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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Would it not be nice to be able to come home after a hectic day at work, relax, wash away all the piled up stress, get refreshed and enjoy with the family? Have you ever been able to achieve it? The fact is, no matter how hard you try you just cannot wash out the memory of the day, particularly if it was a bad one. It is also not uncommon to carry the day even when you go to bed. No matter how intelligent you are, you often cannot prevent stress from piling on you. When it becomes chronic it begins to sap you of energy and keeps you constantly restless and fatigued.
If you are unfortunate, you also know what can follow next – it can trigger a negative cycle of chronic fatigue, constant anxiety and depression. However, the good news is that now you do not have to put up with stress related disorders anymore. Yes, you can relax in about half an hour simply by listening to binaural entrainment audios. Unlike other techniques, the only effort you make is listen to the audio and allow yourself to relax.
Don not worry, if you have never heard about binaural beats or brainwave entrainment technology. Just read on: let us start with a brief on brainwaves.
Brainwave Symphony
Did you know that your brain buzzes with different frequencies of electromagnetic waves whether working, awake, asleep or dreaming? Several billion brain cells, called neurons, generate bursts of electricity in harmony with each other. These brainwaves collectively make up the state of your “consciousness”, and you feel tense, relaxed, creative, sleepy etc.
Beta Waves
These are the fastest vibrating brainwaves, oscillating in the range 13-40 Hz (cycles per second). They occupy the brain when it is in a heightened state of alertness and focused concentration. While doing your daily activities – talking, playing sports, concentrating on work, making a presentation, etc – the dominant brainwave state will be Beta. If you are not a very relaxed person, most of the time your brain is hosting frequencies in the beta range, the higher the frequencies the more worried and restless you are.
Brainwaves of Mental Fatigue
In normal life brainwaves are often ‘off-key’ or unbalanced across the brain hemispheres. Important chemicals (potassium and sodium) responsible for electrical activity of brain cells also become unbalanced during high beta brainwaves resulting from activities such as teaching, debating or concentrating. This can cause mental fatigue or exhaustion – commonly called a ‘fried brain’.
Brainwaves of Relaxation
Low frequency brainwaves, 5-10 Hz, are the ideal antidote for a fried brain – even a 10-15 minutes exposure can restore the sodium/potassium ratio and provide a feeling of refreshed calm. It can also synchronize the out of sync frequencies across both halves of the brain. This is the optimum state of mind, supported by EEG readings. You feel fully focused, balanced, energized and ‘in tune’ with yourself.
Binaural Beats and Brainwave Entrainment
Although there are many ways to induce desired brainwave frequencies, but binaural beats are the most common form of brainwave entrainment. Binaural beats are well studies phenomenon since their discovery by German experimenter, Dove, in 1839.
When two separate sound frequencies are presented through stereo headphone, one to each ear, a wave equal to the frequency difference is set up in the brain – it is called binaural beat. For instance, if a frequency of 250 Hz is presented to the left ear and 240 Hz to the right ear, a 10 Hz wave is generated in the brain; an Alpha frequency associated with stress-free state of relaxation.
Creating binaural beats causes the brain to resonate in tune with the frequency of that beat. This is called the “Frequency Following Response” or brain entrainment. This is a well-researched phenomenon that has paved the way for the development of a number of products involving auditory stimulation to enhance brain functioning.
Relax with Low Frequency Brainwaves
The binaural entrainment audios would take you on a mind-nourishing journey from the high frequency beta wave to alpha (8-13 Hz) or theta (4-8 Hz). In about 15 minutes you would begin to feel the stress melting away and a half hour brainwave ride would leave you in a state of refreshed calm. Daily sessions normally lead to a mental state of expanded awareness and relaxed control, which means you can go through the day with significantly more energy and confidence. In few weeks you would discovers a new and more energetic self.
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.