Brainwave entrainment is a method to stimulate the brain into entering a specific state by using a pulsing sound, light, or electromagnetic field. The pulses elicit the brain’s ‘frequency following’ response, encouraging the brainwaves to align to the frequency of a given beat.
deep relaxation music | beat generator
When we try to define creativity, we often consider only artistic pursuits. A creative person paints or draws, sings, writes, or otherwise creates something new and valuable. But even people who do not work in explicitly creative fields must develop new ideas or insights in order to progress in life. While you may think that creativity is something that you’re born with, it’s actually something you can learn and improve. So how do you increase creativity? The following ways to increase creativity will help you develop the skill that contrary to popular belief is not restricted to artists, musicians, and writers.
Make a Commitment
As you would when you’re trying to develop any skill, you need to commit yourself to increasing your creativity. You should put some time aside each day or week to work on your creative skills. Also, don’t forget to set goals or ask for help from your creative friends and colleagues.
Seek Inspiration
Yes, creativity is a learned skill, but finding a source of inspiration is a great first step in unleashing the skill. Inspiration can come from anywhere. It can be a person, an object, a part of nature, a memory, or even your own motivation for change. You might also want to try brainstorming or similar techniques to inspire new ideas. You won’t always need to rely on a particular source of inspiration, but in the early stages of developing your creativity, try to find something that moves you to create. As you practice your creativity, you’ll be less reliant on specific forms of inspiration.
Surround Yourself with Creativity
If you want to develop a particular kind of creativity, then surround yourself with examples of it. Do you want to increase your artistic skills? Go to museums, flip through art books, or join an art class. Essentially, you want to immerse yourself in your area of creativity. You can study and develop the methods of other creators, and you’ll be able to clarify your creative goals.
Sound Therapy
Another, more concrete way of increasing your creativity involves sound therapy. Recent research shows that certain sounds (classical music, for example) can actually strengthen your creativity brainwaves. From improving alpha brainwaves to promote creativity to improving concentration and learning, music influences your brain activity. Alpha brainwaves are specifically related to brain efficiency as well as visualization skills, dreaming, and creativity.
Ultimately, if you are looking for ways to increase your creativity, it’s important to remember that everybody has the basic skills necessary to create. There is not one type of “creative person,” and if you’ve never developed these skills, it’s not too late. Follow the tips above and you’ll discover your true creative ability, and it will take you to places you never dreamed possible.
Brainwave entrainment is a method to stimulate the brain into entering a specific state by using a pulsing sound, light, or electromagnetic field. The pulses elicit the brain’s ‘frequency following’ response, encouraging the brainwaves to align to the frequency of a given beat.
This ‘frequency following’ response of brainwave entrainment can be seen in action with those prone to epilepsy. If a strobe flashes at their seizure frequency, the brain will ‘entrain’ to the flashing light, resulting in a seizure.
On the positive side, this same mechanism is commonly used to induce many brainwave states; such as a trance, enhanced focus, relaxation, meditation or sleep induction. The brainwave entrainment effectively pushes the entire brain into a certain state.
Brainwave entrainment works for almost everyone. It is a great way to lead your mind into states that you might usually have difficulty reaching, allowing you to experience what those states feel like.
THE HYPE
There is a lot of marketing hype around brainwave entrainment. It is sold with promises of increasing IQ, promoting weight loss, ‘mind-tripping’, enhancing creativity, concentration, inducing spiritual states and more.
While these claims are not entirely true, they are not altogether false either. In practice, the claims are based on an overly-simplistic view of how the brain and the brainwaves function.
THE RUB
People are very seldom deficient in a certain brainwave type in all areas of their brain. Usually the distribution is much spottier, with an excess in one area and a deficiency in another.
We are all different, especially when it comes to the distribution of our brainwaves. Boosting a certain brainwave state may be beneficial for one person, and emotionally uncomfortable for another. Without knowing each person’s starting position, entrainment can be rather ‘hit and miss’.
If brainwave entrainment leaves you with unwanted side-effects (see below) or discomfort, you’re probably encouraging a range of brainwaves that are already excessive in some area of your brain. The way around this is to get a brain map to see what your brain’s strengths and weaknesses are, and see what (if any) brainwaves could use some encouragement.