brain wave measurements show that this altered state of consciousness is similar to what Sufi or Buddhist masters experience during deep immersion, when the boundary between them and the rest of the world begins to dissolve. However, as a "Force of 8" group member, one has access to these states of consciousness immediately and without years of training. They seem to arise from the common altruistic orientation.
- The aspect of altruism is of great importance. Again and again, participants who were only transmitters tell of sudden improvements in their lives. Especially people with long-lasting sufferings experience significant healing effects just by directing healing intention to others.
- As a possible central influencing factor, McTaggart brings the vagus nerve into play. This is the largest nerve in the body, it connects all the internal organs with the brain and is also responsible for shutting down the "fight or flight" reflex, i.e. for ensuring that the body and its internal organs relax comprehensively, i.e. blood pressure and heart rate are reduced. In addition, the stimulated vagus nerve adjusts the hormone cocktail so that cell regeneration, oxygen transport and brain activity are optimized.
- Lynne McTaggart's work essentially revolves around showing that thoughts are forces, whereby we permanently influence each other through them. In addition, McTaggart has worked out over years that the human brain is able to draw information from a kind of quantum field through which we are all connected, making phenomena such as intuition, telepathy or spiritual healing explainable.
- A daring thesis, which by the way is not only represented by McTaggart and the researchers quoted by her, is that our consciousness is not located in the brain but in this very quantum field. According to this thesis, the brain would be a kind of receiver that "downloads" information from the zero-point field and processes it for our senses, but at the same time also sends all thoughts and feelings back there.
- The "power of 8" procedure, i.e. the joint, targeted focus on a desired result, seems to generate a kind of turbo effect. The influence of the group is thus much stronger than that of all individual members.
- Participating in a "Force of 8" session means becoming part of a community. Community activities basically have positive effects on the immune system. The fact that all the other participants in the group may also be carrying some kind of ailment further enhances the community effect. McTaggart has found - and this is consistent with the findings of other researchers in the field - that a healing effect is particularly strong when all participants in the group suffer from the same disease.
- During the sending of the intention, the participants report a phenomenon that could be described as the dissolution of the boundaries between "I" and "non-I". One perceives oneself at this moment as a connected entity.
- The state known as "helper's high," that is, the joy and ecstasy of being able to help someone profoundly, is an important factor in one's own recovery. This is also specifically used in groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, where each participant is given the task of mentoring another member. There is reason to believe that the Helper's High effect is also enhanced by the "community of the well-meaning."
- Positive images cause the formation of corresponding neuronal pathways. Brain researchers assume that even if these images are directed at others, corresponding networks are also formed in the brain of the sender