The Power of Eight
by Lynne McTaggart
The Short Answer
McTaggart ran thousands of controlled intention experiments online and in live groups, finding that small groups of eight people focusing a healing intention for ten minutes show measurable physiological effects in the target — and unexpected healing effects in the senders. The evidence is preliminary but the documentation is unusually rigorous for the genre.
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Key Insights
Small groups of eight people directing a shared intention for a fixed period produced measurable changes in the target person's physiological markers in a series of documented trials across multiple countries.
A surprising finding: participants in the sending group consistently reported their own unexpected healings — suggesting that focused altruistic intention has a measurable feedback effect on the sender.
McTaggart's Intention Experiments (the online large-scale version) included peer-reviewed studies on plant growth, water contamination, and PTSD symptoms in veterans — not all replicated, but some published in peer-reviewed journals.
The mechanism McTaggart proposes — quantum field entanglement between sender and receiver — remains contested. The documented effects themselves are the stronger empirical claim.
Group coherence amplifies individual signal: the same intention expressed by eight people in rapport appears to outperform the same intention expressed by eight people without social connection.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is there peer-reviewed evidence for intention experiments?
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Some. McTaggart collaborated with researchers including Gary Schwartz at the University of Arizona and published results from several plant studies and a PTSD trial. Not all studies have been independently replicated. The book presents the evidence honestly with methodology sections rather than hiding study design.
What is the Power of Eight format in practice?
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Eight participants sit in a circle. One person states a specific, concrete healing intention for a person or situation outside the group. The group focuses together for ten minutes in silence or with gentle guidance. Results are documented in a standardized form. McTaggart's most documented finding is the boomerang effect on senders.
How does this relate to Wonderproof?
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Chapter 7 of Wonderproof (The Field of Others) draws on McTaggart's group coherence research as evidence that attention is not purely individual — shared focus produces measurable effects that solo practice does not.
Is The Intention Experiment (2007) a better starting point?
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The Intention Experiment covers the earlier science more systematically. The Power of Eight is more personal and documents the group format with more case studies. Read The Intention Experiment for the science foundation, The Power of Eight for the practice format.
What are the limitations of the research?
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Sample sizes are small in most studies. Independent replication is limited. The theoretical framework (quantum entanglement as mechanism) goes beyond what the data supports. The documented phenomena are interesting; the explanation is speculative.
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Wonderproof
Nine Experiments to Prove What Your Mind Can Do
A lab manual for human potential. Nine experiments designed to give you direct, personal evidence of what attention, expectation, and perception can do. No belief required. Run the test, record the result, draw your own conclusion.
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