doi 10.9769/EPJ.2022.14.2.GC
Gaétan Chevalier, Earthing Institute, Thousand Palms, California, USA
Citation (APA Style): Chevalier, G. (2022). The effects of grounding on meditation quality: Preliminary study report—a case series. Energy Psychology: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 14(2), 13–50.
Abstract:
Background:
Published research shows that grounding the human body to Earth (also called “earthing”) produces multiple health benefits. An earlier study documented immediate and abrupt changes in the left hemisphere of the brain upon grounding, an indication of improved brain function (Chevalier et al., 2006). The findings suggest that grounding might improve the practice of meditation, an activity that has gained widespread popularity throughout the world.
Objective:
To explore possible added benefits from meditating indoors while grounded, an experiment was set up involving 10 longtime meditators.
Methods:
: Brain mapping with electroencephalographic (EEG) electrodes applied to the head was used to measure brain function during grounding vs. non-grounding periods of the meditation. The participants were monitored separately while meditating in a special conductive recliner chair. They were grounded for 40 minutes in the middle of their meditation session. Grounding was accomplished by using conductive cords to connect the chair, as well as patches applied to the palms of the hands, to the grounding system of the building. For the first 15 minutes of the meditation and the last 10 minutes, participants were disconnected, that is, not grounded. They were blind to when they were and were not grounded.
Results:
Both objectively and participatively, a deeper meditation was documented during the period of the meditation when participants were grounded compared to when they were not grounded. About half of the participants showed evidence through brain mapping of improvements in brain function. The principal characteristics of the meditation improvements during grounding were: (a) high Alpha in the frontal lobes (increased top-down control regulation and emotional control), (b) high Theta (increase in internal focus, spiritual awareness, and meditation), and (c) tendencies toward brain disorders disappeared during grounding.
Conclusion:
This small pilot project presents evidence that meditating indoors while grounded offers benefits beyond the meditation itself and replicates traditional practices in which individuals meditated while sitting on the ground. These results warrant more research with more participants and a control group.
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