Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

North American MVVT Research Report

April 11, 2001
David Scharf, Ph.D.

Section 1: General Considerations
Section 2: Review of Data for First Three Sessions
Section 3: Average Percent Improvement by Disorder Category
Section 4: Detail View of Results by Disorder
Section 5: Comparison with Initial Report
Section 6: Follow-up Self-Evaluations
Section 7: Contributing Factors to Success

Section 1: General Considerations

Maharishi Vedic Vibration Technology has been offered in North America for over two years, resulting in more than 4,500 consultations.

Table 1. Repeat Consultations

Number of Consultations Number of Persons
2 760
3 239
4 95
more than 4 92

Table 2. Disorders Addressed

Number of Disorders Number of Participant
1 2,455
2 962
3 926
4 198
5 84
6 52
more than 6 45

As of March 26, 2001 we had database entries for 4,722 consultations. At least 1,186 of these were repeat consultations, by the same people, although not necessarily for the same disorders. The actual number of repeats is probably a couple of hundred more than this, since we did not keep track of this datum for the first few months of the program. Approximately 3,300 is a realistic estimate of the number of distinct persons who have participated in our program. A summary of our records on repeat consultations is provided in Table 1.

For the sake of simplicity we will consider each consultation to involve a distinct participant.

The 4,722 total participants had 8,974 disorders addressed – an average of 1.9 disorders per participant. 2,267 participants had more than one disorder addressed in their consultation. A summary of the number of disorders addressed and by how many participants is provided in Table 2.

More women than men participated in our program, 54% or 2,550 women compared to 46% or 2,172 men. The great majority of participants were middle-aged, with 5% aged 0 to 19, 10% aged 20 to 39, 71% aged 40 to 59, and 15% aged 60 or older. The oldest participant was a 95 year old man.

Self-evaluation (SE) results forms were filled out for each disorder addressed after each session, 7,297 after session one, 7,033 after session two and 6,495 after session three. Of these, participants provided a numerical estimate of percent improvement for 2,223 disorders addressed after session one, 3,407 after session two and 3,751 after session three. Our staff made qualitative assessments of comments on several hundred self-evaluation reports where participants felt it was too soon to evaluate numerically. By and large, the distribution of these qualitative reports was consistent with the numerical results. For 1,640 disorders addressed, 937 participants provided numerical estimates following all three sessions. These 1,640 numerical reports provide the basis for the primary data analysis for the MVVT program.

Section 2: Review of Data for First Three Sessions

Chart 1, below, follows the progress of the participants through the three sessions, and shows that the results are cumulative – the average percent improvement increased from the first session to the second, and again from the second to the third session.

Chart 1. Cumulative Results: Average Percent Improvement by Session

Chart 1. Cumulative Results: Average Percent Improvement by Session

After the third session, the average percent improvement was 44.57%, with 6% or 98 of the 1,640 disorders addressed reported as 100% improved.

Table 3. Quartile Results for All Disorders following Third Session

Relief from Symptoms Number of Reports Percent of Total
75 - 100% improved 472 29%
50 - 74% improved 342 21%
25 - 49% improved 252 15%
less than 25% 574 35%
Total Number of Reports 1,495  

By dividing the results into four quartiles, as shown in Table 3, we can see how the results were distributed. Note that 65% or nearly two-thirds of the disorders evaluated improved by more than 25%. Chart 2 illustrates these results graphically.

Chart 2. Totals for All Disorders

Chart 2. Totals for All Disorders

The cumulative effect noted in Chart 1, above, also applies to repeat consultations for the same disorders. As one participant remarked, typically, "It worked very well — in fact, I just repeated the disorder … and I am having additional improvement." Table 4, below, illustrates that the cumulative effect tends to accelerate with repeated consultations.

Table 4. Accelerating Improvement With Repeat Consultations

Average Improve- ment 1st Consult. Average Improve- ment 2nd Consult. Average Improve- ment 2nd Consult. Average Improve- ment 3rd Consult. Average Improve- ment 3rd Consult. Average Improve- ment 4th Consult. Difference in Average Improve- ment
38.11%                  
  40.45% 36.44%       +2.34%
      43.64% 25.86%   +7.20%
          34.58% +8.72%
Based on 81 reports by participants who had 1st and 2nd consultations for the same disorders. Based on 31 reports by participants who had 2nd and 3rd consultations for the same disorders. Based on 11 reports by participants who had 3rd and 4th consultations for the same disorders.  


Section 3: Average Percent Improvement by Disorder Category

Table 5 and Chart 3, below, list the categories of disorders from most to least successful. Table 5 shows the distribution of reports between the four quartiles (75 to 100% improved, 50 to 74% improved, 25 to 49% improved and less than 25%). The average percent improvement for each category of disorders is shown in the right-hand column, and the number of reports for each category is given in parentheses after the name, in the left-hand column.

Table 5. Disorder Categories Listed in Order of Success

Disorder Category Less than 25% 25 to 49% improved 50 to 74% improved 75 to 100% improved Average Percent Improvement
RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS (82) 20 7 15 40 59.35
GYNECOLOGICAL DISORDERS (12) 2 1 4 5 57.50
CARDIOVASCULAR DISORDERS (27) 8 1 7 11 55.74
MENTAL DISORDERS (254) 51 54 45 104 54.88
SKIN DISORDERS (26) 8 2 7 9 50.58
GASTROINTESTINAL DISORDERS (138) 34 27 40 37 48.41
MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS (366) 108 64 99 95 46.33
TOTALS FOR ALL DISORDERS (1640) 574 252 342 472 44.57
PAIN AS THE PRIMARY PROBLEM (190) 73 24 39 54 43.34
NOT ON LIST (314) 116 43 64 91 42.84
WOUNDS (5) 2 1 0 2 41.40
EYE PROBLEMS (11) 4 3 1 3 41.36
IMMUNOLOGICAL DISORDERS (22) 9 3 5 5 41.14
WEAKNESS, FATIGUE, VERTIGO (18) 8 3 2 5 39.72
NUMBNESS (10) 6 0 1 3 32.30
ENDOCRINE DISORDERS (9) 3 5 0 1 31.67
PROSTATITIS (7) 3 2 1 1 30.29
ANO-RECTAL DISORDERS (7) 5 0 1 1 26.43
PARALYSIS (4) 2 1 0 1 25.00
VISION PROBLEMS (81) 68 7 4 2 14.28
RINGING OF THE EARS (35) 28 1 5 1 13.43
HEARING PROBLEMS (13) 11 2 0 0 11.85

Note: the number of reports for each disorder category is given in parentheses.

Chart 3, below, lists the disorder categories in terms of their average percent improvement. The number of reports that each average is based on is given in parentheses after the disorder name.

Chart 3. Disorder Categories

Chart 3. Disorder Categories


Section 4: Detail View of Results by Disorder

Chart 4 and Table 6, below, list the 50 disorders with 4 or more reports, from most to least successful.

Chart 4. Disorder Detail View

Chart 4. Disorder Detail View

Table 6 shows the distribution of reports between the four quartiles (75 to 100% improved, 50 to 74% improved, 25 to 49% improved and less than 25%). The average percent improvement for each category of disorders is shown in the right-hand column, and the number of reports for each category is given in parentheses after the name, in the left-hand column.

Table 6. Disorders Detailed Results

Disorder Less than 25% 25 to 49% improved 50 to 74% improved 75 to 100% improved Average
Grief (15) 1 0 5 9 76.93
Asthma (52) 8 5 6 33 69.79
Palpitations (8) 1 0 4 3 65.63
Emotional Instability (6) 1 1 0 4 65.00
Menstrual disorders (6) 1 1 1 3 63.33
Anxiety (123) 9 31 25 58 61.63
Eczema (12) 3 0 3 6 60.42
Vertigo (5) 2 0 0 3 58.00
Tension headache (10) 1 3 3 3 57.00
Hypertension (7) 3 0 0 4 55.00
Anger (18) 5 3 2 8 54.83
Back pain (152) 29 33 39 51 53.35
Rheumatoid Arthritis (20) 3 4 7 6 51.45
Digestive problems (98) 22 18 27 31 50.87
Depression (42) 13 7 5 17 50.14
Constipation (10) 3 1 4 2 49.00
Forgetfulness (7) 2 2 1 2 48.57
Osteoarthritis (81) 25 8 26 22 47.96
Dental pain (5) 2 0 2 1 45.00
Other headache (25) 12 1 2 10 44.60
Pain syndrome (121) 45 15 27 34 43.85
Carpal tunnel syndrome (5) 1 1 3 0 43.00
General weakness (5) 1 2 1 1 43.00
Wounds (5) 2 1 0 2 41.40
Eye problems (11) 4 3 1 3 41.36
Atopic dermatitis (4) 1 1 1 1 41.25
Disk-related problems (45) 14 12 14 5 41.18
Not on list (183) 68 22 39 54 41.16
Allergies (22) 9 3 5 5 41.14
Irritable bowel syndrome (19) 4 8 4 3 40.53
Migraine headache (10) 5 1 0 4 40.00
Frozen shoulder (13) 3 5 3 2 40.00
Sinusitis (27) 12 2 8 5 37.52
Psoriasis (7) 3 1 2 1 37.14
Phobia (6) 2 2 1 1 36.67
Neuralgia (13) 5 3 4 1 34.46
Peripheral vascular disease (9) 4 1 3 1 34.44
Numbness (10) 6 0 1 3 32.30
Insomnia (37) 18 8 6 5 31.41
Prostatitis (7) 3 2 1 1 30.29
Hemorrhoids (7) 5 0 1 1 26.43
Sciatica (48) 31 1 9 7 26.25
Chronic fatigue syndrome (8) 5 1 1 1 26.25
Thyroid problems (5) 2 3 0 0 26.00
Paralysis (4) 2 1 0 1 25.00
Gastritis (4) 3 0 1 0 23.75
Pain following herpes zoster (5) 4 0 0 1 20.00
Vision problems (81) 68 7 4 2 14.28
Ringing of the ears (35) 28 1 5 1 13.43
Hearing problems (13) 11 2 0 0 11.85


Section 5: Comparison with Initial Report

The 4,500 plus consultations offered at the time of this writing are more than twice the number of consultations at the time of our initial research report, "Phase One MVVT Research Report," which was issued September 13, 1999. Our current results confirm the initial report in most respects. Most significant, both studies found that two-thirds of participants reported at least 25% improvement by the completion of their third session (see Chart 2).

The initial report noted a cumulative effect, from an average improvement of 29.84% after the first session, to 38.79% after the second, to 45.35% after the third. Our current study (see Chart 1) further documents this cumulative effect, from 29.34% after the first session, to 37.50% after the second, to 44.57% after the third.

Also, the distribution of disorders in terms of success, in this study, is very close to the distribution in our previous study. In that study, we noted that among the categories for which we had a significant number of reports, seven stood out as most successful. These were Mental Disorders, Respiratory Problems, Gynecological Disorders, Gastrointestinal Disorders, Pain as the Primary Problem, Cardiovascular Disorders and Musculoskeletal Disorders. The current study also indicates that these seven are among the most successful (see Table 5 and Chart 3). In addition, both studies agreed that Vision Problems, Ringing of the Ears and Hearing Problems were the least responsive to MVVT.

There were some differences between the two studies. For example Skin Disorders and Dental Related problems did better, in the current study, and Paralysis not as well. The large gap between the two skin disorders, Eczema and Psoriasis, exists in both studies, suggesting a fundamental difference.

Section 6: Follow-up Self-Evaluations

As discussed in Section One, 937 participants completed 1,640 self-evaluation reports for all three sessions, including numerical estimates of percent improvement for each session. Of these 937 participants, 215 completed follow-up participant self-evaluations (FPSEs) for 317 disorders addressed, including numerical ratings. The average time elapsed from the date of the MVVT consultation to the date the FPSEs were filled out was 199.65 days, or nearly seven months. Based on these 317 FPSEs, the average percent improvement after seven months was 43.30%.

Chart 5. Stability of MVVT Results

By comparing this figure with the 44.57% average improvement reported immediately following the consultation we can calculate an Average Stability Quotient for the MVVT results over time. Thus, 43.30/44.57 = .97. This relative constancy is inconsistent with placebo or expectation-based explanations of the MVVT results (see Chart 5). An expectation-based account would predict a continuous decline in average results over time.

Chart 5. Stability of MVVT Results

Table 7, below, provides a more detailed account of the long-term results. The leftmost column delineates the four quartiles (75 to 100% improved, 50 to 74% improved, 25 to 49% improved and less than 25%) immediately after the consultation's third session. Column two gives the number of consultation self-evaluation reports for each quartile. For each consultation self-evaluation report there is a matching FPSE (follow-up) report. Column three gives the average difference between the FPSE reports and the consultation reports. Column four provides the average absolute difference between the two sets of reports, and column five provides notes on the observed trends within each quartile.

Of the 317 disorders addressed, 217 had improved significantly at the time of the consultation. (Significant improvement is defined as 25% or better.) Based on the FPSEs, 76% of these disorders (165) were still significantly improved an average of seven months following the consultation. Although there were a number of cases of declines from initial good results, these instances were largely offset by the opposite phenomenon of deferred improvement.

Table 7. Follow-up Participant Self-Evaluations (FPSEs) compared to Self-Evaluation reports (SEs)
at the time of consultation

Quartile distri- bution at time of consultation Number of disorders evaluated Average differ- ence between FPSE and SE Average absolute difference Notes on constancy of results and delayed improvements
75 to 100% improved 100 - 22.54 27.28 85% were still reporting significant relief, 52% remained in the top quartile.
22% indicated 100% relief.
50 to 74% improved 76 - 7.43 28.88 74% were still reporting significant relief. 32% improved to top quartile and 22% remained in the second quartile.
5% indicated 100% relief.
25 to 49% improved 41 + 7.02 26.29 59% were still reporting significant relief. 12% had moved to the top quartile, 29% had moved to the second quartile and 17% remained in the third quartile.
Less than 25% 100 + 13.58 19.42 25% now reporting significant relief: 6% had moved to top quartile, 13% to 2nd quartile and 6% to 3rd quartile.
1 reported 100% relief.

Of the 100 disorders originally evaluated in the 75 to 100% quartile, 85% were still reporting significant relief. 52 remained in the top quartile, 24 had declined to the second quartile, 9 had declined to the third quartile and 15 had dropped to the lowest quartile. Of the 22 initially reporting 100% relief, half (11) were still reporting 100% and only 2 were no longer experiencing significant relief (>= 25% improvement). 11 who had not reported 100% relief in their original SEs were now reporting 100% relief in their FPSEs.

Of the 76 disorders originally evaluated in the 50 to 74% quartile, 32% (24) had improved to the top quartile, 22% (17) remained in the second quartile, 20% (15) had declined to the third quartile and 26% (20) had dropped to the lowest quartile. 5% (4) now indicated 100% relief.

Of the 41 disorders originally evaluated in the 25 to 49% quartile, 12% (5) had improved to the top quartile, 29% (12) had improved to the second quartile, 17% (7) remained in the third quartile and 41% (17) had declined to the lowest quartile.

Of the 100 disorders originally evaluated in the lowest quartile, 25% were now reporting significant improvement. 6% had improved to the top quartile, 13% to the second quartile and 6% to the third. 75% remained in the bottom quartile.

The phenomenon of deferred improvement was observed in every quartile, from the 25% in the lowest quartile, who subsequently reported significant improvement, to the 11% in the highest quartile, who attained 100% relief only after some time. Here are some typical participant comments (with the SE | FPSE numerical ratings in parentheses):

Of course, not everyone obtained good results. One participant commented in the FPSE, "I enjoyed the treatments, but cannot say that I am satisfied with the results." Another wrote, "I felt a powerful effect during the treatment and hours after-but it did not last." And some who had good results initially found symptoms recurring: "For four months after the consultation, I experienced a significant improvement. Then, three months ago, I experienced a recurrence of symptoms (although less severe) that have continued to today." (80 | 20%)

But most people (two-thirds) experienced significant improvement, which was usually sustained months later and reported in the FPSE forms. The FPSEs abound with comments such as the following:

Many participants remarked on the blissful character of the consultations which, in many cases, continued in daily life:

The blissful character of MVVT is very much a part of the healing process. Maharishi explains that his purpose is "to make everyone free from disease, pain and suffering, to make everyone healthy. And healthy means happy."

Ultimately, creating health by means of Maharishi's consciousness-based programs involves creating Enlighten- ment. Maharishi makes the connection between health and Enlightenment explicit:

"One thing more comes out as a reward of this healthy life. The reward of a healthy life is going to be created simultaneously with good health, and that reward is Enlightenment. Enlightenment is the reward of this technology which brings relief from pain and suffering."

Bliss, happiness and, ultimately, Enlightenment reflect the holistic character of MVVT. It should not be surprising, therefore, that this healing technology has side-benefits. In Maharishi's words:

"Vedic Vibration is that vibration which is the most fundamental creative process in Nature. So while eliminating one disorder in a man, because it functions holistically, it influences all kinds of disorders, not only in one man, but also in his friends, his nation, his world, his cosmos. Everything is made healthier."

Here is an example of the holistic healing effects from our FPSE records. This man came for a consultation for a frozen shoulder and found spontaneous relief from a structural problem that he had regarded as permanent:

"The MVVT has meant more to me than you can know. My frozen shoulder syndrome (one month running in 1998) has been virtually eliminated. Furthermore, the MVVT work translated down into my back to my pelvic region. Because of that, my long term pelvic tilt (short leg, long leg syndrome) of the past 36 years has also been eliminated. I haven't seen my chiropractor for 6 months! I am most grateful to Maharishi and have told this story to many friends."

The physical mechanisms associated with MVVT seem to be more profound than the mechanistic processes underlying allopathic modalities. It seems likely that a thorough understanding of the science underlying MVVT will involve quantum physics, including unified field theory. This holistic level of Nature's functioning supports healing influences from the environment-which Maharishi refers to as the support of Nature. In one FPSE comment a participant described MVVT's correction of his high blood pressure as involving a combination of direct physiological causation and indirect receptivity to lifestyle changes:

"My blood pressure is rock solid at 120/80 or better. It has been completely corrected without medication. I have been more attentive to dietary considerations and getting exercise. I attribute this increase in receptivity to what is good for me to my MVVT consultation, in addition to the direct positive effects."

Because these holistic mechanics may be unfamiliar to those of us steeped in the mechanistic paradigm of medicine (and most of modern science, generally), it is possible to fail to appreciate the work of the Vedic Vibrations. There may be a tendency to disavow apparent healing or to be unsure of whether to attribute it to MVVT. Perhaps these are examples of this phenomenon:

These uncertainties on the part of the participants are, of course, understandable. But the holistic quality of MVVT's healing effect can be tested for statistically, as in the case of simpler quantum mechanical effects.

Section 7: Contributing Factors to Success

The Follow-up Supplemental questionnaire together with the FPSE contained questions designed to investigate contributing factors to the success of the MVVT program. The most important findings are, first, that TM and the TM-Sidhi program are not needed for the success of MVVT and, second, that the use of the stabilizer is highly correlated with a successful outcome.

Having been instructed in TM or the TM-Sidhi program provided no advantage as far as percent improvement in MVVT is concerned. However, those who were regular had a decided advantage over those who were not. Those who practiced TM "Twice a day" had an average 10 points higher percent improvement rating than those who did not. And Sidhas who practiced their program "Twice a day" had a 14 point advantage over those who were not regular.

Chart 6. Use of Stabilizer

Chart 6. Use of Stabilizer

Chart 6 shows that there is a significant correlation between use of the stabilizer and successful results. Between the most conscientious (75 to 100% use) and least conscientious (less than 25% use) there is a gap of 9.8 percentage points. The biggest step is between those who used their stabilizer less than 25% of the time and those who at least used it 25 to 49% of the time.