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.
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Six months ago, my partner Martin and I were toying with the idea of upgrading our caravan to a motor home, but after looking at the prices, we decided we couldn’t possibly afford it.
We spent the next few months idly looking at motor homes, going to the odd show here and there and generally dreaming about what we wanted, but knew we couldn’t have. It was just a pipe dream – little did we know it was setting the scene for something amazing to unfold and putting into motion an awesome force:
The force of attraction.
Some people call it the Law of Attraction, some call it the power of prayer, some call it our own inner strength and commitment.
I don’t care what it’s called – it works!!
Anyway, around four weeks ago, we realised we couldn’t find what we really wanted: the motor homes were either too small, too large, too wide or too narrow. And the ones we liked were way out of our price range, so we decided we would put off thinking about it for another few years.
And then I read a very interesting book called “Ask and it is Given” by Esther and Jerry Hicks.
It was completely out of my belief system and took the form of a transcript of teachings to benefit all of us. The teachings were channelled through Esther from a group of angelic beings, who referred to themselves as Abraham.
It was weird and hard to accept, but also exciting, and so I continued reading it. I’m so glad I did!
I have heard and read much about the Law of Attraction, and have also witnessed and experienced the power of prayer, having been converted to Christianity about 20 years ago, but this book really made me look at it all in a different way.
The only reason we don’t get what we want, is because we are focussing on what we don’t want, instead of what we do want!
If you want more money, for example, notice how many times a day you think something like: “I wish I had more money!” or “I can’t afford that, I have no money” You are in a position of lack, of not having money, and so you are attracting more of that!
When you focus on having money, as if you had it now, and are grateful that you have money, (more about why gratitude is so important in another article!) then that is what you will attract – money!
So I decided that, rather than focussing on not having the motor home, I would focus on having it. So I imagined the motor home we wanted, and spent several pleasurable minutes really imagining what it was like to have it. And I was so grateful for it.
Just so you know, there are three stages to this process:
Ask (That’s easy!) Just ask for what you want
Believe (Have faith that you will receive it. Hand that over to whatever higher power you believe in, let it go, and don’t worry about how you’re going to get it!)
Receive (That’s the hard bit, because we have so many blocks to receiving – some people call them the “Yes, buts..” Yes, but how can..?” “Yes, but I can’t…!” etc., etc. Just know you are going to get it, allow it to come to you, and be grateful.
That sounds weird I know, but here’s how it worked for us:
So we went to ‘one last motor home show’ – just for ‘something to do’. And then we saw it: The perfect motor home, it ticked more of our boxes than any other we’d seen, and there was a 4,000 reduction on the price as a “special show offer!”
We were really excited.
But the one sticking point was still the price, because, even with the offer, trading-in my partner Martin’s car and the caravan, and raiding my ISA, the remaining balance was still out of our reach. The finance option meant a regular monthly outlay that was beyond our means.
So we went away discouraged.
Then I read more of the book by Esther and Jerry Hicks and thought “Hang on, this has to work – I’ve asked for it!” So I concentrated on how happy I felt actually having the motor home and felt really grateful for it. I ‘let go’ of how we were going to get it, and trusted that the way would present itself.
Then I had a brainwave (a rare, but pleasurable experience) and realised I could add the outstanding amount to my mortgage. After some enquiries, I found out that the additional monthly payment, by the time I had swapped my existing variable rate mortgage for a fixed rate, would be easily affordable, even on our modest income.
Then, in my wisdom, I decided it would be really nice to pick up the motor home on my birthday, Thursday October 13th. I was doing a weekend event in Spalding (about 40 miles away) on the 15th and 16th and I thought it would be really wonderful to spend the night there in the motor home, rather than driving home on Saturday night.
Also, my partner was undergoing health tests, which were causing some anxiety and was having a blood test on the Monday morning – even more reason why we wanted a nice, relaxing evening in the motor home to focus on ‘full health’ for him too!
Well, what a do! The mortgage man, Mike, said it usually takes 7 to 10 days to sort out (we had 5 working days) but it was possible and he would do his best.
In the meantime, Martin arranged with Jo at the motor home place that we would pick it up on the 18th, because the mortgage probably wouldn’t be through in time, and Jo agreed they wouldn’t have it ready before then anyway. I, outraged at Martin’s disbelief, instructed him to phone back and say we’d pick it up on the 13th as originally planned. Well, Martin sort of carried that out…
Anyway, I spent the next three days following the instructions in ‘Ask and it is Given’ – being grateful that we had the motor home, and visualising picking it up with Martin on my birthday. (I had also asked for more supply teaching, and had been offered the whole week at a school. I asked for Thursday off though so we could pick up the motor home.
I visualised picking up the motor home on my birthday – and was grateful.
On Monday, Mike was unsure whether the mortgage would go through in time, and said he would let me know on Wednesday morning. I asked Martin to phone Jo and say we were ready for the 13th, but he (he of so little faith) sort of forgot to do it..
On Wednesday, I was looking forward to picking up the motor home the following day, on my birthday.
I didn’t hear from Mike, and after several frantic phone calls to my branch in Grantham discovered the phone lines at head office were down, and that there was a problem because my son had to give permission for me to borrow more money on the mortgage (What??!!) So Martin had to take my half-awake 21 year old into the bank to sign this form in case I defaulted on the payments and he was made homeless. (Unless he sorts his room out soon he will be made homeless!!)
It was all quite stressful, but through it all, I kept being grateful that we were getting the motor home on October 13th, my birthday.
Then, just after the bank confirmed that the mortgage was sorted and the money would be in my account by Thursday morning, Martin phoned to say the motor home wouldn’t be ready till the 18th, the following Tuesday.
“That’s no good!” I wailed, (feeling like a child who’s had its sweets stolen!) I phoned Jo and said it simply had to be the following day. He said it was impossible, but that if anything changed, he would ring me. I debated for a minute or two whether to go into school on my birthday anyway, but then replaced the thought with “No, I am so grateful that we are picking up the motor home, tomorrow, on my birthday!” I was also looking forward to having the early morning with my family doing the card and present thing, which couldn’t happen if I went to school.
I debated whether to delay the money from the bank going into my account as I would be paying interest on a motor home I wouldn’t have for another five days. Then I thought, “No, we’re getting it tomorrow, on my birthday!” and signed the form.
That evening, I felt somewhat despondent, but still confident that somehow the way would be found.
The next morning, we did the present and card thing, where we open cards and presents on the bed and it’s all lovely – although the present Martin had ordered for me hadn’t arrived, so he got me some chunky KitKats instead – yummy! And my older son couldn’t quite wake up in time, (he was working shifts) and my recently married daughter didn’t have any credit to ring me, but it was still lovely.
Then the phone rang and Jo said he had busted a gut for us, and would have the motor home ready for…the following day. It just wasn’t possible for that day, Thursday, my birthday. I was disappointed, but thought, well it’s better than next Tuesday, and we could still take it to Spalding. So then I thought, “Well I’ll go to school (in Boston 30 miles away) for the rest of the day and then work Friday morning, if the school would allow that”. They did. So off I drove to Boston.
But I kept thinking, “This isn’t right, we are picking the motor home up today, on my birthday! It is happening today!”
I was nearly at school when my mobile rang and it was Martin saying there was a problem. Jo had phoned to say there would be nobody to do the ‘handover’ on Friday after all as they were doing another show. We had to pick the motor home up today, my birthday, Thursday.
I was so happy! I drove the rest of the way to school, grovelled a bit with my contact and asked her if I could just work till 2.15 and then come in all day on Friday. She said “Yes, we can do that for you”. I nearly kissed her!
So back I went to Grantham. Elated and grateful.
Then we drove to Newark and picked up the motor home and brought it back home, on my birthday, against all odds.
I am so grateful.
The moral of the story: Keep the faith and focus on what you want, as if you have it now. You will attract it to you, and the way will present itself.
You can get ‘Ask and it is Given’ by Esther and Jerry Hicks from Amazon
‘The Secret’ by Ronda Byrne is also worth reading.
Just a footnote: Martin’s blood test came back registering lower sugar after drinking a pint of Lucozade than before he drank it.
He has full health and I am so grateful for that too.
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.