Evidence

Lynne collaborated with Dr. Gary Schwartz, a psychologist and director of the Laboratory for Consciousness and Health at the University of Arizona, to investigate whether human intention could influence plant growth. The team designed a controlled experiment using barley seeds. For each trial, Dr. Schwartz and his team prepared four trays containing thirty seeds each—one designated as the target and three as controls—to minimize random variation.

While speaking at a conference in Sydney, Australia, Lynne invited an audience of 700 participants to select one tray of seeds as the target. A photograph of the chosen tray was projected as she guided the audience in focusing their collective intention for those seeds to grow at least 3 mm more than the others within five days. Immediately afterward, she informed Dr. Schwartz’s team, who then planted all trays simultaneously. After five days, the seedlings were harvested and measured before Lynne revealed which tray had received the intention.

To ensure the reliability of the findings, Dr. Schwartz conducted additional “control experiments” mirroring the procedure but without any intention being sent. These served as a second layer of validation, confirming whether any observed differences were due solely to directed intention rather than chance or environmental factors. This approach doubled the sample size, yielding 1,440 seeds and enhancing the statistical robustness of the results.

Between the summer and autumn of 2007, Lynne and Dr. Schwartz repeated the experiment five more times, engaging audiences from diverse locations, including an online group and participants at events in New York, South Carolina, California, and Texas.

After the sixth experiment, Dr. Schwartz analyzed all data. On average, the seeds that received intention grew significantly taller—2.20 inches (56 mm)—compared to 1.89 inches (48 mm) for the controls. In contrast, the control experiments showed no significant difference between target and non-target seeds. When comparing all seeds from the intention trials to all seeds from the control studies, those involved in the intention sessions demonstrated markedly greater growth. The statistical probability of this result occurring by chance was estimated at one in ten million.

Dr. Schwartz presented the findings at the 2008 annual meeting of the Society for Scientific Exploration. Lynne concluded that these results hinted at the existence of a “psychic internet”—a field of interconnected consciousness through which focused human intention might influence the physical world, regardless of distance.

By the summer of 2008, Lynne decided it was time to move beyond seeds and leaves and test whether collective intention could heal conflict on a global scale. Partnering once again with Dr. Gary Schwartz of the University of Arizona, she designed an audacious experiment: to determine if focused group thought could reduce violence in a war zone.

Inspired by studies from the Transcendental Meditation organization showing reduced conflict during large-scale meditations, Lynne assembled a distinguished scientific team that included Dr. Jessica Utts, statistician at the University of California, Irvine; Dr. Roger Nelson, founder of the Global Consciousness Project; and Princeton’s Dr. Robert Jahn and Dr. Brenda Dunne of the PEAR laboratory. Together, they planned a live, weeklong experiment to coincide with the International Day of Peace, from September 14–21, 2008.

The chosen target was war-torn Sri Lanka, where a 25-year civil war between government forces and the Tamil Tigers had claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. The Foundation for Coexistence (FCE), led by peace activist Dr. Kumar Rupesinghe, provided reliable real-time data on daily casualties, allowing Lynne’s team to track measurable changes in violence before, during, and after the event.

More than 15,000 participants from 65 countries joined online to send a collective intention each day for peace in Sri Lanka’s northern and eastern provinces. During the experiment week, violence unexpectedly spiked as government forces launched a major offensive. Yet, in the weeks that followed, both deaths and injuries dropped dramatically—deaths by 74 percent and injuries by nearly half—falling well below predicted levels.

Statistical modeling by Dr. Utts confirmed that this sharp decline represented a marked deviation from the two-year trend leading up to the experiment. Dr. Nelson’s analysis of the Global Consciousness Project’s network of random event generators showed synchronized shifts during the exact minutes of the group meditations, consistent with other moments of global emotional coherence.

Furthermore, it turned out that the increased violence during the intention week was due to decisive battles that turned around the entire course of the war; within six months, the 25-year war was over.

Beyond data, the most profound effects were personal. Thousands of participants reported extraordinary sensations—waves of energy, deep connection, and overwhelming compassion. Many described enduring changes afterward: improved relationships, greater calm, forgiveness, and a heightened sense of unity with others.

Whether coincidence or consciousness, the Peace Intention Experiment suggested that collective thought might hold the power to influence not only the outer world but the inner lives of those who participate in it.

Lynne McTaggart’s early water studies with Dr. Konstantin Korotkov eventually led her to collaborate in 2009  with Dr. Rustum Roy, a world-renowned materials scientist at Pennsylvania State University and an authority on the structure of water. Roy, a pioneering thinker and senior member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, had published over six hundred scientific papers. His groundbreaking work proposed that water’s remarkable properties arise not from its composition, but from the way its molecules cluster—creating dynamic, ever-shifting “structures” that respond to their environment.

Roy believed that subtle forces such as heat, light, sound, radiation—and even human thought—might influence the molecular structure of water. Inspired by reports from Canadian and Russian studies showing measurable changes in water exposed to healing intention, he proposed that Lynne’s  next Intention Experiment attempt to transform ordinary water into something resembling the “healing waters” found in ancient spas.

Working with Roy’s laboratory team at Penn State, Lynne helped design a controlled experiment to test whether collective thought could alter water’s molecular vibrations. Using a Raman spectrometer—an instrument capable of detecting minute changes in how light scatters through matter—the scientists could analyze whether the water’s molecular bonds shifted during a period of focused intention.

Four beakers of water were prepared: one as the target and three as controls. Participants were shown a graph representing “normal” versus “healing” water vibrations and asked to hold the intention that the target water’s measurements would shift toward the healing pattern—essentially, to “dim the light” reflected from the sample. During the experiment, the Raman spectrometer recorded a distinct decrease in light intensity from the target beaker precisely during the time the intention was sent. The signal then gradually returned to baseline—an effect not seen in the distant control samples.

Although the results were intriguing, the scientists acknowledged certain limitations before they could claim an unqualified positive  The Raman spectrometer itself showed signs of instability, and a thunderstorm during the experiment may have influenced readings. The team could not determine whether the changes reflected genuine molecular transformation, environmental interference, or even an energetic influence on the measuring device itself.

Despite the uncertainty, Roy concluded that the correlation between intention and measurable change was unprecedented in his lab’s experience. They’d seen results in the study they’d never seen before.  The experiment hinted that human consciousness might indeed interact with matter in ways science has only begun to understand.

In March 2010, Lynne McTaggart was invited by the late Dr. Masaru Emoto—the Japanese researcher made famous by The Hidden Messages in Water—to conduct a Water Intention Experiment® at the Water and Peace Global Forum in Japan. The event was held on World Water Day, designated by the United Nations, at Lake Biwa, Japan’s largest and oldest freshwater lake, often called the “Mother Lake.”

Lake Biwa supplies water to more than 14 million people, but decades of industrialization had led to pollution, algal blooms and dying aquatic life. Dr. Emoto hoped the experiment would demonstrate that focused collective intention could help purify polluted water and remind humanity of the deep connection between consciousness and nature.

Lynne initially hesitated, knowing how scientifically complex water can be. It is a molecule full of paradoxes—unlike any other substance on Earth—and notoriously resistant to prediction. Yet, with careful design and scientific collaboration, she agreed to lead the experiment as part of the conference.

Working with Russian physicist Dr. Konstantin Korotkov, Lynne prepared two identical water samples from the lake—one as the target, the other as the control. Participants at the live event in Japan, along with thousands joining online from around the world, were shown a photograph of the target glass and asked to send an intention to raise its pH, symbolically purifying and balancing the lake’s energy.

The experiment was carefully measured using pH testing and Dr. Korotkov’s Gas Discharge Visualization (GDV) equipment, which detects subtle energy emissions from matter. Remarkably, within minutes of the collective intention, the target water sample’s pH rose by nearly a full unit, a significant shift in chemical balance. The GDV readings also revealed a stronger, more coherent light signal—indicating a measurable energetic change that persisted over time.

For Lynne, the results were not only scientific but deeply symbolic. The Lake Biwa Intention Experiment® demonstrated that human thought, when united and focused, can influence even the most fundamental elements of nature. More importantly, it reflected a growing global movement toward healing the planet—not through technology or politics alone, but through conscious connection and collective care for the world’s living systems.

The inspiration for Lynne McTaggart’s 9/11 Peace Intention Experiment began at a retreat in Arizona when she met the late Tadzik Greenberg, founder of Planet Coexist. Greenberg was organizing One: The Event—a three-day global gathering to transform the tenth anniversary of 9/11 from a day of fear into one of unity and love. He invited Lynne to lead a live global experiment for peace.

To bring together both sides of a divided world, Lynne partnered with Dr. Salah Al-Rashed, a renowned Kuwaiti psychologist and peace activist who had founded the Salam (Peace) Group across forty Arab cities. Together they chose war-torn Afghanistan—specifically the Helmand and Kandahar provinces—as their focus, believing that healing there could symbolize reconciliation between East and West.

With Dr. Gary Schwartz, Dr. Roger Nelson, and Dr. Jessica Utts, Lynne recreated the successful model of her earlier Peace Intention Experiments. For eight days, beginning September 11, 2011, tens of thousands from seventy-five countries joined online, including thousands from across the Arab world. During the live webcasts, Dr. Al-Rashed opened with an apology “on behalf of all Arabs for the pain caused,” and Lynne responded with one “on behalf of the West for the violence and vengeance that followed.”

Something extraordinary began to unfold. As Americans and Arabs met in live chat rooms, barriers dissolved. Participants began sending each other blessings in English and Arabic—“Ante diemen fee kalbi,” wrote one Arab woman, “You are always in my heart.” John from Tucson replied, “Speaking with people from Egypt and Saudi Arabia made me weep—it was deeply healing.” Bahareh from Dubai wrote, “Your God is my God. My God is your God.”

The data mirrored the emotional shift. NATO figures showed civilian casualties in the target regions fell by an average of 37 percent in the three months following the experiment, while Taliban-initiated attacks dropped 12 percent—the longest sustained decline recorded that year.

Yet, the greatest peace was within the participants themselves. Logan from Switzerland described feeling “a magnetic current of love through my arms.” Cathy felt “a white cylinder connecting us all to the target area.” Many reported reconciling with loved ones, forgiving old hurts, and sensing “the world as one breathing body.”

‘I had the sense that although we had a specific ‘target,’ ” said Aimee, “we were healing everyone everywhere at once.”

From September 30 to October 5, 2017, Lynne led the American Peace Intention Experiment®, a live daily broadcast on Gaia TV focused on one of the most violent areas in the United States: the Fairground neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri.

This section of the city, located around Natural Bridge Avenue, had been named by The Wall Street Journal as “the most dangerous street in America,” with murder rates three times higher than Chicago and fifteen times higher than New York City. Fairground was plagued by violent crime, poverty, and widespread housing abandonment. Nearly half of its homes stood empty, and one in nine residents fell victim to crime each year.

Lynne and her team chose Fairground as the target for their intention—to reduce violent crime by at least 10 percent. For six consecutive days, tens of thousands of participants from around the world came together online to collectively send peace and healing to the area.

To analyze the results, Dr. Jessica Utts, professor of statistics at University of California and former president of the American Statistical Association, examined official crime data from 2014 to 2018. She compared actual post-experiment crime rates with forecasts based on prior trends. The findings were striking: while property crime rose slightly across St. Louis and in Fairground, violent crime—the focus of the intention—dropped dramatically.

In the six months following the experiment, violent crime in Fairground fell by 43 percent, while other neighborhoods along Natural Bridge Avenue saw increases. Police records showed that violent incidents dropped from 44 to just 25 over that period—a clear and unexpected reversal of the rising trend.

Beyond the data, participants themselves experienced profound personal shifts. In surveys afterward, three-quarters reported positive changes—healed relationships, reconciliations with estranged family members, newfound compassion, and greater purpose. Many spoke of miraculous turnarounds: conflict giving way to forgiveness, broken families reconnecting, workplaces transformed.

‘I have had an amazing turnaround in my relationship with my teenage stepdaughter –both interacting with love as opposed to fear – miraculous!’ reported one participant.

‘My father apologized to me for disowning me one and a half years ago,’ said another.

For Lynne, the true power of the Intention Experiments® lies not only in the measurable outcomes but in the ripple effect of peace created within participants themselves. The St. Louis experiment became yet another example of how collective thought—when focused with compassion and unity—can begin to heal both our communities and our hearts.

On November 9, 2017, Lynne McTaggart led one of her most extraordinary Intention Experiments®—a live, global effort to send peace to Jerusalem during a time of escalating violence.

The idea emerged in conversation with Israeli filmmaker Tsipi Raz, who wanted to bring healing to Jerusalem’s Old City after unrest erupted around the Damascus Gate. By remarkable synchronicity, the chosen date coincided with a Middle Eastern summit being hosted remotely by Dr. Salah Al-Rashed, a visionary educator from Kuwait. His state-of-the-art SmartsWay Studio in the UK allowed live, two-way communication between a central facilitator and audiences in multiple countries.

Recognizing a unique opportunity, Lynne partnered with Dr. Al-Rashed and Raz to create a peace experiment linking nine simultaneous locations—including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Oman, Bahrain, Jordan, Tunisia, and Jerusalem, where hundreds of Israelis gathered at the Gerard Bechar Center.

For the first time, Arabs and Israelis would be able see and speak directly to one another. As Lynne guided participants in a shared intention for peace, a profound transformation unfolded.

A Saudi woman admitted, “We were taught that Israelis have horns.” By the end, both sides were in tears. A woman from Abu Dhabi described visions of Israelis and Palestinians dancing together; a woman in Jerusalem saw soldiers embracing Arabs. “We love you,” said Fatima from Jeddah. “Your God is my God.” Israeli participants replied, “We love you, sister.”

The atmosphere was electric—a moment of pure human connection across decades of hatred and division. News of the event spread throughout the Middle East, with a Kuwaiti parliamentarian praising it as a bold act for peace. Time Out Israel called it “it’s efforts like this that start to make a difference.”

Thousands more joined via Lynne’s YouTube livestream, participating from across the globe. Many described powerful emotional and physical sensations, feeling part of “something much larger,  much more powerful than ourselves.”

Although this single-day experiment wasn’t designed to measure changes in local violence,  Dr. Roger Nelson of the Global Consciousness Project, detected a significant coherence shift during the event—consistent with results from Lynne’s previous peace experiments, Dr Konstantin Korotkov, whose son, present in Jerusalem, measured effects on participants.

For Lynne, the greatest outcome wasn’t in the data but in the hearts of those who took part—a living reminder that true peace begins even when hated enemies come together to pray as one.