Dr. DAVID LEFFLER is the Executive Director at the Center for Advanced Military Science (CAMS). A former member of US Airforce, he
has a Ph.D. in Consciousness-Based Military Defense and served as an Associate of the Proteus Management Group at the Center for Strategic Leadership, US Army War College. In this Exclusive interview with JUSTUS NWAKANMA, he speaks on growing insecurity in Nigeria and how Nigeria can overcome Boko Haram and related issues.
Recently, Nigeria lowered its entry qualifications into the Nigerian army, citing lack of interest from qualified youths. Do you think that this would have any adverse effect on the quality of the army, now or in the future?
Experience with the American military in the past has shown that when entry standards were lowered there were more problems with the new recruits, who were less likely to complete their enlistments. Since lower standards have already been implemented in Nigeria, the best approach would be to prevent problems from arising by helping these warriors better develop their full potential. The most cost-effective and efficient way to do this would be through instruction in the non-religious Transcendental Meditation® (TM®) practice and its advanced programs. In military circles the TM brain-based technology is known as Invincible Defense Technology (IDT).
TM is a natural, effortless and simple procedure which allows the mind to settle down through progressively finer states of its own activity to experience transcendental consciousness or a deep state of restful alertness. More than ten million people worldwide have learned the TM technique.
The goal of practicing the TM program is not to become a passive individual but to eliminate stress and its performance-limiting consequences, in part through providing a unique, deep state of rest. (Rest is held to be the basis for more successful, dynamic activity.) This leads to greater success, achievement and fulfillment.
The profound benefits gained from regular practice of the TM program indicate that Nigerian military personnel could likely gain an edge in battle if they were trained to meditate using this technique. Research shows that agility, reaction time, coordination, endurance, and perception improve after learning the TM program.
For instance, three months of regular TM practice resulted in subjects showing significantly increased field independence (i.e., increased ability to focus, increased stability of spatial orientation, broader comprehension, increased resistance to distraction) compared to controls. TM meditators have a greater ability to assimilate and structure experience; they gain improved memory and learning ability, increased creativity, and greater autonomic stability. Other effects of TM practice include enhanced neurological efficiency, faster choice reaction time, improved self-confidence, increased self-reliance, and greater inner control. Holistic growth has been indicated by psychophysiological means such as increases in global EEG coherence, and through psychological tests of intelligence, moral reasoning, and personality.
The TM program has been adopted to reduce stress in military, governmental and other institutional settings. For example, over 26,000 military police in a number of Brazilian states have learned the TM technique. In a study involving 6,300 military police in the State of Bahia, Brazil, disciplinary measures decreased 69% for officers and 35% for cadets after learning the technique.
Doctor’s visits also dropped by 26% for officers and 55% for cadets. Also, community relations improved. For instance, the number of positive reports received by the military police department from the citizens of Salvador, Brazil, increased 1,206% after officers were instructed in the TM program. A study conducted on 289 cadets at the Police Academy of Piauí, Brazil, showed significant improvements in behavior, attitude, health, and academic performance after learning the TM technique. Brazil’s elite military police learned to meditate in preparation for their Olympic games.
TM has also proven effective in reducing PTSD symptoms, according to many testimonials in support of this practice. According to research studies, over 300 veterans and active military personnel have shown positive results from practicing TM, as well as over 1500 veterans and active military personnel with PTSD and traumatic brain injury. This is further validated by the extensive TM research over the last 45 years which shows TM’s effectiveness in alleviating stress.
Practitioners of the TM technique also show a more rapid physiological recovery from a stressful stimulus, as gauged by habituation of the skin resistance response.
A number of other studies have found beneficial effects of the TM program on stress-induced neuroendocrine dysfunctions that contribute to cardiovascular and other chronic diseases. Also, over 24 studies have shown that the TM program fosters significant reductions in substance abuse, such as tobacco, alcohol, and all types of illegal and prescribed drugs.
A two-year, randomized, controlled study on TM and resiliency was conducted with cadets at Norwich University, the oldest private military college in the US. The cadets who initially practiced TM showed lower levels of stress, anxiety, and depression as well as improved critical thinking and mental resilience. As the cadets continued their meditation training, their benefits continued to improve over time, as confirmed in a second study of 60 cadets the following year.
Another benefit is that TM improves eye retinal tracking. This skill, important for taking aim, could make a difference in surviving and winning battles.
Do academic qualifications have any significance in the performance of a military?
Academic qualifications are certainly significant in the performance of a military in that they provide a context and theoretical framework for analyzing the success or failures of military actions, thereby creating the opportunity to benefit from the past as well as create workable plans for the future.
What do you think should be the ideal entry qualification for an African military?
These are the attributes which I believe would be the ideal entry qualifications for African militaries:
• Having reached adulthood
• In good physical and mental health
• Of at least average intelligence
• A willingness to protect their homeland from enemies
While these entry standards may seem low, the training program for these new recruits would be crucial in shaping them into an elite fighting force.
Nigeria has less than 300,000 (three hundred thousand soldiers). Do you think this is ideal for a country of over 200 million; a country fighting insurgency and terrorism?
Using conventional approaches to defense, no number of warriors no matter how large is “ideal” to fight. The only ideal defense is an invincible defense, which IDT provides. The powerful brain-based Invincible Defense Technology is aptly named. The word “invincible” means incapable of being defeated— unconquerable. “Defense” means to protect. “Technology” is applied scientific knowledge. The goal of IDT is to prevent enemies from arising.
Once IDT is properly applied, Nigeria’s military would become so invincible that there would be no enemies to fight. No enemies means no war, no terrorism, no insurgency and full security, as well as happy and productive lives for everyone.
Throughout time, scientists have sought to achieve invincibility by applying ever-advancing technologies. History shows they have so far been unsuccessful. Adversaries inevitably devise methods to counter any system of offense or defense.
However, if Nigerian military leaders have the courage to seek it, there is a solution to achieve unquestioned invincibility for their nation. The method comes from the union of social science and the unified field theories of physics–not from approaches utilizing weaponry, and not from the field of politics.
Persistent terrorist attacks in Nigeria show that IDT is desperately needed. It works quickly, and there is no better solution to prevent violence. Nigeria’s military leaders would be wise to immediately implement this approach, thereby turning enemies both foreign and domestic into allies, and creating lasting peace.
How would IDT best be utilized by the Nigerian military to achieve these goals?
Members of the Nigerian armed forces would be trained in IDT to form a Prevention Wing of the Military. Field-tested scientific studies show that large groups practicing IDT in a group twice a day generate a field effect that profoundly influences everyone within its vicinity. Militaries worldwide have field-tested this approach and are deploying it today.
For Nigeria’s current population of 208,510,536 the Prevention Wing would need a minimum of 1500 soldiers trained in the advanced TM-Sidhi program meditating in a group twice a day to prevent enemies from arising.
Do you think Nigeria has the capacity to win the war on terrorism? If No, what do you think should be done?
Relying only on conventional defense strategies and tactics will make it difficult for Nigeria or any other country to prevent terrorism. By implementing a Prevention Wing of the Military with over 1500 elite forces trained in and implementing IDT, Nigeria will certainly have the capacity not only to win the war on terrorism but also to prevent war, conflict, violence and crime.
Extensive research backs this contention. A study conducted in the town of Baskinta, Lebanon, found that when just one percent of the people were taught the Transcendental Meditation technique the number of war casualties and crises decreased significantly as compared to four towns near Baskinta with comparable demographics. There had been an average of two incoming artillery shells per day in Baskinta during the previous two years. After becoming a one percent city, the shelling stopped for the following two years, even though the rate continued to climb in the five control cities with comparable demographics. The different outcomes between Baskinta and the control villages reached a high statistical significance. The results of this study were predicted in advance, strongly suggesting a causal influence in reducing conflict.
Other studies analyzed the effect on the war in Lebanon by seven large assemblies that had reached the theoretically sufficient number of TM-Sidhi practitioners. The results of applying IDT technology were striking: a 71% reduction in war deaths, a 68% reduction in war injuries, and a 48% reduction in the overall level of conflict, with cooperation among antagonists increasing by 66%. These data were obtained by a trained Lebanese rater, blind to the purpose of the experiment, who reviewed reports from eight international news sources and the regional Foreign Broadcast Information Service. These figures were found to be uninfluenced by controlling for holidays, announced events, seasonality, or other trends by using a dependent time series analysis. Also, combined analysis of the data from these seven assemblies would normally be expected to show a statistical effect of diminishing the demonstrated results.
Combining the results of all seven assemblies gave an extraordinary probability outcome, consistent with the assumption that substantive and replicable variations were being assessed. Therefore, this study presents strong evidence that IDT technology is a reliable means to reduce enmity, instability and violence on a national scale.
Quality of life in Israel, including intensity of the conflict in Lebanon, improves in direct proportion to the number of participants in the coherence-creating group.
A short online video https://youtu.be/MAYEExLd8Aw featuring Dr. John Hagelin, International President of the Global Union of Scientists for Peace (GUSP), Quantum Physicist, USA; Director, Institute of Science, Technology and Public Policy; Executive Director, International Center for Invincible Defense explains this.
In this study, a civilian IDT group was established in Israel in the summer 1983. The number of participants varied daily from a low of 65 to a high of 241. Time series analysis and transfer function analyses were simultaneously used. The results were compared on six variables and three composite quality of life indicators. Specific predictions of study outcomes were made in advance and lodged with an independent review board of experts. The board also approved the statistical methods in advance of the study. Results indicated that war intensity dropped 45%, war deaths dropped 76%, crime in Israel dropped 12%, and crime in Jerusalem dropped 8.8%. In addition, fires dropped 30% and auto accident fatalities fell 34%. Taken together, quality of life improved in Israel, Lebanon and Jerusalem.
Evidence indicates that the technology of IDT generates cooperation and friendliness rather than suspicion and hatred. One study followed TM-Sidhi groups sent to five world trouble spots: Lebanon, Iran, Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), Kampuchea, and Nicaragua. These five groups did nothing other than to practice their TM-Sidhi program together in groups for 10 weeks; as they did so, violence and disorder rapidly decreased in each country. During their stay, there was significant local progress towards peace. After their departure, situations worsened. For the entire year (1978) 14,567 events were recorded in the Conflict and Peace Data Bank (COPDAB), the world’s largest such resource. Contingency table analysis of COPDAB data compared to a 10-week control period, a 1-year baseline, and a 10-year baseline showed significant improvement in each case.
Time series analysis showed that this project had a strong and statistically significant effect worldwide. Compared to a ten-week baseline, worldwide trends improved. Hostile acts between countries as well as between factions within the trouble spots decreased 16.7%. Cooperative events, as a proportion, rose nationally by 13.2%. Also, the type of events reported shifted significantly, from military (i.e., wars, guerrilla raids, troop deployment, security pacts, defense treaties, etc.), to non-military issues (i.e., culture, economy, political order, law, environment, etc.), with an increase of 21.8 percentage points in non-military issues. This finding could be interpreted as a shift in the society’s collective consciousness from an emphasis on destruction to an emphasis on more societal cooperation.
Mali recently experienced a coup and there have been some subtle insurrection in other countries including Nigeria recently. Do you think coups are not yet ruled out in African countries?
Coups occur when some leaders respond worse than others during challenging times. The reason for this is that leaders are simply a reflection of the collective consciousness of the people under them. In the words of psychologist Roger K. Allen, PhD: “People live in one of four states of being, which could be considered levels of emotional development or maturity. These are: survival (fear-based living); security (duty-based living), success (ego-based living) and serenity (love/trust-based living).”
If the collective consciousness of the people is fear-based, their leader will exhibit characteristics reflective of that state: using power, coercion, blame, and other negative tools to accomplish ends which may not be in the best interest of the people.
If the collective consciousness of the people is rooted in love/trust-based living, their leader will have a more altruistic approach in dealing with crises, taking into consideration the needs of all the people and not just a select few.
The best way to prevent coups is to gain leadership that is grounded in love/trust-based living rather than fear-based living. To achieve this goal, governments need to find a way to elevate the collective consciousness of the country. Transcendental Meditation and particularly its advanced TM-Sidhi program, the key brain-based technologies of IDT, are effective ways to raise the collective consciousness of a nation so that the leader works for the betterment of all citizens.
What would be the consequence of this on the political, socio-economic development of such countries?
Any unrest wherever it appears threatens to tear apart national sovereignty and unleash protracted civil wars that could spill out into neighboring countries. Even if this does not happen, it is still possible that refugees could flood across borders, further hastening the collapse of the basic fabric of society. On a grand scale, these changes could create more chaos, perhaps even triggering another world war.
The Nigerian Military would be able to protect itself with a minimum of 1500 IDT experts. With 4000 IDT experts, the Nigerian Prevention Wing of the Military would not only protect Nigeria but also the entire African continent. Ideally, a coherence-creating group of at least 9000 IDT experts could positively affect the entire world.
One experiment confirmed that a civilian coherence-creating group of Transcendental Meditation and advanced TM-Sidhi program practitioners (nearly 7000, roughly the square root of one percent of the world’s population at the time of the experiment) decreased international conflicts and international terrorism on three separate occasions during 1983-85.
With over 300,000 warriors, Nigeria’s military could easily train 9000 as IDT experts to protect the world, as well as Nigeria, and thereby start a phase transition to create lasting world peace. Over 20 peer-reviewed studies and military field-tests show that by taking full advantage of TM and its advanced practices, an IDT coherence-creating group of that magnitude could quickly create a more peaceful collective consciousness, leading to cessation of high tensions, reversal of years of mistrust, alleviation of hatred, and greater stability.
This would lead to the permanent prevention of terrorism, warfare, crime, violence, and other forms of negative social behavior on a global scale. Extensive scientific research objectively says, “Yes, this system works.” Why not use it? Time is running out. IDT is the twenty-first century’s leading-edge defense system. The Nigerian military would be wise to adopt this cost effective IDT approach before it is too late.
*Dr. David Leffler is also the author of ”A New Role for the Military: Preventing Enemies from Arising —Reviving an Ancient Approach to Peace.” He lectures and writes worldwide about IDT. He is on Twitter® and Facebook®.