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.
gamma waves | deep theta
Recently I have begun using audio visual devices to help give my brain a good work out. It literally recreates the brainwave activity of sleep dreaming and waking states. It is great for all round cognitive enhancement and its also portable! If you want to relax at the touch of a button I highly recommend this.
Using syncronised light and sound it guides you into deeper states of being freeing your mind an relaxing your body. You enter your own inner world space and experience a subtler dimension of your own being. You also get to completely free yourself of all tensions – there is no resistance and everything seems just fine.
Like most of us we want to fully engage life however many of us do not fully engage in our inner world and we all know the saying – “the outer is a reflection of the inner” It’s a cliche but at what level we actually “get this” is related to how aware we are of our inner dimension, our interior!
And also how it creates our outer world. We may even come to realise that the boundaries between inner and outer are not so easily defined. Exploring the inner world is more subtle and has been called by some psychonavigation. Tom Kenyon writes wonderfully on this topic and if this is something that appeals to you then I highly recommend visiting his website.
When we begin to explore our inner self we begin to intuit more and think less. Thinking may be there but it is less significant; our experience of sound colour and perhaps even subtle beings and landscapes is much more interesting. We take on a different body as it were – a subtle body. The subtle body has different tones and qualities from our gross body.
The subtle body is associated with alpha and theta brain wave patterns. It is correlated with trance states and the dream state. It is where mind programming is most effective and where we have access to latent powers we ordinarily aren’t aware of. Visualisation is enhanced at this level of the mind therefore it is a great state to be in when creating visualisations or intentions.
Modern science has identified four levels of thought. These are concrete thinking, conceptual thinking, subtle and causal thinking. These have also been described in vedic language and I recommend watching John Hagelin’s YouTube talks for a description of such.
The causal and subtle realms of thinking are where we most want to be – if we can access these deeper levels of mind then we will become more powerful in creating our own reality.
We will have more ideas experience greater harmony within and enter into flow states at will. Essentially It’s where the juice is. The causal realm is the level of the mind associated with deep dreamless sleep – it is also where we affect one another at a distance making distance healing a reality.
Regularly experiencing these states is one of the best ways to exercise the various dimensions of your own being and I highly recommend it as a personal and spiritual growth tool or even as a way to become more relaxed and get a better nights sleep.
Have a great day and thanks for reading!
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.