Cognition as a moderator of GDV emission: past research, a current explanation and some ideas for the future
Paul Dobson, Cass Business School, City University London and Elena O’Keeffe, GDV Life UK
This article reports two research studies undertaken by the authors that have investigated the psychological correlates of the GDV technique. The results of these studies have been given elsewhere and obviously have not changed (see Dobson & O’Keeffe 2005, 2010). What has changed after over ten years of work in the area and with the benefit of hindsight is the interpretation of earlier results. Most would agree we believe that quite what the GDV measures when human subjects are involved is the key issue and one that has hampered the credibility of the technique. So after reporting the relevant results from our earlier work, this article presents our current “best guess” of what the GDV does actually measure when homo sapiens are tested.
Study 1: The GDV and Mental Stress
In 1999 we undertook a series of investigations into the impact of various stress therapies upon self-reported stress levels and GDV images. The basic research design for all the studies was to measure self-reported stress and the GDV image area before and then again after the intervention.
The Nature of Interventions & Samples
A wide range of interventions each led by an experienced tutor were included in the research:
i) T’ai Chi involves relaxing exercises based upon gentle circular and rhythmic movements. The T’ai Chi sample included ten stressed office workers, and five HIV patients. These two groups have been analysed separately.
ii) Kundalini Yoga involves demanding physical exercises mental concentration and spiritual discipline. The Yoga sample comprised fifteen self–selected individuals.
iii) Meditation was undertaken with six self-selected individuals using this mental self-regulatory technique which aims to take practitioners beyond the usual state of wakefulness to a state of profound rest coupled with a new state of awareness. iv) Healing concerns the channelling of the universal life-force to restore energy balance within the body. A Tibetan lama used mantras and Tibetan rituals to channel healing energy with nine individuals. Mantras are Sanskrit words which have no denotative meaning and which are therefore free of distracting associations. Attention is focused on them as sound patterns which are believed to produce soothing and harmonious vibrations in the mind. Compared to meditation, which is a self-regulative exercise, healing is a passive process where the person is given treatment often without understanding its nature
v) The Progressive Muscle Relaxation technique where the individual systematically tenses and then relaxes the body muscles was undertaken with nine self-selected stressed individuals.
vi) A further ten self-selected office workers attended a typical Stress Management Training course which involved a variety of stress reducing techniques such as, visualisation, muscle relaxation, breathing control and aerobics.
vii) Nine individuals attending The Stress Project in Islington underwent Acupuncture which aims to unblock body energy though intervention in energy meridians with fine needles.
viii) The Unwinding group of nine individuals differed from the other interventions in that
Cognition as a moderator of GDV emission: past research, a current explanation and some ideas for the future
Paul Dobson, Cass Business School, City University London and Elena O’Keeffe, GDV Life UK