Stephen David Edwards

• PhD DEd
• Professor Emeritus and Research Fellow at University of Zululand

Converging lines of evidence from various scientific disciplines consistently point to humanity's African roots. In this context, the term "indigenous healing" is used to refer to universal forms of healing that began In Africa and were developed further both locally and Internationally. This article examines the notion of a psychology of Indigenou...

This study was contextualised within a public health model of mental health promotion, with psychological well-being conceptualised as the positive component of mental health and physical exercise conceptualised as a subset of physical activities aimed at improving health and well-being. The research investigated the relationship between regular ph...

International lockdown and social distancing as a response to COVID-19 indicate planetary interconnectedness. This South African case study compared global coherence, healing meditations using HeartMath Global Coherence and Inner Balance electronic applications(apps) before and during a 3-week lockdown period. Methodology integrated quantitative an...

COVID-19 is a recent major event, adding to planet Earth’s contexts of chaos, crime, injustice, illness, and violence. The HeartMath system has produced research evidence for scientific interventions that alter contexts characterized by chaos and stress, promoting health, coherence, and interconnectedness. This study provides an updated overview of...

The Global Consciousness Project 2.0 (GCP 2.0) is an updated international empirical scientific collaboration of researchers across the planet to assess interconnectedness. The focus is on the interactions of human consciousness and matter using Random Number Generators (RNG's). This project builds on the findings of the original Global Consciousne...

This study investigated biofeedback using heart rate variability (HRV) and psychometric measures. An original, mixed, quantitative and qualitative, within subjects, pre-test and post-test design was employed to evaluate the influence of a HeartMath training programme on measures of HRV, sense of coherence, mindfulness and relaxation in a convenienc...

This case study reports on the health psychological evaluation of an integrated, high intensity, lo impact, physical training program for a 31 year old, male accountancy teacher. High intensity components consisted of running, cycling and the Canadian Airforce 5BX program. Low impact components comprised walking and Chi-gung inspired Pilates. Squas...

This study addresses the research question as to whether Roberto Assagioli’s Psychosynthesis, is a form of Integral Psychology, as expounded by Ken Wilber. A careful review is undertaken of the English publications of Roberto Assagioli and Ken Wilber, with special reference to Wilber’s conceptions of levels, lines, states, stages, types and quadran...

The article examines the cultural and spiritual significance of sun salutations during the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, focusing on the historical reverence for the sun across various civilizations, including the Egyptians, Aztecs, and Chinese. It highlights the sun's role in spiritual and religious traditions, proposing that sun wor...

Updated autobiographical memoir

STEPHEN DAVID EDWARDS – AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR

Cynthia Bourgeault is a prolific author and workshop leader deeply committed to Christianity's apparent need to rediscover its integrity, and deep heart wisdom. This heuristic phenomenological contribution documents some of the author's personal experiences and resonances with wisdom themes from Bourgeault's books. The main theme is that Bourgeault...

The international conference on “Discrimination, Bias, and Repudiation” emerges as a pivotal forum to unravel and confront the complex web of societal challenges ingrained in discriminatory behaviors. This interdisciplinary exploration seeks to decipher the underlying mechanisms and societal-cultural environments that foster these phenomena. Rooted...

This contribution is founded on a forty-year friendship between two university psychology professors, for whom dialogue on science and religion has been a perennial theme. At a previous conference they collaborated on a paper on the psychology of religion. The present paper attempts to further this conversation with a dialogue on truth, science, ps...

The HeartMath Tree Rhythm project is a citizen science interconnectivity initiative. Interconnectivity refers to the hypothesis that all life forms are interconnected via intersecting magnetic energy fields. HeartMath tree rhythm research complements the HeartMath Global Coherence Initiative (GCI) and Global Consciousness Project (GCI). Related web...

Our 18th event has successfully finished; it is now publicly released and published [as volume 10.1]. Thank you to all the attendees for their wonderful contributions and for offering their articles to the readers for free. This edition was another excellent session of discussions and debates, for sure an excellent contribution to your work and ple...

Nov 2022 Twice-yearly Conference on Bridging Science and Spirituality

The great wisdom traditions typically emphasize various forms of love, especially cosmic, agape type love. The African value of Ubuntu implies essential humanity, developed through the ongoing evolutionary event of humanization, socialization, enculturation, and communal spirituality. In addition to cosmic love and everyday caring practices, Ubuntu...

"The great wisdom traditions typically emphasize various forms of love, especially cosmic, agape type love. The African value of Ubuntu implies essential humanity, developed through the ongoing evolutionary event of humanization, socialization, enculturation, and communal spirituality. In addition to cosmic love and everyday caring practices, Ubunt...

This article constitutes a short report on HeartMath meditation explorations with a longer breath cycle. Five HeartMath practitioners unanimously reported significant and meaningful increases in coherence and performance data using longer breath cycles. This finding is discussed in relation to the HeartMath coherence model, and other heart rate var...

Mystical, panentheistic lines from Wordsworth’s poem, Tintern Abbey, constitute inductive case study material to introduce HeartMath science’s Global Consciousness Project (GCP). This case study provides a temporal dimension along which to view the cosmic significance of Wordsworth’s “felt sense”, Teilhard de Chardin’s “noosphere” and the GCP. A he...

"The accelerating destructive effects of pollution threaten the existence of all inhabitants of planet earth. Health promotion interventions inevitably include a dynamic harmony of various interacting planetary components and contexts, bio-psycho-social as well as spiritual, cultural and ecological. This study was based on a broad research question...

MOTIVATION: Whatever we approach the subject of ‘health’ – in every sense, physical, mental, spiritual, religious, or holistic - society has always been the perfect environment for them to grow, flourish and refine their tendencies. Today, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis and global upheaval while after the Covid-19...

Using scales and the analysis of shared phenomenological experiences, our chief aim in this investigation is to record what happens when practitioners start meditating on their Self via their hearts using the Arka Dhyana Intuitive Meditation method (IM). This yogic-based practice involves a journey from the thinking mind to the emotional heart to p...

This study is about the physical and spiritual aspects of running. In addition to the human physical activity of running, there is a special reference to God-consciousness. Although the paper reflects an African, Christian, psychological bias, from an interfaith perspective, it concerns a simple, natural, human activity, within a broader energetic...

This article defines religion in terms of some of its major characteristics. Special attention is paid to how religion is attuned to the structure of a prevailing social order. Religion renders valuable functions within the psyche of individuals and renders justification to the integrity of a community. A brief qualitative investigation utilizing i...

This paper follows a project undertaken by theUniversity of Zululand in conjunction with localorganisations. A description of the Zululand MentalHealth Community Psychology Programme providesan example of progress through partnerships betweenthe University and those groups. It also examines themental health model in relation to the social action,or...

This chapter is based on a meeting of an Australian shaman and Zulu divine healer as organized by the author. The approach may be termed memorial and reflective. The chapter explores some common themes in divine healing in traditional Zulu and classical Greek culture. Themes include indigenous knowledge, ancestral and divine consciousness, truth, h...

Generational consciousness is introduced with special reference to Zulu culture. Both broad and specific views of ancestors are included. A qualitative study using ethnographic observation, cultural immersion, etic and emic researcher perspectives, researcher reflexivity, and interviews with indigenous Zulu community members is presented with speci...

This illustrative, South African case study investigated the influence the COVID-19 lockdown context would have on physical activity and meditation. As these were lifestyle patterns the null hypothesis was of no change. Methodology consisted of quantitative and qualitative phases. The quantitative phase was an empirical, case study review of data f...

This book constitutes writings by South African and Australian authors on the theme of breath based mental health promotion. As editors we wish to acknowledge the valuable support from all colleagues who contributed to this work, as well as the institutions of the University of Zululand and the National Research Foundation in South Africa, and Edit...

The sacred role of the breath is recognised in the great spiritual healing traditions such as Ancestor reverence, Judaism, Hinduism, Taoism, Christianity and Islam, as fundamental indicator of consciousness, when manifest in individual existence as breath or incarnated soul, and in transpersonal and cosmic existence as Breath or Spirit. This articl...

In an experimental evaluation of an introductory Arka Dhyana (Intuitive Meditation) course, HeartMath (HM) Inner Balance or emWave2 electronic technology showed highly significant increases in both coherence and achievement in six participants who learned how to change their level of consciousness as proposed by the Theory of the Six Main Levels of...

This Artificial Intelligence (AI) assisted, case study type investigation consisted of a review of Fitbit and Inner Balance application (app) records before and during the initial five-week South African COVID 19 lockdown period. Physical health activity consisted of various stillness and movement forms, ranging from subtle energetic, soft styles s...

1. Background: The global COVID-19 lockdowns are unique psychological factors, requiring adjustment and coping. This illustrative, South African case study investigated the influence the COVID-19 lockdown context would have on meditation and physical activity. As these were lifestyle patterns the null hypothesis was of no change. 2. Method: The met...

HeartMath Fitbit mean data before and after COVID-19

DIALOGO Conference keynote presentation

The HeartMath Institute originated in 1991 through Doc Childre’s vision of promoting heart intelligence and health. The HeartMath system is an interdisciplinary undertaking, which bridges natural, human, social, spiritual, and ecological sciences, with the goal of promoting personal, social, and global coherence. The general goal of this paper is t...

Ancestral consciousness, reverence, beliefs, and practices, forms an essential foundation for religion and healing. African religion and healing are based on the interconnectedness of all life, including ancestral heritage linked to an original creative Source, usually known through dreams via the extended family, community and collective unconscio...

An introductory course of Arka Dhyana, also known as Intuitive Meditation (IM), consisting of five sessions, was offered to an international audience via Zoom technology. Participants were shown how to connect to their deeper self, essence or soul by bringing their I-ego-awareness from the thinking mind, often associated with the frontal part of th...

This brief report summarises HeartMath personal and global coherence patterns of data collected before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings indicated that COVID-19 data correlated significantly with all baseline data, as well as being significantly different from all baseline data. The best predictors of COVID-19 data were personal and global...

Abstract:Bonsai art refers to the cultivation of a miniature tree. This study was motivated bythe hypothesis that bonsai art may also be an ecopsychological, therapeutic practice that can havemeaningful healing qualities. An international online survey elicited the meaning of bonsai art for255 skilled bonsai practitioners. Questionnaires and interv...

At a recent South African conference, or indaba, on African Indigenous Knowledge with special reference to the phenomenon of ubuntu, the living organic nature of such forms of original, cultural knowledge, and related phenomena became apparent. Several previous studies indicating the endurance and universality of concepts, customs and values indige...

Indaba: towards an African psychology of education founded on indigenous knowledge systems At a recent South African conference, or indaba, on African Indigenous Knowledge with special reference to the phenomenon of Ubuntu, the living organic nature of such forms of original, cultural knowledge, and related phenomena, became apparent. Several previ...

Everyday psychology for ordinary people a

This study reports on the coping experiences of a convenience sample of 16 people: 8 males and 8 females (mean age = 58.4, SD = 17.6) during the COVID-19 pandemic. NVivo thematic content analyses and syntheses by three independent researchers’ yielded ten coping themes of time, lockdown, work, family, friends, activities, technology, health, prayer...

COVID-19 offers new opportunities for confrontation and transcendence of the givens of life, including illness, suffering and death. These givens also bring humanity’s greatest gifts, such as joy and compassion. This article reports on two recent African psychology studies on COVID-19. The first study on local rural Zulu persons’ COVID-19 coping ex...

he central argument of this scholarly work may be unpacked in terms of ontological, axiological and epistemological themes. Ontologically, it is argued that COVID-19 may well continue to be a required catalyst for planetary survival, interconnectedness and collaboration for health promotion and sustainable ecology. The axiological theme is that COV...

Indigenous knowledge systems across planet earth have traditionally honoured life as a deeply interconnected whole. Similar to other African communities, Zulu people have long recognized that survival depends on harmonious social and ecological relationships. To prevent disorder and chaos, people are expected to work at maintaining harmony, especia...

The HeartMath system is based on a coherence model. The aim of this study is to overview the function of this model in its focus on advancing health and medical science. This integral theme, which includes historical, alternative, complementary and contemporary perspectives, is unpacked at various levels; physiological, social and global. Special a...

This heuristic phenomenological case study was motivated by reoccurrences of longstanding sports injury issues among athletes. It reports on HeartMath zone experiences of a wounded healer managing his own chronic sport injuries. Zone healing experiences were unexpectedly associated with significant increases in psychophysiological coherence as meas...

Cardiac coherence measurement is an established technology in biofeedback systems for stress release. Studies have typically been conducted with participants during ordinary waking consciousness, yet cardiac coherence during sleep may be even more important in illness prevention and health promotion. We investigated whether it was possible to devel...

This case study reports on the health psychological evaluation of an integrated, high intensity, lo impact, physical training program for a 31 year old, male accountancy teacher. High intensity components consisted of running, cycling and the Canadian Airforce 5BX program. Low impact components comprised walking and Chi-gung inspired Pilates. Squas...

HeartMath is a contemporary, scientific, coherent model of heart intelligence. The aim of this paper is to review this coherence model with special reference to its implications for artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. Various conceptual issues, implications and challenges for AI and robotics are discussed. In view of seemingly infinite human...

Depression is ranked as most common type of mental illness by the World Health Organization (WHO in Depression and other common mental disorders: Global health estimates. World Health Organization, Geneva, 2017). Although cognitive behavioural therapy is recommended as the evidence-based psychological treatment of choice, this applies mostly to you...

his brief, case study reports on a clinical sport psychological skills training intervention using HeartMath techniques with a 12 year old boy. The pre-test and post-test, process and outcome evaluative, research design included qualitative and quantitative, integrated and mixed method techniques, in the form of psychometric testing and diarizing o...

Along with the creativity of vast technological advances, humanity's endemic destructiveness continues. Planetary healing needs motivated this research. The aim was an empirical and heuristic phenomenological investigation into and an evaluation of the theoretical and technological implications of the HeartMath Global Coherence Initiative. The sing...

Throughout known history, Ubuntu has promoted and continues to promote social coherence. Although the South African government, civil society and private sector have places great faith in the idea of Ubuntu to build social cohesion, there has been limited progress in this regard. Similarly, in the educational field, there has been limited progress...

Shame may be generally defined as painful feelings and negative emotions, related to stressful experiences and psychological states such as anxiety, depression and aggression, which may impede ongoing positive experiences and feelings such as contentment, peacefulness and happiness. Shame experiences may also constitute source of resilience and hea...

This brief report constitutes an evidence based, evaluation of a resilience workshop for 328 male professional rugby players, with mean age of 25 and standard deviation (SD) of 4.7 years. Quantitative findings revealed significant changes in pre-test to post-test resilience scale scores. Qualitative findings indicated helpful experiential dimension...

Abstracts and full articles are sought for a Special Section of the Journal of Psychology in Africa on the theme of the HeartMath for Psychology (in general and Africa in particular) with special reference to the promotion of planetary and continental health, education and development. Original, conceptual, empirical and scoping review articles are...

This study reports preliminary evidence on the efficacy of an Ubuntu type HeartMath intervention for the purpose of facilitating social coherence and spirit at work The study employed a pre-test and post-test, mixed methods design with 17 students and staff of an education unit (women =10; range 24 to 58 years) Participants completed a brief Ubuntu...

This study explored the efficacy of an intuition-oriented family constellations process workshop in influencing intuition and consciousness of extended family constellations. Participants were eight white South Africans (male = 1, female = 7; age range = 36 to 62 years). They took a pre-test and post-test measure on their intuition gains from the f...

The research was generally motivated by a dearth of studies on joy, and particularly inspired by a book of joy celebrating the inter-spiritual dialogue between the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu. Its aim was to investigate whether the direct contemplation of joy would be associated with improvements in psychophysiological coherence, spirituality and v...

The aim of this study is to articulate a wisdom way of being to transform the heart of contemporary humanity. It is argued that this wisdom way may be realized through heart based meditation practices, which transform consciousness and behaviour, virtues and values. Discussion is focussed on contemporary, scientific, HeartMath and related studies w...

This study reports on the development of an Ubuntu type HeartMath Workshop for the purpose of facilitating social coherence and spirit at work. The study employed a pre-and post-test, mixed methods, within subjects, outcome evaluative design. Data were collected in three workshops with a total sample of 10 women and 7 men, with mean age 38.23, and...

Heart based meditation and healing probably first developed many thousands of years ago in Africa. Judaism, Christianity and Islam have emphasized the great healing value of what is popularly referred to as “the prayer of the heart”. The HeartMath system refers to various methods, tools and techniques developed by the HeartMath Institute, a global...

The HeartMath system refers to various methods, tools and techniques developed by the HeartMath Institute, a global research and educational organization. Working from an interdisciplinary, scientific foundation, the institute has adopted a coherence model to promote its vision and mission of education and health. This model is based on empirical,...

This case study reports on the evaluation of an integral life practice intervention for physical exercise and health promotion, with a stressed, 30-year-old unemployed client. The pre-test and post-test, process and outcome evaluative, research design included qualitative and quantitative, integrated and mixed method techniques, in the form of psyc...

This exploratory study aimed to examine health care provider work-related experiences in a rural South African context. Participants were a convenient sample of 12 medical practitioners (private sector = 55%). The practitioners responded to an open-ended question on their health care delivery-related experiences. Thematic analysis of the data revea...

Chronic non-communicable diseases continue to present a global health problem despite increasing acknowledgement that lifestyle behaviours, including regular exercise, prevent and help to manage many of these conditions. The problem of obesity and associated conditions among black women in Africa is of particular concern. University life can perpet...

An exploratory pilot study with a small homogenous sample of Christian English speaking participants (four men and four women, with mean age of 48 and age range from 27 to 70 years) provided support for an alternative research hypothesis that a Christ consciousness contemplation with Heart Prayer of HeartMath techniques was significantly associated...

This small scale study used mixed, quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate whether HeartMath practice of at least five consecutive sessions would be associated with higher psychophysiological coherence levels, decreases in negative feeling state, and increases in positive feeling state, ratings and experiences. A convenience sample of s...

Heart and breath based meditation, prayer, contemplation and related actions are time tested, evidence based healing methods. The goal of this conceptual paper is to review some essential roles of the heart in indigenous and global healing, with special reference to Africa. As indigenous healing has been the traditional province of the major religi...

This article is intended as an original contribution towards contemplation of the Self with special reference to a spiritual and transpersonal psychological context. An integral approach involving a heuristic phenomenological investigation of four participant researchers’ contemplation derived experiences is described. Individual and collective des...

Informed by HeartMath theory and praxis, this psychological case study involved a review of the author's personal HeartMath practice. A heuristic phenomenological research methodology was complemented by HeartMath records over a time period of two years, eight months, with the author reflexively functioning as both researcher and participant. Illus...

Title: HeartMath and Global Coherence Initiatives for Research and Health Promotion Name: Stephen David Edwards, PhD., D.Ed. Position: Emeritus Professor and Research Fellow, Psychology Department Institution: University of Zululand, P. Bag 3886, KwaDlangezwa, South Africa E-mail: sdedward@telkomsa.net This presentation aims to review HeartMath and...

Invited plenary adress at annual research conferences provided opportunity to feedback staff and students on update research publications and projects

Clinical sport psychology is an example of a differentiated and specialized discipline. This case study report focuses on a successful, long-term, clinical sport psychological intervention for a 24 year old, male, professional rugby union player. The athlete self-referred, through accessing a 24 hour rugby helpline service, owing to depression and...

This presentation is motivated by many problems confronting planet earth. Its aim is to introduce HeartMath and Global Coherence Initiatives as integral healing approaches for promoting global health and well-being. The presentation reviews research evidence in relation to psychophysiological coherence, which is characterized by a heart rhythm patt...

Discussant for Symposium on Personal factors in Mediating Health Recovery: Their qualities, antecedents and enablers

Based on the related publication this poster introduced HeartMath as a positive psychology paradigm for promoting psychophysiological and global coherence. Evidence is provided for its value, with special reference to psychophysiological coherence as a natural, resonant, heart rhythm pattern associated with synchronization between positive emotions...