Geopathic Stress & Health

Geopathic stress (GS) is a theory that the Earth resonates with energy – namely, energy from its electromagnetic field with a frequency of about 7.83 Hz (Schumann resonance). The basic idea is that this resonant energy affects human health. Problems emerge when disruptions like underground streams, sewers, water and electric lines, tunnels, minerals, and tectonic faults distort the Earth’s natural energy. Adherents of the theory claim that this “geopathic stress” and other kinds of electromagnetic pollution cause illnesses ranging from fatigue, depression, and sleep problems to diabetes and cancer. Should you be worried about geopathic stress? Probably not.

 However, some people think it is possible to locate and resolve sources of geopathic distortion.

Method 1: Identifying Disturbance Points

1. Think about what kind of geopathic stress is affecting you. Start with specific questions about the type of stress you are under. Is there a stream flowing under your home? Or are there earth lines crossing to create an overpowering disturbance in your dining room? Try to be specific, as it may affect what solution you take.

~You may be dealing with not one but several sources of energy at once. The distortion caused by an underground stream, for example, might well cross and amplify the force of a geological fault or vortex.


~Keep in mind, too, that energy patterns can be cyclical rather than constant. If your own energy and health fluctuate during the year, it may point to the disturbance – for example, a seasonal underground stream under your home.

2. Use a dowsing wand. Dowsing is thought to be a way to discover subterranean water, minerals, or other objects. The idea is to take a device like a wand, pendulum, or V-shaped rod and hold it in front of you. The wand points to the ground when you are standing over water or your desired object. While dowsing has no scientific basis, some people feel strongly that the attraction of the wand to the ground is a result of electromagnetic energy. Try dowsing yourself or bringing in a practitioner to help you discover the sources of your energy disturbance.

~In order to dowse, you’ll need a wand or V-shaped rod. Even a simple stick works. Start by holding the wand level in front of you. Then, begin to slowly walk around the area in which you suspect there is a disturbance. The wand will be attracted to the ground when you pass over such an area.


~You can also use a pendulum to dowse, or two separate wands that cross when you have located water or an object.

3. Use a compass. Some people feel that compasses are also effective at locating electromagnetic disturbances. To use one, hold it in your hand and turn until the needle is pointing due north. Then, move the compass over the suspected disturbance point. The needle will alert you of any energy distortions by wavering back and forth.


~ Since it is hard to hold a compass steady, this method is best for small areas like a bed, chair, or sofa.

4. Watch the behavior of pets or other animals. The nineteenth century German geomancer Baron Gustav von Pohl made a startling discovery: cats, dogs, insects, and other animals are naturally attracted to areas of earth resonance. One of the simplest indicators of a geopathic stress zone is to be found in the behavior of animals. Look for signs around you.

~Cats, for example, will sleep over such spots. If outdoors, look for bee, wasp, or ant nests over the spot.


~Excessive amounts of slugs, snails, other insects, or parasites is also a good sign of disturbance. Moles, too, burrow along geopathic stress lines.

Method 2: Protecting yourself from Disturbances

1. Rearrange your living space. You may be unknowingly exposing yourself to geopathic stress. There may be a disturbance underneath your bed, your dining room table, your bathtub, or your your favorite chair. If you have identified a potential trouble spot, rearrange your furniture to avoid spending too much time over or near the point.


~It may be that the disturbance covers a large area. If you can’t re-position your bed or other furniture away from the stress lines, you will have to consider other options, like tools to neutralize the disturbance or to enhance your own energy field.

2. Use Feng Shui to enhance your rearranging. The traditional Chinese art of Feng Shui studies the interaction of humans with their environment. Taken further, Feng Shui can allow you to influence these interacting energies to improve your life. Find out more about its principles and apply them to your living space.


~While the idea lacks a basis in science,[9] some people think that Feng Shui can specifically address geopathic stress. This is because they see the Earth’s resonance as the unifying force between Heaven’s chi (virtual) and Earth’s chi (actual). The Schumann Resonance, they think, allows feng shui remedies to work better.

3. Set up metal rods. A popular and simple method is to place metal rods at strategic points in your home or anywhere you suspect a geopathic disturbance in order to block or neutralize the distorted flow of energy. These points should be verified by dowsing. To make the method work, you’ll also have to know the flow of the earth lines.


~The rods can be copper, brass, or steel. Some people also feel that they can use other objects to redirect the flow of the Earth’s energy, and resolve disturbances. Called “earth acupuncture,” this method involves placing things like leaves, crystals, flowers, or shells at strategic points.

4. Create a cork barrier. Some people think that oak trees mysteriously developed a natural resistance to geopathic stress. In particular, the bark of the cork oak is believed to be effective as a barrier. Try placing cork tiles under your affected bed, for example, to absorb the geopathic chaos. You should be able to do this on your own.

~Be aware that a cork barrier is not a permanent solution. You have only made a barrier. The basic energy disturbance is still there and will have to be resolved.

5. Invest in a new-age crystal. Buy a new crystal to shield yourself. Some people feel strongly about the healing and protective qualities of crystals, which they say protect you from geopathic stresses but also, through energy resonances in your own body and negative ions, can stimulate your immune system and change toxic energies into beneficial ones.

~Quartz or shungite crystals work great. Amethyst, zeolite, and tourmaline are great at generating negative ions from moisture in the air. Make sure to wear your crystal at all times.

6. Get rid of other sources of electromagnetic pollution. The world is filled with sources of electromagnetic pollution that can magnify geopathic stress. High tension power lines, satellite towers, electric poles, or circuit breakers all send out high and low frequency energy that may increase geopathic stress, as can everyday items like microwaves, cell phones, and wireless routers. Minimize your exposure to such devices.


~For instance, get rid of unneeded appliances. If you can’t, keep them unplugged when not in use.

 At the request of a friend, I’ve been looking into a particular kind of quackery known as ‘geopathic stress’. Geopathic stress is a kind of mash-up between electrosmog, feng shui and dowsing (another phenomenon simply explained via the ideomotor effect). The basic idea is this: the Earth has a natural vibration, but things like underground watercourses, drainage pipes, underground tunnels and even simple geological faults distort this vibration. If the vibration is disturbed, and you’re standing (or sitting, or sleeping, or doing anything) above this distortion point, then your health and behaviour will be affected. Websites explaining geopathic stress have linked it to everything from road rage and child abuse to miscarriage, cot death, suicide and cancer. Others claim that you can find sources of stress in or around your house via dowsing, and fix it by moving your bed out of the way of the distortion field.


As a general rule of thumb, if someone tells you that a single factor or phenomenon can cause such a huge range of ailments, then it should ring an alarm bell in your mind. Claims about geopathic stress are no exception. Ask for evidence, and see whether there are any convincing research to back up the claim. “If you don’t believe that an advertiser can back up their claims, you can report them to the Advertising Standards Authority.” explains Laura Thomason, Project Leader for the Good Thinking Society. She adds, “Claims to treat cancer could be in breach of the Cancer Act (1939) and should be reported to Trading Standards.” There is some published data on the alleged phenomenon in the research literature, but it crops up in journals like “Renewable Energy” or “Research in Complementary Medicine”. If this was a well-researched phenomenon, you would expect to see a decent amount of data in a mainstream journal that focuses on medicine or biology - not squirrelled away in the engineering literature, or in an obscure alternative medicine journal.

Similarly, there doesn’t appear to be any robust research into what sort of biological mechanism might explain how a single phenomenon could account for such a wide range of medical and non-medical issues, and again nothing published in the medical literature. Some explanations appeal to the suggestion that because the vibrations occur at specific frequencies (around 7 Hz), then they may interfere with patterns of brain activity called alpha waves, which occur at about the same frequency. Alpha waves are associated with relaxed wakefulness, so you can imagine a scenario in which, due to constant disruption of these waves, a person may be unable to relax or sleep appropriately, which might in turn lead to a range of health problems.


However, that assumes that (a) geopathic stress exists, (b) it affects the brain, and in turn (c) can cause anything from road rage to cancer. Is there any evidence to back that up though? In short, no: there doesn’t appear to be any credible, peer-reviewed evidence. While I could find no randomised controlled trials on geopathic stress specifically, but there’s a useful comparison to be made to research into the effects of extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic fields. If vibrations from the Earth in the 7 Hz range are causing health problems, then it would make sense that other things that emit electromagnetic fields in a similar sort of frequency range might be trouble too. Thankfully, we do have some data in this area that might be helpful.

In 2005, the World Health Organisation assembled a task group to look at the effects (if any) of exposure to ELF electromagnetic fields on the development and incidence rates of a number of different diseases, most notably cancer. There are a number of take-home messages from the data. The first is, as I’ve already alluded to, that there are no known biological mechanisms through which low-level exposure to ELF electromagnetic fields could cause cancer. Reinforcing this idea, the evidence they review from epidemiological, animal and in vitro studies is similarly inconsistent and inconclusive. In other words, there’s no evidence to suggest that exposure to ELF electromagnetic fields has any impact on the development of cancer tumours, or incidence rates of things like childhood leukaemia. Similar negative findings were found for associations with depression and suicide, neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, and cardiovascular disease.

All in all, it seems unlikely that exposure to these sorts of low-frequency fields has any sort of notable effect on our health, and while the WHO data doesn’t directly refer to geopathic stress, the results seem similarly applicable. We’re surrounded by technology that emits these sorts of fields. If they’re not affecting us, then it doesn’t make sense to claim that similar sorts of frequencies emanating from the ground will have any sort of effect.

Unfortunately, despite the lack of evidence showing any sort of link between geopathic stress and cancer, there are a few people out there happy to assert that there is a connection. And as with any sort of evidence-free claims about esoteric factors that affect our health (I’m looking at you, astrology), the bogus information also comes along with the promise of devices that can help fix the issue. A number of websites sell devices that claim to neutralise geopathic stress and ‘electrosmog’, without any convincing explanation of what the mechanism of action is, nor any scientific evidence or medical trial data to show their efficacy. While they don’t specifically claim that these devices can cure cancer, the implication seems like an easy one to make, especially if you’re having concerns about your own health. Geopathic stress is linked to cancer; these devices can neutralise geopathic stress; you can make the final logical jump for yourself. “Misleading health claims can cause serious harm to vulnerable members of the public.” says Laura. “It is deeply worrying that people could be led to believe that such devices could treat or prevent life threatening medical conditions.”

So should we be worried about geopathic stress? No, and it’s irresponsible of people to claim a link between an unconfirmed phenomenon, and any sort of health issue. And a link with road rage? Especially ludicrous. I don’t know how people manage to convince themselves that these sorts of phenomena exist. I know it probably starts with a little bit of ignorant curiosity about the world; something happens, you don’t know why, and you need to find an answer. Sometimes it’s a really bad thing that happens – at least one website explained how the owner had lost a family member to cancer, and was investigating what the cause might have been. My heart goes out to people in that situation, but it also makes it all the more important not to resort to extraordinary explanations that are devoid of any scientific or medical evidence. If we do, not only do we end up deluding ourselves, but we risk irrevocably hurting others along the way. -- The Guardian.