Helen Weldon

“The word ‘geopathic’ is derived from two Greek words: geo, meaning ‘of the earth’ and pathos, meaning ‘suffering’ or ‘disease.’  The literal meaning of the word geopathic is suffering or disease from the earth” (1:p.160). 

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More generally, geopathic stress is the term used to refer to the energies of the earth (in my personal understanding, by way of earth energy lines, similar to ley lines), having a possible detrimental impact on health and wellbeing.  Other terms used to describe the same phenomena is ‘water veins’ or ‘earth rays,’ (2:p.657).  We are more than just a physical body and it is argued by some sources that such an impact can adversely affect the body’s subtle energy system (inc. the etheric body, chakra and meridian systems) as well as the physical, mental and / or emotional aspects. 

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What creates geopathic stress?  “Geopathic stress occurs as a result of disturbances in the earth’s magnetic field.  These can occur either through natural disturbances such as geological faults and underground water, or through man-made disturbances,” such as underground transport systems, mining, road works etc (1:p.161).  There are many factors that may lead to geopathic stress and these may be local to your home / work-space or be further afield.

 

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Does geopathic stress actually exist? 

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We’ve all, no doubt, experienced feeling comfortable, uplifted and energised in various places be it at such locations as Glastonbury, Stonehenge, or falling in love with a house that seems perfect and ‘just right,’ when looking for your next home.  So, if it’s possible to feel such positive feelings from a place or area, is it feasible to feel negative feelings from others?  Furthermore, is it feasible that such areas may impact on wellbeing.  As the 2010 pilot study ends, “this study was not intended to prove the existence of GSZ [geopathic stress zones], but the changes in wellbeing detected can be attributed to an indication of their existence.” (2:p.661). 

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There is much scepticism from the scientific community about geopathic stress and the effect this may have on wellbeing.  However, other sources discussing this issue refer to a number of studies going back to Gustav Von Pohl’s work in the 1920s which suggests a causal link in some cases.  A 2010 blind randomized trial, albeit a pilot being short in duration with a small sample size, concluded that, “this study shows that wellbeing can be location dependent and that this might be caused by a so called GSZ [geopathic stress zone]…”(2:p.657)

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Furthermore, sources refer to Hacker et al’s 2005 randomised double-blind study, which produced highly statistically significant results suggesting a stressing effect of geopathic stress compared to a neutral area.  This appears to provide evidence to the suggestion that a particular location can affect the body. 

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Does dowsing work?

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Following on from the theories proposed that geopathic stress relates to the earth’s magnetic or electromagnetic fields having an effect and influencing the human body (be that on a subtle energetic level, physical level or both), ‘dowsers are assumed to have a kind of specifically trained magnetic sense that gives them the ability to detect certain natural fields.’ (2:p.657).   It is interesting to note that in this particular 2010 blind, randomized study that they employed dowsers because, “Since unfortunately no reliable technical device is available that can detect such zones, we had asked two experienced dowsers to identify such places in the laboratory…” (2:p.658). 

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​​References:

 

1. Freshwater, D. (1997) Geopathic Stress. Complementary Therapies in Nursing and Midwifery. Vol 3, p.160-162.

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2. Augner, C., Hacker, G.W. and Jekel, I. (2010) Geopathic Stress Zones: Short-Term Effects on Work Performance and Wellbeing?  The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 16(6), p.657-661.