Sunday, January 13, 2013

Does Brainwave Entrainment Work?

By Samuel Silva Correia


Stress has become the most common dilemma of a modern contemporary life. The prevalence of emotional, mental, physical and social pressures, developing with everyday hassles of expectations around performance, has risen to its greatest degree ever in history. The lives of most individuals living in this fast-paced world have become more complex and demanding than ever. It leads to feelings of overwhelm and responses like agitation, frustration, depression, irritability etc causing an overall deterioration of the quality of life.

Let's make it clear that one's perception of whether brainwave entrainment works or not can greatly vary, depending on their expectations. Some may have read that brainwave entrainment audios will alleviate pain or anxiety, and others that it is going to bring them to a deep level of relaxation, greatly enhancing their meditation practice. Both statements may be true if we undertake a structured approach to exploring the topic.

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.).

Our very nature at its core is a unique musical melody, as well as a spark of endless divine light, but our lives often reflect otherwise because we are not in tune with the inner whisper, the inner love, the inner energy and Spirit. The real "inner music" is vibrating throughout all creation, through all subtle levels, right up to the pure realms of Spirit which is our true home.Although nothing can replace the cosmic sound and the genuine life changing benefits that come with it as it is intuitively perceived through our spiritual senses, nevertheless there are sounds made with technology which can be used as tools for starting us on this path of change and transformation. The technology I am speaking about is is called brainwave entrainment which is best exemplified in what are called light and sound machines which are devices used for entraining the brain to certain frequency levels by means of light and sound. Below I expound upon the "sound" aspect of this technology in the form of ambient music embedded with Binaural Beats, Monaural Beats and Isochronic tones.The main emphasis of this website is that of experiencing inner healing and freedom through listening to binaural beats, monaural beats, and isochronic tones mixed in with soothing slow tempo ambient music, nature sounds, bells and chimes and so on. It is music for healing the body, mind and emotions, and also for freeing ones soul from the confines of three dimensional existence. The emphasis is not so much on lyrics and style as it is on experiencing the benefits from the background tones and frequencies which are embedded in the music. Different frequencies have been proven to enhance brain power, heal emotions, and, in some cases, free ones spirit to sore into altered 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.

The brain rapidly entrains motor responses to auditory rhythms that are stable and steady, synchronizing states below and above conscious perception thresholds.Different Methods of Brainwave Entrainment.There are three main forms of entrainment used today to alter consciousness.BINAURAL BEATS-one frequency is played in one ear and a slightly different frequency is played in the other. Each ear is connected to the opposite side of the brain and when each half hears something different, it compensates by creating a third beat, that is not really there. The sound only exists in your brain and causes both hemispheres to entrain at a single frequency.

As for brainwave music being dull and monotonous it depends upon your mental state when listening to the music. When your mind is in a hurry and in a distracted, scattered condition more than likely brainwave music will seem very boring and monotonous, long and drawn-out. But if you get over these "withdrawal symptoms" of your day to day frenzied mindset your brain will start to adjust to the new audio energy and in time it will become relaxing, as well as something to look forward to listen to each day.Furthermore, when listening to some brainwave recordings for the first time some people may not only feel uncomfortable, but may even experience temporary headaches or tearing eyes. This is normal and not a danger. Some people are always very tensed-up and rarely ever experience a relaxed mental state. As a result they may feel some slight discomfort such as headaches when they physically relax and "let go". It's this sudden release and relief that causes a slight headache or tearing. These side-effects are only temporary and usually go away the next time you listen to brainwave entrainment recordings because your brain builds new neural pathways to accommodate the new incoming brainwave audio energy. For most other people, once your brain waves slow down to Alpha, you'll naturally feel very relaxed and peaceful, deep down inside. Ultimately, depending upon the musical tastes of each individual, one type of music may affect one person in one way, and affect another person in a different way. What may free one person mentally and emotionally, may depress someone else, or be completely meaningless and boring to another. While some music may free one person to the point of giving them an out of body experience, and/or to the point of enhancing their dreams at night and making them more lucid, and also transforming them into a more loving, gentle person; to another person certain music/beats may serve to stir up subconscious "junk" and previous bad memories which need to be dealt with and healed. Everyone's brain is wired differently so it is unpredictable exactly how certain music, sounds, beats or frequencies will affect each individual. Some may be led to astral heights after listening to just one recording. Whereas for another person listening to the same recording, nothing may happen until after they listen to the same recording for 25 minutes to an hour a day for a few weeks. It comes down to being patient, prepared and receptive in consciousness, not in a hurry, not in a rush, but in a relaxed, receptive, humble frame of heart and mind.

To wrap it up, brainwave entrainment MP3s offer a modern, practical way for people to experience things that were once only preserved for certain groups of individuals. It is up to the user for these, though, to further research the various audios and products available out there and to clearly set their goals. Different brainwaves produce different results, and this is why products would be designed in various ways, too. Some bring you to alpha, others go all the way down to delta... It is up to you which realms of your brain you wish to explore... So, anyways, how far exactly do you see brainwave entrainment taking you?




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