Quantitative differences in participants exposed to patterned, weak-intensity electromagnetic fields: investigating the shiva

Abstract

Direct and indirect stimulation of the brain have produced a range of perceptual, motor, and cognitive experiences, including experiences historically ascribed to religious or spiritual domains. Weak intensity, extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields patterned after physiological processes have been the subject of much research and controversy. The current study examined the Shiva technology, a unique method of field production that utilizes the same fields used in previous research. Quantitative changes in brain activity were measured using quantitative electroencephalograph and subjective reports of experiences were examined. The investigation included two different configurations of the Shiva technology. Results indicated that individuals exposed to specific patterned fields exhibited different patterns of neural activity and greater reports of unusual experiences compared to a sham condition. The importance of particular enhancement of power in regions of the brain due to the sequence of different patterns of magnetic fields was a key discovery. Personality characteristics, particularly those involved with the Default Mode Network, and their relation to baseline electroencephalographic data were also examined.