By Polly Anne Rice
Many people struggle on their path to
meditative states of consciousness, becoming downtrodden when their
minds refuse to obey the orders to be silent and blank. A cycle of
periodic “empty” mind moments infiltrated by incoming thoughts erupts,
infuriating
the practitioner whom simply wants to achieve a peaceful
state on their path to personal enlightenment.
For years, I grappled with these rules I
believed surrounded meditation which kept me from achieving the insight
I was seeking. There were even times I thought I was just incapable of
quieting my mind; it always seemed I had thoughts rushing in and out
faster than I could realize them.
Eventually, I came to understand it
wasn’t always an empty mind that was necessarily the effective component
for growth and expansion in my meditations, but the peaceful,
uncontrolled viewing of the visualizations that ebbed and flowed through
my mind. Still, I wanted to experience that all calm, extreme expansion
that comes from a higher meditative state; that’s when I discovered
binaural beats.
Binaural Beats: What They Are
Binaural beats are a variation of brainwave entrainment, creating an oscillation effect between the frequencies flowing into each ear and the frequency resonated in the brain. The oscillation effect is what happens when ringing a tuning fork and placing it next to another tuning fork at rest; if the tuning forks play the same note, or vibrate on the same frequency, the tuning fork at rest will begin to ring.
Two different frequencies stream into
the ears of an individual, preferably wearing headphones, creating a
binaural beat within the brain. By introducing one frequency in one ear,
and another in the opposite ear, the hemispheres of the brain are
obliged to interact and communicate with one another to hear the
binaural beat, causing hemisphere synchronicity. Evidence has implicated
both the superior olivary nucleus in the brainstem and the inferior
colliculus as the area(s) where the binaural beat is created and heard
within the brain.
Effects of Binaural Beats
Hemisphere synchronicity has profound
implications! This special type of synchronicity is rare and is reported
by Dr. Thompson (2007) to be associated with the light bulb moment,
instances of epic inspiration and creativity, and high states of
meditation or joy.
Certain binaural beats can be used to
create a sustained synchronistic state, creating profound changes in
consciousness and brainwave configurations.
The physiology and psychophysiology of
human beings is affected beyond the scope of hemisphere synchronicity
though! Several studies have reported reductions in anxiety, dopamine,
insulin-like growth factor-1, stress, and sleep requirements, as well as
increases in learning ability, creativity, higher states of
consciousness, lucid dreaming, astral projection, and more. This proves
binaural beats to have an effect that goes beyond potential placebos or
perceptions; they have a fundamental biochemical effect on the body as
well!
Binaural beats have
also been successfully incorporated in treatment plans for pain
management, addictions, depression, migraines, and low self-esteem.
Some people also experience hypnagogia
states, which are states of consciousness between waking and sleeping,
often referred to as threshold consciousness. During these states,
people may experience visual or auditory phenomenon such as seeing
colors, shapes, and patterns, or hearing snippets of conversations,
various sounds, and voices.
Various frequencies are associated with
different effects as well. Beta frequencies increase awareness and
alertness, improving focus and memory; alpha frequencies are great for
meditative states and accelerated learning. Theta frequencies are also
used for increasing an individual’s learning ability, creativity,
enhancing meditative states, and results in sounder sleep from the
induced relaxation. Scientists have found children spend much more time
in the theta frequency than adults, which is one reason why they are
adept learners in comparison. Finally, delta frequencies have similar
effects as theta waves, except for delta waves are closer associated
with deeper sleep stages.
| State | Frequency range | State of mind |
| Delta | 0.5Hz – 4Hz | Deep sleep |
| Theta | 4Hz – 8Hz | Drowsiness (also first stage of sleep) |
| Alpha | 8Hz – 14Hz | Relaxed but alert |
| Beta | 14Hz – 30Hz | Highly alert and focused |
There is a caution when using beta waves
for an extended amount of time, as beta frequencies can create a mental
fatigue from generating an imbalance between the potassium and sodium
ratio. Luckily, if this does occur, even brief periods of the theta
state can correct the imbalance.
How To Magnify the Binaural Beat Experience
This technique of brainwave entrainment
is most effective when combined with music, positive affirmations, or
biofeedback. Adding these modalities to binaural beats creates a
multilayered approach to inducing altered states of consciousness,
relaxation, and expanding your scope of understanding.
How Can I Use Them?!?!?
Binaural beats are
clinically proven through many studies, including double-blind
controlled experiments, to demonstrate positive effects on people.
However, scientists have made notes that these may not work for
everyone, and there were several confounding factors.
One issue was the ability of the
individual to relax; if an individual was unable to relax and focus on
listening, they were not able to derive the magnitude of benefits other
people experienced. Openness to this technique also exerted force on
the personal outcome of participants.
It is important to always remember the
mind is one of the most powerful tools we have at our disposal. When we
make up our minds that something will not work, we create a reality of
ineffectiveness, exacerbating frustration and pessimism.
However, openness may not be the only
success prohibiting factor with binaural beats; several studies have
reported age may play a role in how the brain is able to process the
binaural beat.
Moreover, different binaural beats may
be effective or ineffective due to how they are mixed. For example, I
have used many different binaural beat compilations for different
effects. Some had potent effects and others were so ineffective I
either switched them or turned them off.
Using Binaural Beats.
If you are interested in binaural beats,
I suggest you listen to several types to see what you respond best to.
Every individual is unique and there will always be fluctuations in our
responses. My all-time favorite binaural beat video on YouTube can be
accessed here (this is an example of a Reiki music track with imbedded binaural tracks).
It is very important for you to be aware
of how to use these as well. You should sit or lay down when listening
to binaural tracks, allowing yourself to relax and melt into the track.
Minor benefits can be gained when passively listening to binaural
tracks when doing activities like reading a book, emailing, or anything
that isn’t strenuous. However, it can be extremely dangerous to listen
to binaural beats when driving or in situations where it is important
for you to be present in your environment.
My favorite time to use them is right
before going to sleep. Depending on the track I want to listen to that
night, I’ll lay down anywhere between 15 minutes to an hour before the
time I actually want to go to sleep. I’ve found using headphones is
significantly more effective and comfortable for me than using speakers
or ear buds.
The reason I love listening to binaural tracks before bed
is not just because they are soothing and release my daily tension, but
it allows my mind to stay in that state for a longer period of time.
Even more important, when you sleep you incorporate your daily events,
information learned, and new or revised cellular memory (a topic I’ll
write about very soon!) into your brain and body. This will help you
maintain and assimilate the effects from the binaural tracks in your
being.
*Note: it’s important to listen to your
body’s reactions. If you originally wanted to listen to a track for an
hour and after 10 – 15 minutes you feel completed and ready to turn it
off, follow that instinct! Your body will always tell you what it
needs.
Lasting Implications
I have been using binaural beats
for several months and I have noticed amazing advantages. My quality of
sleep is enhanced; my dreams are more vivid, easier to remember, and I
have more instances of lucid dreaming; my cognitive processing is
quicker and more advanced (IE: thinking more clearly, efficiently, and
quickly) ; and I’m able to relax easier on a whim. When I’ve used
binaural beats before engaging in an activity, I notice colors are more
vibrant, synchronistic and geometric patterns are more apparent, and I
am more present in the moment of the experience. Life just seems to be
deeper, more connected and profound.
The most important benefit binaural
beats have to offer is the ability to train your brain to enter altered
and higher states of consciousness, when you’d like to experience them.
Binaural beats can ease you into meditative states without creating a
dependence on the audios. Ultimately, they serve as a brainwave inducer
and exercise your brain to enter these states upon command. No more
vicious meditation frustration cycle!
Article Sources
Carter, C. (2008). Healthcare performance and the effects of the binaural beats on human blood pressure and heart rate. Journal of Hospital Marketing & Public Relations, 18(2), 213-219.
Kennel, S., Taylor, A. G., Lyon, D., &
Bourguinon, C. (2010). Pilot feasibility study of binaural auditory
beats for reducing symptoms of inattention in children and adolescents
with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 25(1), 3-11.
Padmanabhan, R., Hildreth, A. J., &
Laws, D. (2005). A prospective, randomised, controlled study examining
binaural beat audio and pre-operative anxiety in patients undergoing
general anaesthesia for day case surgery. Anaesthesia, 60(9), 874-877.
Schwarz, D. W. F., & Paylor, P. (2005). Human auditory steady state responses to binaural and monaural beats. Clinical Neurophysiology, 116(3), 658-668.
Theory behind brainwave generator. (2004, October 03). Retrieved from www.bwgen.com/theory
Thompson, J. (1988). Sound: Medicine for the new millennium. www.neuroacoustic.com/newmil
Thompson, J. (1988). The clinical use of sound. www.neuroacoustic.com/clinical_services
Thompson, J. (2007). Acoustic brainwave entrainment experimental group mind-linking. www.neuroacoustic.com/groupminded
Thompson, J. (2007). Acoustic brainwave entrainment with binaural beats. www.neuroacoustic.com/entrainment
Thompson, J. (2007). Binaural auditory beats affect vigilance performance and mood. www.neuroacoustic.com/binaural
Turner, R. (2008). Binaural beats: Brainwave entrainment or ganzfeld effect?. www.world-of-lucid-dreaming.com/binaural-beats
Wahbeh , H., Calabrese, C., & Zwickey,
H. (2007). Binaural beat technology in humans: a pilot study to assess
psychologic and physiologic effects. Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine,13(1), 25-32. Retrieved from www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17309374
