Most of us know or have heard about brainwave entrainment (BWE). But even if we don’t know anything about it, we have unknowingly 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 fully 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 aircraft. These aircraft have no sound insulation materials (for weight reduction). 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 little birds including me. The flight once lasted about 3 hours. I was sleeping for 2 hours.
So what is common to all these cases? These are examples of BWE.
What is Brainwave Entrainment?
Brainwave entrainment is a way to promote a particular 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 pulses are called brainwaves. The number of pulses that a neuron transmits in a second is the brainwave frequency.
The human brain is not operating at a single brainwave frequency. Different areas of the brain may have different frequencies. Aa brain state is determined by the dominant frequency of the brain. That is the frequency of the brainwave majority.
Numerous studies and common examples prove that the human brain reacts to external stimuli perceived through the human senses. The brain tries to synchronize its dominant brainwave frequency with that of the external stimulus. That is not an assumption anymore but a fact. The method is known as Brainwave Entrainment.
How it works
Any external stimulus applied for over 15 minutes at a stable frequency is capable of altering the brain waves. After many years of research, some very efficient methods have been developed. 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, we have:
- Delta (0.5 – 4Hz)
- Theta (4 – 7Hz)
- Alpha (7 – 13Hz)
- Beta (13 – 30Hz)
- Gamma (30 – 100Hz)
Every brainwave frequency associates with a different brain state. With Brainwave entrainment, your goal is to stimulate the brain to reproduce a particular 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 limitation is a problem as the interesting frequencies are below 20Hz. So to avoid the restriction, Heinrich Wilhelm Dove invented the “Binaural Beats”.
A binaural beat is a sound that is formed inside the head. It is the result of two continuous tones. They differ slightly in pitch and are presented simultaneously, one in each ear. Of course, this can be done only with headphones. With Binaural beats, 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 slightly different tones play in each speaker and the resulting sound mix 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 up to a new level. Isochronic tones are the most efficient 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
The photic drive is a brainwave entrainment method induced using light. A pulsing light that is flashing at the targeted 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.
The photic drive is the reason for feeling relaxed when driving for a long time on a straight highway. The lane markings are flashing as you are driving, 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 by increasing the brainwave frequency. 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 brainwave entrainment sessions can train your mind to shift its brainwaves quickly and on demand.For example, if you need to focus your attention while listening to a lecture, then you could do it naturally fast. Though, reaching this level requires a lot of practicing.
As for the rest of the statements, brainwave entrainment can help you achieving your goals by creating the ideal mind state every time you need. 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 can follow a diet with discipline.
This goal can be achieved with the help of BWE, self hypnosis, and some visualization. You can 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 soon will be as popular as the gym. Brainwave entrainment is the mind’s gym.
How to Use it
You can try some excellent 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.
Important Warning: You should not try any Brainwave entrainment product if you are prone to seizures or epilepsy without asking your doctor first.
