Gaétan Chevalier, Ph.D., Director, Earthing Institute, and Research Director, Psy-Tech Labs.
ABSTRACT
Published research shows that grounding the human body to Earth (also called Earthing) produces multiple health benefits. They include reductions in pain, inflammation, and stress, and improvements in energy, quality of sleep, peripheral blood flow, and indicators of osteoporosis and glucose regulation (1-3). An earlier study documented immediate and abrupt changes in the left hemisphere of the brain upon grounding, an indication of improved brain function (4). The finding suggests that grounding might improve the practice of meditation, an activity that has gained widespread popularity throughout the world. There are an estimated 18 million adherents of various meditation practices in the U.S. alone (5). It is interesting to note that in Eastern traditions going back thousands of years, practitioners have been depicted to sit on the ground while meditating and thus have very likely been grounded. In today’s Western world, most practitioners do not meditate on the ground outside.
Objective: To explore possible added benefits from meditating while grounded indoors, an experiment was set up involving 10 longtime meditators who practiced different techniques.
Method: In the experiment, brain mapping with electroencephalographic electrodes (EEG) applied to the head was used to measure brain function during grounding vs. non-grounding periods of an hour- long meditation sitting. Similarly, skin conductance, heart rate and heart rate variability, and muscle tension (EMG) measurements were taken to determine tension and relaxation effects.
The participants were monitored separately in an office setting, while meditating on a special conductive recliner chair. They were grounded for 40 minutes in the middle of their meditation session. Grounding was accomplished by using a conductive cord to connect the chair, as well as special patches applied to the skin, to the grounding system of the building. For the first 15 minutes of the meditation, and the last 10 minutes, the participants were disconnected, that is, not grounded.
Results: Both objectively and subjectively, a deeper meditation was documented during the period of the meditation when participants were grounded compared to not being grounded. About half of the subjects showed evidence of improvements in brain function through brain mapping. In addition, the measurements collectively revealed signs of a healing response and detoxification occurring as a result of the grounding.
Conclusion: This small pilot project presents evidence that meditating grounded indoors offers benefits beyond the meditation itself, and replicates traditional practices where individuals practiced while sitting on the ground.
References
- Chevalier, G., Sinatra, S.T., Oschman, J.L., Sokal, K. & Sokal, P. (2012) Earthing: health implications of reconnecting the human body to the Earth’s surface electrons. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2012, article ID: 291541, 8 pages.
- Ober, C., Sinatra, S.T. & Zucker M. (2014) Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever! 2nd ed. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.
- Oschman, J.L., Chevalier, G. & Ober, A.C. (2015) Biophysics of earthing (grounding) the human body. In: Rosch. P., ed. Bioelectromagnetic and Subtle Energy Medicine. 2nd ed. New York: CRC Press, 427–448.
- Chevalier, G., Mori, K. & Oschman, J.L. (2006) The Effect of Earthing (Grounding) on Human Physiology. European Biology and Bioelectromagnetics, 2(1), 600-621.
- Clarke, T.C., Black, L.I., Stussman, B.J., Barnes, P.M. & Nahin, R.L. (2015) Trends in the use of complementary health approaches among adults: United States, 2002–2012. National health statistics reports; no 79. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.
Details of study can be viewed here.
