Robert Keith Wallace, PhD, scientist, educator, and a pioneer of modern consciousness research, discusses how learning the Transcendental Meditation technique directly from TM Founder Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the 1960s became a turning point that shaped the direction of his life and work.
He reflects on how his scientific research helped open the study of consciousness to serious inquiry, and how decades of leadership within the worldwide Transcendental Meditation organization have translated that research into practical approaches to health, education, and human potential.
Dr. Wallace’s introduction to the TM program began in 1964, when he was personally taught by Maharishi. The following year, he helped co-found the Students International Meditation Society (SIMS), playing a pivotal role in bringing the Transcendental Meditation technique to university campuses and significantly expanding its availability across the United States.
Dr. Wallace … discusses how learning the Transcendental Meditation technique directly from TM Founder Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the 1960s became a turning point that shaped the direction of his life and work.
Dr. Wallace earned a bachelor’s degree in physics and a doctorate in physiology from UCLA, followed by postgraduate research at Harvard University. His groundbreaking research—published in leading journals, including Science, Scientific American, and the American Journal of Physiology—identified Transcendental Consciousness as a distinct fourth major state of consciousness, opening new pathways in the scientific understanding of human potential. This work catalyzed hundreds of subsequent studies on the TM technique, mind-body medicine, and Consciousness-Based® health.
Dr. Wallace has taught and lectured on Consciousness-Based approaches to health and well-being at universities and research institutions across five continents. He was the founding President of Maharishi International University (MIU) and has played a central role in developing graduate-level programs that train physicians, health professionals, and wellness practitioners in Maharishi AyurVeda® and Integrative Medicine. He is currently the Dean of the College of Integrative Medicine and a Trustee of MIU.
In addition to his academic and research leadership, Dr. Wallace is a prolific author of more than 20 books, including Gut Crisis, The Rest and Repair Diet, The Coherence Code, Total Brain Coaching, and his most recent book, Remembering It Was You All Along, co-authored with Dr. Barbora de Courten.
Christine Albers, host of TM Talks, interviewed Robert Keith Wallace, PhD. This interview was aired on February 8, 2026.
About TM Talks
TM Talks is a weekly series of LIVE webinars, on personal development and the growth of higher states of consciousness, every Sunday at 5:00 p.m. Eastern. Please see connection details below.
If you can’t watch the livestream, visit TM Talks for videos of all broadcasts.
For a schedule of all upcoming online events, including TM Talks, visit TMEvents.org ►
How to Connect
For best results and video, download the Zoom app to your smartphone, tablet, or computer, then click on this link: https://zoom.us/j/177174913. You will be prompted to install Zoom if it isn’t already on your device. To join the meeting, enter your email address and name at the prompt.
If you prefer to call in for audio only, dial 929-205-6099 or 253-215-8782, then enter the Meeting ID 177-174-913#.
Comments
You may also like
Vedic Knowledge
Maharishi’s Revival of an Ancient Tradition of Ultimate Human Development
How Maharishi brought to light the core meditation technique of the Vedic tradition for the full unfoldment of human potential, from Dr. Craig Pearson’s The Supreme Awakening: Experiences of Enlightenment throughout Time.
Education
A Life Devoted to Consciousness-Based Education | 57:22
Richard Beall, PhD, served as a teacher, coach, and middle and high school principal of Maharishi School in Fairfield, Iowa. He helped establish the school in its early years, launching interscholastic sports and supporting the development of extracurricular programs. He talks about how he became head of the school and explains how Consciousness-Based Education® is implemented and the impact that the TM technique has had on his life and the lives of the school’s students, faculty, and staff.
Science
Consciousness and Physics: The Meeting of Ancient Wisdom and Modern Science | 57:01
John Hagelin, Ph.D., is a renowned quantum physicist and President of Maharishi International University. He discusses how the unified field of all the laws of nature is helping humanity understand the importance of experiencing pure consciousness. He also discusses how TM brings practical benefits and leads to unbounded creativity, happiness, and enlightenment.
Better Health
Exploring the Connectome: A New Approach to Integrative Medicine | 19:41
There’s an urgent need for effective alternative approaches to health care in a post-pandemic world. Mind-body medical professionals join hands to create a new model that incorporates the four domains of health in the connectome, “health artisanry,” and more.