Drawing-Out Resilience in Children and High-Risk Adolescents viaExposing Them to Three Psycho-Spiritual Principles

Abstract

This preliminary study examines the effects on the resilience and behavior of children and high-risk adolescents via exposing them to three psycho-spiritual principles—Universal Mind, consciousness, and thought. Forty-five children and twenty-six high-risk adolescents were randomly assigned to experimental groups. Treatment participants received ten 60-90 minute lessons designed to help them understand how the principles of Universal Mind, consciousness, and thought interact from within to construct their psychological lives, how to use the power of thought in their best interest, and how to access and sustain inner resilience. Control participants received other interventions. The results show that compared to their control groups, children and adolescents exposed to the three principles reported a significant improvement in resilience with high-risk participants reporting a significantly larger improvement in overall resilience than moderate and low-risk participants. Also, high-risk adolescents exposed to the principles reported a significant reduction in risky behavior. The qualitative findings show that children and highrisk adolescents exposed to the three principles related these positive effects to new insights regarding the power of thought and/or inner resilience via a clear mind gained through understanding these principles.