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.
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!
In effect, brainwave entrainment is the manipulation of the brain's natural brainwave frequencies, through the use of touch, sound and/or visual stimulus, to deliberately alter the brain's state of mind, inducing it to entrain at a specific frequency, for a specific purpose.Entrainment can induce a desired psychological state corresponding with arousal or relaxation and all states in-between.How does the Brain Entrain? Entrainment is a physics principle that simply means, the process of where two cycles synchronize naturally with each other to work more efficiently. The principles of entrainment appear in chemistry, neurology, biology, pharmacology, medicine, astronomy and more.
Scientists have found out that all these states of the mind can be measured, as one emanates certain brainwave patterns, easily detected with an EEG (encephalograph). The alpha brainwave patterns are the ones associated with physical and mental relaxation, while beta brainwaves are emitted during our usual state of alertness throughout the day. Theta brainwaves occur in a state of meditation, while delta brainwave patterns are the ones emanated by our brains during deep sleep. All these have the corresponding frequency, measured in pulses per second; i.e. alpha ranges between eight and twelve pulses per second (Hz), beta ranges between twelve and thirty pulses per second, etc.
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.
Isochronic Tones - These are sharper sounding than monaural beats thus they are more powerful in their effect on the brain and are believed to be the most effective of the three.Binaural beats, monaural beats and isochronic tones by themselves are not very pleasant to listen to. This obstacle is overcome by embedding these beats/tones into soothing ambient music, nature sounds, the sounds of bells or chimes and so on.Is Most Brainwave Entrainment Music Dull And Monotonous? One thing you will notice right away about most brainwave music is it's usually made up of slow tempo ambient music, or new age meditation music, and sometimes classical orchestra music. And it is sometimes embedded with background noises such as static noises (white noise, brown noise, pink noise), or with nature sounds like that of birds, waves/ocean, rain, wind, thunderstorms, and also bells, chimes, flutes, and so on. In every case the important part of the music is the background beats (whether binaural beats, monaural beats, or isochronic beats) which need to be perceived by the brain throughout the recording otherwise it will be ineffective. All the other added stuff (ambient music, nature sounds, bells, chimes etc.) is only for the sake of making the background beats pleasant to listen too. If the music is very fast pace, such as in rock or pop music, or too loud the background binaural, monaural or isochronic beats are drowned out and not effective in entraining the brain.
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).
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?
[Brain Entrainment]
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!
In effect, brainwave entrainment is the manipulation of the brain's natural brainwave frequencies, through the use of touch, sound and/or visual stimulus, to deliberately alter the brain's state of mind, inducing it to entrain at a specific frequency, for a specific purpose.Entrainment can induce a desired psychological state corresponding with arousal or relaxation and all states in-between.How does the Brain Entrain? Entrainment is a physics principle that simply means, the process of where two cycles synchronize naturally with each other to work more efficiently. The principles of entrainment appear in chemistry, neurology, biology, pharmacology, medicine, astronomy and more.
Scientists have found out that all these states of the mind can be measured, as one emanates certain brainwave patterns, easily detected with an EEG (encephalograph). The alpha brainwave patterns are the ones associated with physical and mental relaxation, while beta brainwaves are emitted during our usual state of alertness throughout the day. Theta brainwaves occur in a state of meditation, while delta brainwave patterns are the ones emanated by our brains during deep sleep. All these have the corresponding frequency, measured in pulses per second; i.e. alpha ranges between eight and twelve pulses per second (Hz), beta ranges between twelve and thirty pulses per second, etc.
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.
Isochronic Tones - These are sharper sounding than monaural beats thus they are more powerful in their effect on the brain and are believed to be the most effective of the three.Binaural beats, monaural beats and isochronic tones by themselves are not very pleasant to listen to. This obstacle is overcome by embedding these beats/tones into soothing ambient music, nature sounds, the sounds of bells or chimes and so on.Is Most Brainwave Entrainment Music Dull And Monotonous? One thing you will notice right away about most brainwave music is it's usually made up of slow tempo ambient music, or new age meditation music, and sometimes classical orchestra music. And it is sometimes embedded with background noises such as static noises (white noise, brown noise, pink noise), or with nature sounds like that of birds, waves/ocean, rain, wind, thunderstorms, and also bells, chimes, flutes, and so on. In every case the important part of the music is the background beats (whether binaural beats, monaural beats, or isochronic beats) which need to be perceived by the brain throughout the recording otherwise it will be ineffective. All the other added stuff (ambient music, nature sounds, bells, chimes etc.) is only for the sake of making the background beats pleasant to listen too. If the music is very fast pace, such as in rock or pop music, or too loud the background binaural, monaural or isochronic beats are drowned out and not effective in entraining the brain.
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).
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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