Olav Hammer, an expert on new religious movements, describes the "Michael Teachings" as a "fairly well-structured set of doctrines, expressed in a distinct vocabulary". According to Hammer, Michael is described by believers as a "group soul, a collective consciousness of 1050 essences". Hammer states that the channelers of Michael study the earlier "transmissions" and use similar terminology, making it easier for readers to accept the new material as part of a doctrines. Dr. Hammer has a degree in Computer Science and a Ph.D. from Lund University (Sweden) in History of Religions.