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An Overview of Charles Alexander's Contribution to Psychology: Developing Higher States of Consciousness in the Individual and the Society

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Abstract

This paper reviews over 100 publications of Charles N. (“Skip”) Alexander. Skip theoretically showed that the four higher states of consciousness described by Maharishi's Vedic psychology logically extend the developmental sequence delineated by 20th century psychology. His empirical research found that the Transcendental Meditation® technique provides the direct experience of transcendental consciousness (the first higher state, which is the silent basis of the mind) and that this practice accelerates development in children, “unfreezes” development in prison inmates, advances ego development in adults, increases productivity in businesses, decreases blood pressure, increases longevity, effectively treats substance abuse, and reduces prison recidivism. Skip and colleagues were the first to discover the EEG signature of cosmic consciousness (the second higher state), and he showed that developmental advances in individuals impact the larger society via a common field of collective consciousness, including decreasing armed conflicts and improving the quality of life.

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Orme-Johnson, D.W. An Overview of Charles Alexander's Contribution to Psychology: Developing Higher States of Consciousness in the Individual and the Society. Journal of Adult Development 7, 199–215 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009507310513

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