Mind Expanding Techniques

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Most of us know or have heard about brainwave entrainment (BWE). But even if we don’t know anything about it, we have certainly experienced it at some time in our life. In this page we are going to see briefly what the BWE is, how it works, how to use it and some conceptions and misconceptions about it.

You May Have an Experience

How many times have you fallen asleep in a car, train or boat as a passenger? You think that it is related to your energy levels?

When driving to a very long and straight highway, how do you feel after a while?  You might catch yourself daydreaming and thinking while at the same time feeling absolutely relaxed. Have you wondered why? You think that the trip is just boring?

When I was in military service we used to be transferred with C-130 military cargo aircrafts. These planes have no sound insulation materials (for weight reduction) and the noise in its cabin is terrible and unforgettable. When the plane gets off, the noise pollution drives you crazy.

Well, this happens for the first 20-30 minutes, after that all the passengers were dreaming and sleeping peacefully like birds… including me. The flight once was for about 3 hours. I was sleeping for 2 hours.

So what is common with all these cases? All these are examples of BWE. Let’s see what it is finally.

What is Brainwave Entrainment?

Brainwave entrainment is a way to promote a specific frequency for your brainwaves to follow. If you could check a functioning human brain under a microscope you could see that the brain’s neurons transmit electrical pulses. These are called brainwaves. The number of pulses that a neuron transmits in a second is called frequency.

The human brain it is not operating in a single brainwave frequency. Different areas of the brain may have different frequencies. What it determines a brain state is the dominant frequency of the brain; the frequency of the most brainwaves.

Numerous research and daily examples have proven that the human brain reacts to external stimuli that are perceived through the human senses. This means that the brain tries to synchronize its dominant brainwave frequency with that of the external stimulus. This is not an assumption anymore but a fact. This procedure is called Brainwave Entrainment.

How it works

Any external stimulus applied for over 15 minutes at a stable frequency is capable to alter the brainwaves. After many years of research, there have been developed some very effective methods. We will see these methods in a while.

Target Frequencies

The BWE has one purpose; to alter your dominant brainwave frequency. The brainwave frequencies have been classified into ranges. Starting from the lower frequency to the higher, these are as follows:

• Delta (0.5 – 4Hz)
• Theta (4 – 7Hz)
• Alpha (7 – 13Hz)
• Beta (13 – 30Hz)
• Gamma (30 – 100Hz)

Every frequency is associated with a different brain state. With Brainwave entrainment you stimulate the brain to reproduce a specific brain state on demand. There are known brain states associated with the above frequency ranges.  Read more on Brainwave Frequencies and Brain States.

Binaural Beats

The human ear can hear in the range of 20Hz – 20 KHz. This is mainly a problem as the interesting frequencies are below 20Hz. So to avoid this limitation, Heinrich Wilhelm Dove invented the “Binaural Beats”.

A binaural beat is a sound that is realized inside the head. It is the result of two stable tones, which differ slightly in frequency, when presented simultaneously one in each ear. Of course this can be done only with headphones. With Binaural an internal audio stimulus can be created at any frequency defeating the human ear’s limitation.

Learn more about Binaural Beats

Monaural Beats

These are like binaural beats but the sound is created externally requiring no headphones. Monaural beats are created with the same technique as binaural beats. Two different tones are played in each speaker and the resulting sound is mixed before reaching the ears. Monaural beats are more effective than binaural beats.

Learn more about Monaural Beats

Isochronic Tones

The discovery of the Isochronic Tones raised brainwave entrainment efficiency to a new level. Isochonic tones are the most effective way to alter the brainwaves with audio. They are just a single tone that goes on and off at a specified frequency. The contrast between on-off leaves a very clear and strong imprint in the brain.

This method is used mainly in modern brainwave entrainment products.

Learn more about Isochronic Tones
 

Photic Drive

This is entrainment induced with light. Pulsing light that is flashing at the target frequency can entrain the brainwaves very fast. This method is not as popular as the previous and is mainly used in combination with audio from mind machines. An affordable and powerful tool to try photic drive is the Neuro Programmer 3 software.

Photic drive is responsible that you feel relaxed when driving for a long time in a straight highway. The lane markings are flashing as you drive, promoting a low theta frequency.

Truths and Myths

Let’s start from the myths:

• You are going to become smarter.
• You are going to lose weight.
• You are going to improve your body.
• You are going to “get high”.
• You are going to quit bad habits.

If these could be done by just putting on your headphones then we would be talking about magic. Sorry but it is not possible to achieve these goals by just listening to brainwave entrainment sessions.

For example, the IQ increase you see often promoted is not a permanent state. What actual is happening is that the session “configures” your mind for an optimal performance state. Thus you can focus your attention and learn easier at that time.

Nevertheless the above statements have a small dose of truth. The truth is that with brainwave entrainment you can train your mind to shift its brainwaves quickly and on demand. So for example if you need focus you attention when listening to a lecture then you could do it naturally fast. This requires a lot of practicing though.

As for the rest of the statements, brainwave entrainment can simply help you towards achieving your goals by creating the ideal mind state every time. Let’s say that you want to lose weight. You cannot expect to lose any gram by eating ice creams and then listening to brainwave entrainment of course. What you can do however is to reprogram your mind so you follow a diet with discipline.

This goal can be achieved with the help of BWE, self hypnosis and some visualization so to create a mentality that will not let you break your diet.

Let’s see what is true about BWE:

• Train the brain to alter its brainwave frequencies on demand
• Relaxation and sleep induction even if you are stressed enough
• Temporary IQ increase
• Force ideal brain state for other mind control methods
• Overcome a groggy state with high frequency isochronic tones
• Help fighting depression, ADD and other mental illness
• Improve your mood

There are lots of benefits if you train your brain with BWE regularly. It is a practice that in the near future will be as popular as the gym. Brainwave entrainment is the mind’s gym.

How to Use it

You can try some very good products that they use brainwave entrainment. Here is a recommended list:

• Neuro Programmer: The most advanced BWE software, offering all the discussed methods in this article. Check the review.
• The Brain Evolution System: A six-month course to train your brain altering its brainwaves quickly. Check the review.
• Mind Stereo: A BWE media player that adds to your favorite music or internet station entrainment methods. Check the review.
• I-Doser: A free media player that plays “dose” files. Doses are binaural beats trying to simulate a drug like state. Check the review.