Technology to Enliven
Total Brain Functioning

One of the most important research findings on the Maharishi Technology of the Unified Field is that this technology is capable of enlivening the total functioning of the brain, which results in integration among all parts of the brain. This finding is important for a comprehensive approach to World Peace, because a real state of peace requires holistic, integrated functioning not only at the collective level of society (refer to webpages "Maharishi Effect —Creating Coherence and Harmony at the Collective Level of a Nation" and "Scientific Research on the Maharishi Effect"), but also at the level of the individual, which is the basic unit of society.

Research in developmental neurophysiology has found that specific types of experience are necessary for the corresponding areas of the brain to develop (1-3)*. For total brain functioning to develop, the specific experience of self-referral consciousness —unbounded awareness—is required, which is easily gained during Transcendental Meditation.

Research demonstrates that during Transcendental Meditation the latent reserves of the brain are enlivened (4), which indicates increased use of the brain's total functioning. (Refer to chart below.)

Increased Use of Hidden Brain Reserves THROUGH TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION During the Transcendental Meditation Programme, early (sensory) components of the brain's response to somatosensory stimuli are more widely distributed across the cortex, indicating greater participation of the whole brain in responding to a stimulus. Reference: (4).

In contrast to this holistic effect of Transcendental Meditation on the brain, specific mental activities such as reading, speaking, memorizing, etc., activate only specific, isolated brain areas, as indicated by changes in cortical blood flow (5-7). During Transcendental Meditation, however, there is increased cerebral blood flow widely throughout the cortex, in both frontal and posterior regions of the brain (8). This finding also reflects greater use of total brain functioning.