The following clip presents the difference between the thalamus and the pineal gland as wave monitoring glands for the brain. Bear in mind the increased ULF activity of late, and especially the golden mean buzz. Remember, too, that heart rhythms also synchronize with the creation. They are primarily controlled by YOUR intention. This information is presented for discussion purposes only.

http://www.adacomp.net/~mcherney/oschman.htm

[snip]

Evidence will be presented that the ‘free-run’ periods, when the brainwaves are not paced by the thalamus, allow the brain’s field to be entrained by external electric and magnetic rhythms, either natural or man-made. What is the source of natural electric and magnetic rhythms?

The magnetic field of the earth, called the geomagnetic field, causes the compass needle to point toward the North Pole. However, if you look carefully at a compass needle, with a microscope, you will see that the needle is rarely still - it dances back and forth in a variety of rhythms. Some of these rhythms are diurnal (24 hour), some are much slower, and others are quite fast, in the ELF range. The latter are called geomagnetic micropulsations. They are caused by a unique geophysical mechanism known as the Schumann resonance.

In the 1950s, a German atmospheric physicist, W.O. Schumann, suggested that the space between the surface of the earth and the ionosphere should act as a resonant cavity, somewhat like the chamber in a musical instrument (Schumann 1952). Pressing the keys on a wind instrument changes the size of the cavity and therefore changes the frequency of the standing waves within that cavity.

In a musical instrument, tones are generated when the musician blows over an orifice or reed. Energy for the Schumann resonance is provided by lightning. While you may be experiencing calm weather where you are now, there are, on average, about 200 lightning strikes taking place each second, scattered about the planet. To use the physics terminology, lightning pumps energy into the earth-ionosphere cavity, and causes it to vibrate or resonate at frequencies in the ELF range.

In the 1960s, Schumann’s theory was confirmed (Galejs 1972, Balser & Wagner 1960). Lightning creates electromagnetic standing waves that travel around the globe. As electromagnetic waves, the Schumann resonance can be detected either as electric or magnetic micropulsations.

The waves are reflected from the ionosphere, back to the earth, back to the ionosphere, etc. (Fig. 3). This ‘skip’ phenomenon has been widely studied, because it is the basis for long distance radio communication. Radio signals of certain frequencies can travel great distances because they are reflected by the ionosphere.

The average frequency of the Schumann resonance is about 7- 10 Hz. But when the ionosphere gets higher, the cavity gets larger and the resonant frequency drops. Rhythms of terrestrial and extraterrestrial origin alter the height and other properties of the ionosphere, and thereby alter the Schumann frequency in the range of 1-40 Hz. There are times when solar activity leads to ‘magnetic storms’ that disrupt the ionosphere, and Schumann resonances cease. Some of the factors influencing the Schumann frequency are given in the legend for Figure 3.

To summarize, the Schumann resonance is created by terrestrial activities, and is modified or modulated by extraterrestrial activities. In radio terminology, the signals are frequency modulated (FM).

Fig. 3 The Schumann resonance is a unique electromagnetic phenomenon created by the sum of the lightning activity around the world. Electromagnetic pulses from lightening travel around the earth, bouncing back and forth between the ionosphere and the earth’s surface. At any given point on the earth, the Schumann resonance shows up as electric and magnetic micropulsations in the range of 1-40 Hz. The frequency and strength of the signals depend on the distribution of global thunderstorm activity, local meteorological conditions and the conductivity of the earth’s surface at the point of observation. Bursts of Schumann pulses are easier to detect in fair weather, and occur more often during the day than at night. These terrestrial factors are, in turn, influenced by more distant extraterrestrial factors, such as solar and lunar position, sun spots, planetary positions, etc. For details, see Pressman 1970, Dubrov 1978. The diagram is modified from Bentov (1976).

Evidence for entrainment by external fields

The Schumann oscillations propagate for long distances and readily penetrate through the walls of buildings and into the human body. Schumann frequencies have considerable overlap with biomagnetic fields such as those produced by the heart and brain, but the Schumann resonance is thousands of times stronger. The similarity of a train of Schumann signals and an - brainwave are shown in Figure 4.

A number of biologists have concluded that the frequency overlap of Schumann resonances and biological fields is not accidental, but is the culmination of a close interplay between geomagnetic and biomagnetic fields over evolutionary time (e.g. Direnfeld 1983). Hence researchers have examined interactions between external fields and biological rhythms.

Organisms are capable of sensing the intensity, polarity, and direction of the geomagnetic field (Gould 1984). There is evidence that geomagnetic rhythms serve as a time cue in the organization of physiological rhythms (e.g. Wever 1968, Gauguelin 1974, Cremer-Bartels et al 1984), although this continues to be controversial. A variety of behavioural disturbances in the human population are statistically

related to disturbances in the earth’s electromagnetic field or to man-made interferences:
* Howard et al (1965) documented a relationship between increased geomagnetic activity and the rate of admission of patients to 35 psychiatric facilities.
* Venkatraman (1976) and Rajaram & Mitra (1981) reported an association between changes in the geomagnetic field due to magnetic storms and frequency of seizures in epileptic patients.
* Becker (1963) and Friedman et al (1963, 1965) also studied the relationships between psychiatric ward admissions and behaviour and geophysical parameters.
* Perry et al (1981) correlated suicide locations in the West Midlands, England, with high magnetic field strengths due to 50 Hz power lines.

Many studies have demonstrated the probable entrainment of brain waves by external rhythms of natural and artificial origin:

* Reiter (1953) measured reaction time, an important factor in traffic safety. Upon entering a cubicle at a traffic exhibition, visitors were asked to press a key. When a light came on, they were to release pressure on the key. Their reaction time, i.e. the time between ‘light on’ and ‘key release’, was recorded for many thousands of visitors over a 2-month period. At the same time, the ELF micropulsations (Schumann resonances) were monitored. The micropulsations slow when a thunderstorm is approaching, and Reiter found that the subjects were slower to respond during such periods. When the micropulsations speeded up, into the range of alpha brainwave activity, reaction times were faster.
* After the traffic exhibition, Reiter took his test cubicle to the University of Munich and lined the top and bottom with wire mesh connected to an electrical generator. He introduced artificial low-level, low frequency signals similar to those of the earth’s field.

Under these controlled conditions, the effects of the fields on reaction time were comparable to those obtained during the exhibition.

Moreover, subjects in the laboratory experiments repeatedly complained about headaches, tightness in the chest, and sweating of the palms after several minutes of exposure to 3 cycle/second fields. When the headaches faded away, there was often a feeling of fatigue. These symptoms resemble the so-called ‘weather sensitivity’ complaints that some people have before the arrival of a thunderstorm.

* Hamer (1965, 1969) pulsed subjects with low intensity artificial electric fields from metal plates on each side of their heads. Fields of 8-10 Hz speeded up reaction time, while slower oscillations of 2-3 Hz slowed down reaction times significantly. Similar results were reported by Friedman et al in 1967.

* In 1977, Beatty reported studies on the practical significance of brainwave entrainment for people such as air traffic controllers, who need to maintain an alert state for long periods. Subjects monitored a simulated radar screen, watching for certain targets to appear. In agreement with the findings of Reiter and Hamer, slower brainwaves were correlated with slower reaction times and poorer performance in the task.
* Wever and colleagues at the Max-Plank Institute in Germany observed hundreds of subjects, over many years, who lived in two underground rooms that were shielded from external rhythms of light, temperature, sound, pressure, etc. One room also had an electromagnetic shield around it, consisting of a mesh of steel rods and plates, that reduced the influence of geomagnetic rhythms by 99%. The rhythms of body temperature, sleep- waking, urinary excretion and other physiological activities were monitored. All subjects developed longer and irregular or desynchronized or chaotic physiological rhythms. Those in the magnetically shielded room developed significantly longer and more irregular physiological rhythms. In some experiments, artificial electric and magnetic rhythms were pulsed into the shielding. Only one field had any effect: a very weak 10 Hz electric field. This field dramatically restored normal patterns to the biorhythm measurements.

Each of these studies concluded that biological rhythms can be entrained with natural and artificial ELF electric fields. Entrainment of brainwaves can set the overall speed of responsiveness of the nervous system to stimulation. This is called ‘reaction time’, and is an easily measured parameter of consciousness.

The results support Becker’s contention that the pulsing DC electrical system (brainwaves) set the tone of the entire nervous system.

These studies do not mean that when a thunderstorm approaches, everyone will get drowsy, react slowly and accidents will happen. Instead, they suggest that there is a statistically greater chance of slower reactions and more frequent accidents under these conditions. Geomagnetic pulsations do not affect everyone the same way.

However, there is evidence that geomagnetic pulsations strongly entrain brain waves during meditation and other practices, in which one ‘quiets the mind’ to allow the ‘free-run’ to be dominated by geophysical rhythms.

The internal pathways involved in the body’s responses to external magnetic rhythms are shown in Figure 5. The pineal gland is the primary magnetoreceptor. Between 20 and 30% of pineal cells are magnetically sensitive. Exposure of animals to magnetic fields of various intensities alters the secretion of melatonin, the electrical properties of pineal cells, and their microscopic structure (reviewed by Sandyk 1995). In addition, various animal tissues contain particles of organic magnetite.

Two separate research groups have now recorded magnetically influenced impulses in single neurons connecting magnetite-bearing tissues with the brain (reviewed by Kobayashi & Kirschvink 1995).

The question of whether living systems are sensitive to the earth’s magnetic field has been bitterly controversial for more than a century. There are now a number of plausible and well-documented mechanisms for such interactions, and abundant evidence that they take place.

Moreover, Becker’s research has shown how geomagnetic entrainment of the brainwaves can affect the entire nervous system at a very high level of control, i.e. the perineural DC system that extends throughout the body and has roles in regulating injury repair.

In terms of an energetic paradigm for bodywork and movement therapies, there is no need for us to hypothesize that geomagnetic fields, modified by terrestrial and extraterrestrial events, entrain brainwaves. Scientists from around the world have already done so, and continue to build solid supporting evidence.

Part B of this article explores how these concepts may apply in the therapeutic setting.

Fig. 5 A summary of the pathways involved in magnetoreception, the regulation of brain waves and therapeutic emissions from the hands of therapists. Micropulsations of the geomagnetic field, caused by the Schumann resonance, are detected by the pineal and magnetite-bearing tissues associated with the brain. During the ‘free-run’ period, when the brainwaves are not being entrained by the thalamus, the Schumann resonance can take over as the pacemaker, particularly if the individual is in a relaxed or meditative state (Schumann signals are thousands of times stronger than brainwaves). The brainwaves regulate the overall tone of the nervous system and the state of consciousness. The electrical currents of the brainwaves are conducted throughout the body by the perineural and vascular systems. The biomagnetic field projected from the hands can be much stronger than the brainwaves (Seto et al 1992) indicating that an amplification of at least 1000 times takes place somewhere in the body. Alternatively, the body may simply act as an effective antenna or channel for the Schumann micropulsations. The projected fields scan or sweep through the frequencies medical researchers are finding useful for ‘jump-starting’ injury repair in a variety of tissues (see Table). Portions of this illustration are redrawn from Becker (1990b).