This is a question commonly asked by a great number of people, looking to find a solution to problems like anxiety, stress, migraines, or simply exploring various ways to take their meditation practice to a whole new level. Having been skeptical enough to fully research the subject myself, as well as gaining more than seven years of experiential knowledge with brainwave entrainment products, I have meant this article to serve as a starting point for anyone in need of a trustworthy resource in brainwave entrainment research and information.
Stress is the product of a body's unfavorable and undesirable responses to the said stimuli that keep on accumulating in the subconscious mind. These responses exhibit themselves in our behavior at an unexpected moment in the unforeseeable future and become the source of further generation of negativity in our subconscious psyche.In addition to the unintentional collection of negative influences in our psyche, most people tend to intensify the effect by intentionally suppressing their emotions based on the idea that expression of emotions is a weakness and is frowned upon in our current societal paradigm. As a result, a profound effect is produced leading to an overstressed life.So what can be the remedy for this prevailing predicament? Based on the described phenomena, latest technological advancement has led us to tackle the problem directly at its root i.e. the subconscious mind.Brainwave entrainment is a technique that can be used to soothe the subconscious mind and neurological activity going on in form of brainwaves. Beta brainwaves have highest wave frequency and usual daily activities including mental and physical activities and interactions occur in beta state. Whenever high magnitudes of beta frequencies are detected, it represent state of restlessness and stress and at significantly higher electrical activity in brain, the frenzied beta brainwaves cause distracted and inattentive state of mind which requires to be mellowed down to lower frequency ranges of alpha or theta for a relaxed consciousness.The easiest way to lower the electrical frequency of the brain from beta to alpha and theta state is meditation with closed eyes and deep breathing. But it can also be achieved quickly by synchronizing brainwaves through external stimuli of beats and pulses of light or sound through Frequency Following Response (FFR) of brain. The FFR causes our natural disturbed brainwaves to lower down and synch up harmoniously producing a sense of relief,tranquility and relaxation. Thus, brainwave entrainment makes it easy to be stress free with no efforts except listening to entrainment audio for half an hour a day. A must try for every stressed soul!
Brainwave Entrainment Fundamentals.A common reason of why many people doubt the effects of brainwave entrainment is because the term itself sounds a bit scientific and incomprehensive. That's why we should look at some real life brain entrainment examples. You are probably asking yourself... What? Yes, the brain is meant to adapt, and it quickly changes its state, according to the surrounding environment. Let's take a look at this - when one first wakes up in the morning, they still feel rather sleepy (as their brain has been in a state of sleep); if, however, they look out of the window and see a fire burning in the next building, they will become very alert - the brain has quickly entrained itself to this new state. On the contrary, if the same person goes to a room full of sleepy people, it is likely that they will stay in this same state unless they do something different (make a cup of coffee, go out, etc.).
When the brain is exposed to a frequency, it undergoes a Cortical Evoked Response, where it emits an electrical charge in response to the stimulus. The predominant brainwave frequency is said to move towards the frequency of the stimulus, matching its frequency.Pulses and patterns of neural activity move through the brain in waves in a dynamic ocean of subtle electrical matter at all times. These patterns of electrical activity are called brainwaves and are responsible for different states of consciousness.
A Bit of Science.What brainwave entrainment claims to do is that it can, with the help of specifically designed audios (recently visual materials have been introduced, too) bring the brain to one of these specific states (alpha, beta, theta, etc.). Once the brain is brought to that state, the person reaps the benefits associated with it; to illustrate, it has been medically and scientifically proven that deep sleep triggers growth and body healing. It is quite logical, too, as otherwise our bodies would not have been 'constructed' with the natural need to fall into sleep for at least a couple of hours every single night. What this all means is that brainwave entrainment does not 'magically' make you more relaxed or more creative, or heal your migraine.
If you manage to bring yourself to a certain state, without the use of the equipment, then you will definitely reap the benefits, associated with it. Consequently, if you are able to bring yourself to a level of deep meditation without the use of brainwave entrainment, then without doubt you will start seeing the positive changes in your life that this practice offers (we will not go into the details of what these are right now). Of course, just like the need to take your portion of sleep each and every night, you would have to repeat the practice on regular basis in order for it to have any significant effect on you, and same goes for listening to brainwave entrainment audios.
So, does brainwave entrainment really work? All this being said, the actual question that should be asked here is whether brainwave entrainment audios can truly alter your brainwaves, bringing them to one of the above mentioned states (alpha, theta, etc). Again, with the use of the exact same machine - encephalograph (or simply EEG) - it has been proven that yes, they can. Of course, the efficacy of the different audios varies greatly between producers, but this is a whole different theme to explore. The point of this article is to clearly demonstrate that it has been scientifically and materialistically proven that brainwave entrainment audios can bring one's brain to a specifically designed state. Consequently, yes, brainwave entrainment does work in the sense that it can bring you to a state associated with deep meditation or deep sleep, which in turn can ensure further benefits such as improved memory, pain relief, and many more (again, you should rather explore the gains associated with the various brainwave patterns).
After several months of regular daily use of the same brainwave recording your mind gets accustomed to the stimuli and it becomes 2nd nature, giving the impression that the recording doesn't work anymore. The reason is your mind is strengthened in once neglected areas as new neural pathways are created and adjusted to the recording. Working your mind with brainwave recordings is similar to working your muscles. After a time a certain muscle, for example, no longer seems to be receiving any benefit from the same exercise which initially seemed very effective. The reason is the exercise served its purpose in bringing the muscle to its present much more healthy condition. The only way to add additional benefit to that muscle is to change the exercise around a little. This will produce long-term benefits. Likewise your mind gets stronger with time as you listen to brainwave recordings, but it reaches a point where a particular recording which once seemed so effective appears to be doing nothing anymore. However, if the recording is changed around a little it will produce additional, long-term results. And just as having a variety in your exercise routine, and even a variety in your diet, is better for your body. So likewise you will receive long-term benefit, and a more balanced mind, by listening to a variety of brainwave entrainment recordings.For this reason some companies sell several CD recordings contained in one program with specific instructions on when to listen to certain recordings, and for how long, before switching to the next level of recordings. They do it this way so you receive the optimal benefits the recordings offer. And just as it is not a good idea to stuff yourself with a variety of different foods at once, or to exercise too much all at once, so likewise it is good to start with one level of recordings, giving your mind time to adjust to that recording before moving to the next level.
Stress is the product of a body's unfavorable and undesirable responses to the said stimuli that keep on accumulating in the subconscious mind. These responses exhibit themselves in our behavior at an unexpected moment in the unforeseeable future and become the source of further generation of negativity in our subconscious psyche.In addition to the unintentional collection of negative influences in our psyche, most people tend to intensify the effect by intentionally suppressing their emotions based on the idea that expression of emotions is a weakness and is frowned upon in our current societal paradigm. As a result, a profound effect is produced leading to an overstressed life.So what can be the remedy for this prevailing predicament? Based on the described phenomena, latest technological advancement has led us to tackle the problem directly at its root i.e. the subconscious mind.Brainwave entrainment is a technique that can be used to soothe the subconscious mind and neurological activity going on in form of brainwaves. Beta brainwaves have highest wave frequency and usual daily activities including mental and physical activities and interactions occur in beta state. Whenever high magnitudes of beta frequencies are detected, it represent state of restlessness and stress and at significantly higher electrical activity in brain, the frenzied beta brainwaves cause distracted and inattentive state of mind which requires to be mellowed down to lower frequency ranges of alpha or theta for a relaxed consciousness.The easiest way to lower the electrical frequency of the brain from beta to alpha and theta state is meditation with closed eyes and deep breathing. But it can also be achieved quickly by synchronizing brainwaves through external stimuli of beats and pulses of light or sound through Frequency Following Response (FFR) of brain. The FFR causes our natural disturbed brainwaves to lower down and synch up harmoniously producing a sense of relief,tranquility and relaxation. Thus, brainwave entrainment makes it easy to be stress free with no efforts except listening to entrainment audio for half an hour a day. A must try for every stressed soul!
Brainwave Entrainment Fundamentals.A common reason of why many people doubt the effects of brainwave entrainment is because the term itself sounds a bit scientific and incomprehensive. That's why we should look at some real life brain entrainment examples. You are probably asking yourself... What? Yes, the brain is meant to adapt, and it quickly changes its state, according to the surrounding environment. Let's take a look at this - when one first wakes up in the morning, they still feel rather sleepy (as their brain has been in a state of sleep); if, however, they look out of the window and see a fire burning in the next building, they will become very alert - the brain has quickly entrained itself to this new state. On the contrary, if the same person goes to a room full of sleepy people, it is likely that they will stay in this same state unless they do something different (make a cup of coffee, go out, etc.).
When the brain is exposed to a frequency, it undergoes a Cortical Evoked Response, where it emits an electrical charge in response to the stimulus. The predominant brainwave frequency is said to move towards the frequency of the stimulus, matching its frequency.Pulses and patterns of neural activity move through the brain in waves in a dynamic ocean of subtle electrical matter at all times. These patterns of electrical activity are called brainwaves and are responsible for different states of consciousness.
A Bit of Science.What brainwave entrainment claims to do is that it can, with the help of specifically designed audios (recently visual materials have been introduced, too) bring the brain to one of these specific states (alpha, beta, theta, etc.). Once the brain is brought to that state, the person reaps the benefits associated with it; to illustrate, it has been medically and scientifically proven that deep sleep triggers growth and body healing. It is quite logical, too, as otherwise our bodies would not have been 'constructed' with the natural need to fall into sleep for at least a couple of hours every single night. What this all means is that brainwave entrainment does not 'magically' make you more relaxed or more creative, or heal your migraine.
If you manage to bring yourself to a certain state, without the use of the equipment, then you will definitely reap the benefits, associated with it. Consequently, if you are able to bring yourself to a level of deep meditation without the use of brainwave entrainment, then without doubt you will start seeing the positive changes in your life that this practice offers (we will not go into the details of what these are right now). Of course, just like the need to take your portion of sleep each and every night, you would have to repeat the practice on regular basis in order for it to have any significant effect on you, and same goes for listening to brainwave entrainment audios.
So, does brainwave entrainment really work? All this being said, the actual question that should be asked here is whether brainwave entrainment audios can truly alter your brainwaves, bringing them to one of the above mentioned states (alpha, theta, etc). Again, with the use of the exact same machine - encephalograph (or simply EEG) - it has been proven that yes, they can. Of course, the efficacy of the different audios varies greatly between producers, but this is a whole different theme to explore. The point of this article is to clearly demonstrate that it has been scientifically and materialistically proven that brainwave entrainment audios can bring one's brain to a specifically designed state. Consequently, yes, brainwave entrainment does work in the sense that it can bring you to a state associated with deep meditation or deep sleep, which in turn can ensure further benefits such as improved memory, pain relief, and many more (again, you should rather explore the gains associated with the various brainwave patterns).
After several months of regular daily use of the same brainwave recording your mind gets accustomed to the stimuli and it becomes 2nd nature, giving the impression that the recording doesn't work anymore. The reason is your mind is strengthened in once neglected areas as new neural pathways are created and adjusted to the recording. Working your mind with brainwave recordings is similar to working your muscles. After a time a certain muscle, for example, no longer seems to be receiving any benefit from the same exercise which initially seemed very effective. The reason is the exercise served its purpose in bringing the muscle to its present much more healthy condition. The only way to add additional benefit to that muscle is to change the exercise around a little. This will produce long-term benefits. Likewise your mind gets stronger with time as you listen to brainwave recordings, but it reaches a point where a particular recording which once seemed so effective appears to be doing nothing anymore. However, if the recording is changed around a little it will produce additional, long-term results. And just as having a variety in your exercise routine, and even a variety in your diet, is better for your body. So likewise you will receive long-term benefit, and a more balanced mind, by listening to a variety of brainwave entrainment recordings.For this reason some companies sell several CD recordings contained in one program with specific instructions on when to listen to certain recordings, and for how long, before switching to the next level of recordings. They do it this way so you receive the optimal benefits the recordings offer. And just as it is not a good idea to stuff yourself with a variety of different foods at once, or to exercise too much all at once, so likewise it is good to start with one level of recordings, giving your mind time to adjust to that recording before moving to the next level.
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