The Power of Small Groups
The importance of small support groups has been demonstrated by such pioneers as Dean Ornish, MD in his work with recovering heart attack patients (bypassing the need for bypass surgery), and Lynne McTaggart with her “Power of Eight” groups. Barbara Sher’s “Success Teams” have helped many people succeed in their life goals, as the group shares ideas, resources, emotional support, and intentions. My holistic health teacher and mentor, Dr. Erik Peper, taught large health classes at San Francisco State College; each class had time for students to break into small groups to share their experiences with deep relaxation, imagery, self-regulation, and behavior change. The healings in those classes over the course of a semester were remarkable: recovery from chronic pain, migraines, skin problems, digestive issues, mood swings, addictive eating, and more.
In her book The Power of Eight, McTaggart details the many ways she studied and worked with the power of shared intention – from influencing the growth of seeds, to the pH of water, to violence levels, to multiple health concerns.
Influencing Water
Masaru Emoto, who documented the power of intention to change the structure of water crystals, wrote that “to heal water is to heal the world.” Water has 72 physical, material and thermodynamic anomalies. (Did you know that hot water freezes faster than cold water?) Water can be structured via heat, light, sound, and thought. Water’s structure is changed by prayer. Water, of course, is used in rituals such as baptism, blessings, and anointing. Lake Biwa was polluted and stagnant; following prayer by a group, the pH of its water dropped in acidity by one full point, and when a sample was frozen it formed beautiful crystals.
The Healing Power of Altruism
McTaggart discovered that people who share a common focus and intention, involving other people, even for just ten minutes, experienced benefits…as much for the senders as for the receivers. In fact, praying for others turned out to be more effective than being prayed for! These groups demonstrated the healing effects of altruism. People who focused on peace, for example in Sri Lanka, reported greater peace in their own lives and relationships; more open-heartedness, love for the world and even strangers. They felt pulled out of petty concerns, less judgmental and triggered, more forgiving, calm, and grateful. They stated that they experienced clarity, surrender to not being in control, deeper meaning and purpose in life.
Elderly people who do volunteer work have 2/3 lower mortality than those who don’t, and are 42% more likely to report being happy: “helper’s high.” McTaggart writes, “Focusing on the good of others and being of service takes the focus off ourselves in a way that allows movement.”
Just as disconnection and alienation lead to illness, a strong sense of connectedness and social bonding promotes health.
The vagus nerve, sometimes called “the love nerve,” connects with all the communication systems involved with caretaking; it slows the heart rate and promotes the parasympathetic relaxation response; it increases oxytocin levels, associated with love, trust, compassion, and intimacy. Oxytocin reduces inflammation and blood pressure, heals wounds, helps digestion, and boosts immunity. Collective spiritual practices, including prayer and intention for others’ wellbeing, are associated with increased immunity and longevity.
Unity Consciousness
McTaggart writes that the power of a group lies in its unity, “with one mind and one passion,” of one accord, focused and concentrated. In history, from Stonehenge to Muslims in Mecca, to the 12 apostles, the theme of prayer groups “praying as one, in passionate unity,” “focused and concentrated on a unified purpose,” has been documented. She discovered that the size of the group was not important, and the distance from the subject of the healing intention did not matter. Participants frequently reported a sense of life’s perfection, a bond with all that is, a transcendent insight into a greater reality. There was a “palpable, strong sense of beautiful pure giving energy coming from the entire group.” Some reported that they felt mystical ecstasy.
What is the “mystical signature”? A sudden, intense shift in consciousness; dissolving of the separate self, a sense of limitless spaciousness. In studies of Buddhist monks and Franciscan nuns, these feelings were accompanied by a decrease in frontal lobe and parietal lobes’ activity (the centers that distinguish self from non-self).
Important elements: music, intense concentration, visualization, heart-centering, holding a specific focus or request. Most ecstatic practices involve ritual, which may include costumes, pageantry, music, ceremony, symbols, movement, touch. Shamanic drumming helps to synchronize the left and right hemispheres of the brain, improving integration of the cortex and limbic functions. Rituals create a strong expectation of change.
A global peace intention experiment McTaggart led in 2011 led to a 22-30% drop in casualties in the affected areas. In the aftermath, more connections between Americans and Afghans or Arabs were reported, along with greater compassion, forgiveness, and letting go of past hurts. One-fifth of the “senders” reported health benefits, and one veteran’s PTSD was healed completely.
How to create a Power of 8 (or 6, 10, 12…) group
Before the first meeting, ask each person to write down their major intentions/goals for the month/year. What are the implications of the fact that we are sending and receiving at every moment?
Create trust and comfort within the group by exchanging personal information. In pairs, participants practice sending and receiving a mental image of a simple object that has significance (a strong + or – charge) for them. They write down in detail what was sent and what was received by the partner.
“Powering Up” – this works best if all believe in the process, have the ability to focus and quiet the mind, emotionally connect with the person who will receive, visualize the desired outcome, mentally rehearse, and then let go. Use the same space each time. Concentrate on the present, and focus on all five senses (not the mind). Sit comfortably and relax any tense muscles. Take slow deep diaphragmatic breaths, six breaths per minute (5 seconds breathing in through the nose, 5 seconds breathing out through the mouth) but not so slow that it feels like a strain. Continue for 5 minutes; gradually work up to 10 minutes. Focus first on the breath, and then all five senses.
Bring awareness to the heart, imagine sending light to your own heart and letting it spread throughout your body. “May I be well, happy, and peaceful.” On the out-breath, imagine white light radiates out from your heart. Focus first on those you love, even a pet, and then your good friends. Move to acquaintances/neutral folks, and then to those you dislike. “May they be well and free from suffering.”
Tell the Universe exactly what you want, with detail and specifics. State your intention: who, what, when, where, why, how. Draw a picture or make a collage. Make a public commitment, a vow aloud to the group, that you will do whatever you can to make this intention reality. Consider what isn’t working and what is needed.
Mentally rehearse: visualize the desired outcome (such as house, job, peaceful relationship, healthy body, enjoying life) with all five senses. Believe in the process, keep focusing on the desired outcome, not failure or lack. Visualize, in detail, your intention as established fact.
In group meditative state, relax the sense of self, merge with the target of the group’s intention. State the intention clearly at the beginning, then let go of the outcome.
“Healing in a group is a natural part of your birthright, a capacity you were born with and that was there all along for you to make use of,” writes McTaggart.