Earth & Mind Series, Part 4, EEG/EMG/Meditation

It's been a while, but we are back with some more grounding stuff :) This time we’re going into the brain..

EEG measures the electrical waveforms produced by neural activity. EMG measures the electrical activity in muscles. Together, they reveal changes in overall stress and balance in our physiology. Here we’ll quickly finish out our exploration of Earth & Mind and look at how EEG and EMG have been used to evaluate grounding and its influence on human brain and muscle function.

EEG

Neurons communicate through tiny shifts in electrical charge. EEG detects and records these signals via scalp electrodes. The output is a series of waveforms with varying frequency and amplitude. These measurements allow us to classify states of consciousness and identify neurological conditions.

One major clinical use is in epilepsy. By examining EEG data, physicians can locate abnormal electrical activity. This is also vital for diagnosing sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and insomnia. EEG helps researchers understand how the brain processes information, how different regions synchronize, and how activity changes with stimuli.

EEG waveforms come in several types. Alpha (8-12 Hz) appears during relaxed wakefulness. Beta (13-30 Hz) is common during focus and concentration. Theta (4-7 Hz) often emerges in sleep or meditation. Delta (0.5-4 Hz) is linked to deep sleep. While EEG is safe, it mostly detects signals from surface brain regions. Deeper structures are more difficult to measure. Also, movement artifacts can affect data quality. Even so, EEG is still a powerful clinical and research tool.

EMG: MUSCLE ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY

EMG evaluates how muscles and nerves interact. By placing electrodes on or near muscles, we detect electrical signals generated during contraction or tension. EMG is useful for diagnosing neuromuscular disorders and guiding surgical or physical therapy interventions. It also helps athletes optimize muscle performance.

During EMG tests, subjects may flex specific muscles so the device can record their electrical output. This helps detect conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome or disorders like ALS. EMG allows clinicians to track disease progression and adapt treatments.

EEG AND EMG FOR STRESS ANALYSIS

EEG and EMG have been studied together in stress research. EEG reveals stress by detecting shifts in brainwave frequencies. For instance, stress can boost beta wave activity, tied to heightened alertness or anxiety. EMG detects increased muscle tension in the neck, shoulders, and back during stress.

Chronic stress worsens conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and depression. By tracking EEG and EMG changes, researchers and clinicians can design interventions that lower stress. This forms part of the rationale behind our next study on grounding and its effects.

CHEVALIER, MORI, AND OSCHMAN (2005) – GROUNDING EFFECTS ON EEG/EMG/BVP

In 2005, Chevalier, Mori, and Oschman conducted a double-blind pilot study with 58 adults. The control group of 30 stayed ungrounded. The experimental group of 28 was grounded via adhesive patches on each foot. A biofeedback system recorded parameters, including EEG, EMG, and blood volume pulse (BVP). Subjects in the grounded group spent 28 minutes ungrounded, followed by 28 minutes grounded. Controls remained ungrounded.

Major Findings

• About half of the grounded participants exhibited sudden shifts in root mean square (RMS) EEG values in the left hemisphere. Changes included both increases and decreases across beta, alpha, theta, and delta. No change appeared in the right hemisphere.

• EMG data from right and left upper trapezius muscles showed abrupt normalizations in muscle tension once grounding started. Tense muscles relaxed and hypotonic muscles reached normal tension.

• Nineteen of 22 grounded subjects showed lower BVP. This implies a move toward parasympathetic activation.

These results suggest a stress-reducing and balancing effect. They align with earlier cortisol studies showing grounding’s normalization of elevated or reduced hormone levels. Here, grounding normalized EEG and EMG outputs. The response varied among individuals because each person has different stress set points, muscle tension, and sympathetic/parasympathetic balance.

RAHMAN ET AL. (2018) – GROUNDING AND EEG PATTERNS IN STUDENTS

Rahman and colleagues at the University of Malaysia Pahang investigated EEG changes in 30 students aged 19-23. Researchers recorded EEG signals before and after grounding and analyzed them using STFT (Short-time Fourier Transform) and CWT (Continuous Wavelet Transform). An Artificial Neural Network processed the data.

They saw increases in alpha band activity (8-12 Hz) and decreases in beta band activity (13-30 Hz). Alpha waves correspond to relaxation. Beta waves link to focused thinking or alertness. Thus, grounding led to a calmer mental state.

CHEVALIER (2022) – MEDITATION WHILE GROUNDED

Chevalier ran a pilot study in 2022 with 10 “experienced” meditators. Participants meditated for 40 minutes in a conductive chair connected to a building’s grounding system. EEG electrodes tracked brain function. Other sensors monitored skin conductance, heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), and muscle tension.

• Most subjects experienced deeper meditation during grounding. Some maintained excellent meditation even after being ungrounded, but others’ meditative depth declined once grounding ended.

• Several participants showed improved brain function alongside physiological markers of healing, including changes in skin conductance, HR, or HRV.

CHEVALIER (2010) – EFFECTS OF GROUNDING ON RESPIRATORY AND CARDIOVASCULAR PARAMETERS

An earlier study in 2010 by Chevalier involved 28 subjects (14 men, 14 women) in a double-blind design. Researchers measured pulse rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygenation, perfusion index, and skin conductance before, during, and after a 40-minute grounding period. Controls remained ungrounded.

Key Observations

• Respiratory rate increased during and after grounding, suggesting higher oxygen use.

• Blood oxygenation variance decreased during grounding but rose sharply after ungrounding.

• Variances of pulse rate and perfusion index changed near the end of grounding and stayed altered afterward.

Chevalier concluded that grounding triggers a metabolic process that persists beyond the grounded interval. The body uses more oxygen and keeps this elevated demand even after ungrounding. This ties to changes in ANS function and possible healing responses.

GROUNDING AS A NEUROMODULATOR

These studies show that grounding modulates the nervous system in ways we can measure with EEG, EMG, and other physiological tools. Stress reduction appears to be a consistent finding. Stress is a major contributor to various physical and mental health issues, so any intervention that reduces stress can have widespread benefits.

Practices like prayer, meditation, yoga, and tai chi have long been used to lower stress. Grounding now joins that list. By reconnecting the body to the earth’s electrical potential, it appears to move autonomic balance toward homeostasis.

But before we close out this series, let’s quickly touch on some anxious rats.. or perhaps not so anxious ones when grounded.

Park and colleagues in 2023 explored how grounding affects stress in rats. They focused on anxiety and depressive behaviors using the elevated plus maze (EPM), tail suspension test (TST), and forced swimming test (FST). They also measured c-Fos and corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) in the paraventricular nucleus to assess changes in neuronal activation and stress-related neurochemistry.

Sprague−Dawley male rats were grounded on mats for either 7 or 21 days. On day 22, rats completed the EPM, TST, and FST. The grounded rats spent more time in the open arm of the EPM, indicating lower anxiety-like behavior. They also showed a marked reduction in CRF-expressing neurons. There was a trend for reduced c-Fos expression, suggesting that grounding can moderate neurohormonal mechanisms linked to stress.

These findings imply that grounding may regulate corticotrophinergic pathways and reduce behavioral signs of stress. By influencing CRF and potentially lowering c-Fos activity, grounding helps move the body and brain toward calmer states. This aligns with earlier evidence that grounding supports stress resilience in both humans and animal models.

Summary:

Grounding has shown measurable impacts on the brain and musculature. EEG studies reveal shifts toward calming alpha waves, while EMG data point to normalization of muscle tension. Changes in blood volume pulse and other parameters suggest that grounding supports parasympathetic balance. These effects also appear in animal models. Rats exposed to grounding spent more time in open arms on the EPM and showed reduced CRF expression.

Reconnecting to Earth's negative charge seems to regulate electrical potentials in the body. This can lead to improved autonomic balance and lowered stress. Incorporating grounding into modern health practices is a simple yet powerful means to modulate physiological stress responses, and it needs to start being treated as such..

Anyway, I hope you’ve enjoyed this 4-part series on Earth & Mind. New series coming up :)

Further Reading:

1. Green E and Green A. Beyond Biofeedback. Ft. Wayne, Indiana, Knoll Publishing Co., Inc., 1989.

2. Avnon Y, Nitzan M, Sprecher E, Rogowski Z, Yarnitsky D. Different patterns of parasympathetic activation in uni- and bilateral migraineurs. Brain. 2003 Jul;126(Pt 7):1660-70. doi: 10.1093/brain/awg158. Epub 2003 Apr 22. PMID: 12805117.

3. Hilz MJ, Dütsch M, Perrine K, Nelson PK, Rauhut U, Devinsky O. Hemispheric influence on autonomic modulation and baroreflex sensitivity. Ann Neurol. 2001 May;49(5):575-84. PMID: 11357947.

4. Wittling W, Block A, Genzel S, Schweiger E. Hemisphere asymmetry in parasympathetic control of the heart. Neuropsychologia. 1998 May;36(5):461-8. doi: 10.1016/s0028-3932(97)00129-2. PMID: 9699952.

5. Chevalier, Gaetan & Mori, Kazuhito & Oschman, James. (2005). The effect of Earthing (grounding) on human physiology. 2. 

6. Rahman, Noor & Mustafa, Mahfuzah & Samad, Rosdiyana & Abdullah, Nor Rul Hasma & Sulaiman, Norizam & Pebrianti, Dwi. (2018). Classification of EEG Signal for Body Earthing Application. Journal of Telecommunication, Electronic and Computer Engineering (JTEC). 10. 81-85. 

7. Chevalier, Gaetan. (2022). The Effects of Grounding on Meditation Quality: Preliminary Study Report—A Case Series. Energy Psychology. 14. 13-50. 10.9769/EPJ.2022.14.2.GC. 

8. Chevalier, Gaetan. (2010). Changes in Pulse Rate, Respiratory Rate, Blood Oxygenation, Perfusion Index, Skin Conductance, and Their Variability Induced During and After Grounding Human Subjects for 40 Minutes. Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.). 16. 81-7. 10.1089/acm.2009.0278. 

9. Angeles-Castellanos M, Aguilar-Roblero R, Escobar C. c-Fos expression in hypothalamic nuclei of food-entrained rats. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2004 Jan;286(1):R158-65. doi: 10.1152/ajpregu.00216.2003. Epub 2003 Aug 21. PMID: 12933360.

10. Senba E, Matsunaga K, Tohyama M, Noguchi K. Stress-induced c-fos expression in the rat brain: activation mechanism of sympathetic pathway. Brain Res Bull. 1993;31(3-4):329-44. doi: 10.1016/0361-9230(93)90225-z. PMID: 8490732.

11. Jeffrey, J.D.; Gollock, M.J.; Gilmour, K.M. Social stress modulates the cortisol response to an acute stressor in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 2014, 196, 8–16. 

12. Arikawe, A.P.; Rorato, R.C.; Gomes, N.; Elias, L.L.; Anselmo-Franci, J. Hormonal and neural responses to restraint stress in an animal model of perimenopause in female rats. J. Neuroendocrinol. 2021, 33, e12976. 

13. De Oliveira, R.P.; de Andrade, J.S.; Spina, M.; Chamon, J.V.; Silva, P.H.D.; Werder, A.K.; Ortolani, D.; Thomaz, L.D.S.C.; Romariz, S.; Ribeiro, D.A.; et al. Clozapine prevented social interaction deficits and reduced c-Fos immunoreactivity expression in several brain areas of rats exposed to acute restraint stress. PLoS ONE 2022, 17, e0262728. 

14. Fóscolo, D.R.C.; Lima, P.M.A.; Rodovalho, G.V.; Coimbra, C.C. Early maternal separation alters the activation of stress-responsive brain areas in adulthood. Neurosci. Lett. 2022, 771, 136464. 

15. Koureta, M.; Karaglani, M.; Panagopoulou, M.; Balgkouranidou, I.; Papadaki-Anastasopoulou, A.; Zarouchlioti, C.; Dekavallas, S.; Kolios, G.; Lambropoulou, M.; Baritaki, S.; et al. Corticotropin Releasing Factor Receptors in breast cancer: Expression and activity in hormone-dependent growth in vitro. Peptides 2020, 129, 170316. 

16. Wang, Y.; Li, G.; Wang, X.; Zhu, S. Effects of Shugan Hewei Granule on Depressive Behavior and Protein Expression Related to Visceral Sensitivity in a Rat Model of Nonerosive Reflux Disease. Evid. Based Complement Alternat. Med. 2019, 2019, 1505693. 

17. Wu, W.Y.; Liu, Y.; Wu, M.C.; Wang, H.W.; Chu, C.P.; Jin, H.; Li, Y.Z.; Qiu, D.L. Corticotrophin-Releasing Factor Modulates the Facial Stimulation-Evoked Molecular Layer Interneuron-Purkinje Cell Synaptic Transmission in vivo in Mice. Front. Cell Neurosci. 2020, 14, 563428. 

18. Park H-J, Jeong W, Yu HJ, Ye M, Hong Y, Kim M, Kim JY, Shim I. The Effect of Earthing Mat on Stress-Induced Anxiety-like Behavior and Neuroendocrine Changes in the Rat. Biomedicines. 2023; 11(1):57. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines11010057