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Healing Entropy Program

Principal Investigators: Wayne B. Jonas, MD; Cindy Crawford, MA

Affiliation: Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Background: Entropy is a measure of disorder in a physical system. One way to measure the impact of intention and consciousness is to demonstrate deviation from randomly occurring order (or entropy). Deviations from normal Random Event Generator measurements have been shown to occur under the influence of human intention and consciousness.

Hypotheses: Changes to randomness in any system can be considered as evidence of meaningful interventions. This series of experiments will test whether experienced healers produce greater deviation from randomness than control subjects.

Method and Materials: This program uses a Random Event Generator (REG) deviations in various therapeutic encounters occurring in a bioenergy healer’s office, a conventional clinical office, and a surgical suite. In addition, the correlation of REG deviation to symptom improvement in patients will be examined.

Anticipated results: Statistically significant measurements of a healer’s impact on entropy can be used as empirical evidence that consciousness can affect physical systems, even though the mechanism of impact is not presently understood in physical terms.

Relationship to SIIB mission and healing: Empirical studies like this are needed to confirm numerous outcome studies and measure healing and placebo effects in basic research and clinical situations. Measurement of changes in entropy during placebo and psychological interventions can lead to mechanisms for measuring the effectiveness of various healing techniques and practitioners.