Are the binaural beats Digital Drugs?

Everyone knows that illegal drugs are dangerous for our health. However, legal drugs such as medicines can also be dangerous if they are taken in excess as well. Binaural beats on the opposite are non intrusive digital drugs.

People take drugs for vaious reasons. Most of them are medical in nature. For example, because of stress, pain, depression, or for many other reasons. Soon enough appears dependencies that come with the use of these drugs.

Happily, there is a safer alternative with the use of binaural beat audios. They are completely safe sounds that are emited in two different frequencies through your headphones in order to create a beat. These frequencies can literally alter your brain waves for better.

Much like traditional drugs that have effects on your brain, so can these digital drugs. A great majority of people claim to feel the desired effects from different binaural beats.

You can even pick and choose the way you want to feel and what you want the effects to be. If you're depressed you'll want a mood accelerator. If you are ultra nervous you will want something to calm you down. There are different binaural beats for nearly anything you'd want to feel.

The best part is that you don't have to do anything to feel the effects. you just need to put on your headphones and relax somewhere to allow the beats to work their magic. A mental workout does not mean that you need to work hard.

This process is commonly known as brainwave synchronization, or brainwave entrainment. No matter what you call it, you are training your brain with beats. It is absolutely incredible what you can do.

Surery, there will be some people who doubt about digital drugs. There are people out there who say it does not work and that you're much better off fooling with medication. Those are people who have possibly not opened up their mind, or who went in with a bad attitude of the whole process.

You do need to make sure you are open to the beats and are freeing your mind. Otherwise you may not get the full experience or effect of the beats. The fact of the matter is that these binaural beats work for people all over the world and there is no reason why they can't work for you.

In fact, scientists have conducted brain studies to test this very thing. In these studies they have shown that using close frequency sounds can balance an "asymmetric brain." That goes to show you just how effective these beats are.

Binaural beats work wonders as digital drugs. All it takes is a few minutes a day listening to your audios through headphones, and having an open mind. When you do that you can eliminate things like anxiety, depression, and stress. You can also invoke states of euphoria. This is the most wonderful, safe, and effective "drug" in the world.

It doesn't matter whether you are suffering from things like anxiety, depression, or insomnia, binaural beats are right for you. They are very safe and effective ways to alter your brain waves and put them on the right path. Grab a pair of headphones and a binaural audio and your life will be changed forever.

To to experience yourself with binaural beats and get free binaural beat downloads visit http://www.mentallion.com

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How brainwave entrainment helps to reduce depression

Depression, also defined as major depressive disorder by the American Psychiatric Association, is a mental disorder characterized by an all encompassing low mood accompanied by low self esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities.

Major depression is a disabling condition which adversely affects a person's family, work or school life, sleeping and eating habits, and general health. In the United States, approximately 3.4% of people with major depression commit suicide, and up to 60% of all people who commit suicide have depression or another mood disorder.

Recently, scientists have found that depression is a slow wave disorder, meaning that those individuals tend to exhibit lower beta and more alpha and theta waves than normal people resulting in persistent fatigue feeling. Scientists have discovered also that depression involves too much activity in the right (emotional) hemisphere and too little activity in the left (logical) hemisphere leading to irrational or emotional reactions to otherwise trivial situations.

Many researches have found that depression can be reduced with brainwave stimulation. Correct this hemisphere imbalance is simple and the benefits are rapid with the use of brainwave entrainment. Often, the correction of this brainwave asymmetry using the depression reduction session is enough to bring Serotonin levels back to normal ones no matter the origin of depression (genetic, childhood experiences, etc.).

Dr. Norman Shealy found that 2 weeks of brainwave treatment was enough to lift 60% of subjects out of depression. The depressed volunteers showed not only a an increase of Serotonin, but also norepinephrine, dopamine and beta-endorphines.

In other study conducted by Dr. Kathy Berg and Dr. David Siever, 84% of the subject became
clinically non-depressed after the treatment with brainwaves and 100% of those treated experienced a significant reduction in depression.

Here in mentallion.com you can find a therapy in the following basic therapy section:
http://www.mentallion.com/basic.action#11000

and in the healing music section :
http://www.mentallion.com/relieve.action#depression.

These therapies consist of MP3s files with 15 minutes session with special beats and mixed music (this is the minimal doses more time may be required by serous cases). This session is designed to quickly and deeply correct the hemispheric imbalance of the listener, typical in depression. In addition, by using this session repeatedly, the mind of the listener will be trained to give the user more control over depression in the future without the need of this therapy.

Because this session presents separate stimulation to each brain hemisphere, headphones are required. It is important to make sure that your headphones are used correctly, with the right side on your right ear, and left side on your left ear.

To use this session, find a quiet place, be comfortable in a chair or lying down, close your eyes and enjoy the session.

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How brainwave entrainment technologies helps you to reduce stress

Stress is a biological term which refers to the consequences of the failure of a human or animal body to respond appropriately to emotional or physical threats to the organism, whether actual or imagined.

It includes a state of alarm and adrenaline production, short-term resistance as a coping mechanism, and exhaustion. Common stress symptoms include irritability, muscular tension, inability to concentrate and a variety of physical reactions, such as headaches and elevated heart rate.

In technical terms, stress is a state of overabundance of beta or higher activity, typical of anxiety or stress. Not surprisingly, people lacking of these vital brainwaves often turn to external substances (such as alcohol, tobacco, or drugs) to induce the production of these brainwaves, providing temporary, and potentially dangerous, relief.

Using relaxation focused brainwaves entrainment sessions, you can not only reduce stress, anxiety, and cravings for external substances, but you can also increase your brain's ability to produce these brainwaves, allowing you to better deal with stress in the future.

Like so many mental disorder there is no a "magic bullet" for anxiety or stress. No "one size fits all" solution will work for everybody. But it is an undisputed fact that stress is vastly reduced by alpha/theta training. Very few studies on brainwave training fail to mention stress reduction as a goal or healthy side effect.

Henry Adams, PhD., head of the alcoholism programs at St. Elizabeth's Hospital In Washington, found that alcoholics showed a 55% in alcohol consumption after a single relaxation session combined with a brief anti-alcohol suggestion.

Peninston & Kulkosky found that Alpha/Theta neurofeedback got successful results in 80% of those properly trained addicts becoming non-craving, healthy people.

I am not saying that you are alcoholic or addict, but if brainwave entrainment works fine in those people, it will work better in slightly stressed people. In Mentallion ( http://www.mentallion.com ) you can find the stress reduction session (therapy code 12500) in this link:

http://www.mentallion.com/basic.action#12500

You can find also this session remixed with popular music for better experience in this link:

http://www.mentallion.com/relieve.action#stress

This session is designed to quickly and deeply relax the listener, focusing on alpha/theta training to give the user more control over relaxation in the future, or to enable the user to reduce stress without the assistance of the sessions.

To use this session, find a quiet place, free of distraction. Make sure you are comfortable and relaxed, in a chair or lying down, close your eyes and enjoy the experience. Although, I used these while finishing my work before going home.

If you feel healthy, spread this message to someone who may need.

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How brainwave entrainment helps women with premenstrual syndrome

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) is a collection of physical, psychological, and emotional symptoms related to a woman's menstrual cycle. Most women (about 80 percent) have some symptoms of PMS. These symptoms usually have sufficient severity to interfere with some aspects of life. Such symptoms are usually predictable and occur regularly during the two weeks prior to menses.

At first look, it may seen illogical that brainvawe entrainment can have a signifcant impact on PMS symptoms, however, the brainwave pattern of women suffering from PMS is surprisingly unique. Istra Toner, of the Royal Medical School
in London, studied brainwave patterns of subjects with PMS and found an abnormally high amount of Delta frequencies. A lack of blood flow have been found by other researches.

Recent research indicates that that PMS session may help to reduce these symptoms.
It has been concluded by many that an increase in cerebral blood flow (often an effect of brainwave entrainment) is the principal cause of PMS reduction during a session. Therefore, this session first relaxes the listener to Theta, helping increase circulation, and then at the end helps speed up the listener's brainwaves and increase cerebral blood flow.

Duncan Anderson at the Royal Medical School in London completed a study with 17 women who had long standing, severe PMS. At the end of the study a median of 76% reduction was recorded. 12 of the 17 technically no longer had PMS.

In Mentallion.com you can find the basic PMS session in the basic therapies section:

http://mentallion.com/basic.action#12000.

If you don't need this therapy, spread this message to one who may need.

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Summary of brainwave stimulation sessions to achieve desired mental states

After describing the individual benefits of each brainwave: gamma, beta, alpha, theta and delta we can now present a summary of these brainwaves.

The stimulation of human brainwaves is done with sound through binaural beats. While human perceptions of sound ranges from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, the frequencies of human brain waves are below about 40 Hz. To get the desired mental wave any sound stimulation is useful always that one sound play in one ear and another in the other ear. For example, if a 315 Hz sine wave is played into the right ear and a 325 Hz one into the left ear, the brain is entrained towards the beat frequency -10 Hz- or the alpha range and in in the same way for the nexts braiwaves.

Binaural beat stimulation has been used fairly extensively to induce a variety of states of consciousness, and there has been some work done in regards to the effects of these stimuli on relaxation, focus, attention, creativity and even intelligence increase. Studies have shown that with repeated training to distinguish close frequency sounds that a plastic reorganization of the brain occurs for the trained frequencies and is capable of asymmetric hemispheric balancing.

The dominant frequency determines your current state. For example, if in someone's brain alpha waves are dominating, they are in the alpha state (this happens when one is relaxed but awake). However, also other frequencies will be present, albeit with smaller amplitudes.

The brain entraining is more effective if the frequency is close to the user's starting dominant frequency. Therefore, it is suggested to start with a frequency near to one's current dominant frequency (likely to be about 20 Hz or less for a waking person), and then slowly decreasing it towards the desired frequency.

Some people find pure sine waves unpleasant, so a pink noise or another background (e.g. natural sounds such as river noises) can also be mixed with them. In addition to that, as long as the beat is audible, increasing the volume should not necessarily improve the effectiveness, therefore using a low volume is usually suggested. One theory is to reduce the volume so low that the beating should not even be clearly audible, but this does not seem to be the case.

Additional uses

In addition to lowering the brain frequency to relax the listener (or to raise it to help focusing), there are other controversial, alleged uses for binaural beats. For example, that by using specific frequencies an individual can stimulate certain glands to produce desired hormones. Beta-endorphin has been modulated in studies using alpha-theta brain wave training, and dopamine with binaural beats.

Among other alleged uses, there are reducing learning time and sleeping needs . Theta waves are thought to improve learning, since children, who have stronger theta waves, and remain in this state for a longer period of time than adults, usually learn faster than adults; and some people find that half an hour in the theta state can reduce sleeping needs up to four hours; however, this is supposed to happen with any way to get into theta state, e.g. meditation; some use them for lucid dreaming and even for attempting out-of-body experiences, astral projection, telepathy and psychokinesis. However, the role of alpha-wave activity in lucid dreaming is subject to ongoing research.

Alpha-theta brainwave training has also been used successfully for the treatment of addictions, for the recovery of repressed memories, but as with other techniques this can lead to false memories.

A trial of Delta binaural beat technology over 60 days has shown positive effect on self-reported psychologic measures, especially anxiety. There was significant decrease in trait anxiety, an increase in quality of life, and a decrease in insulin-like growth factor-1 and dopamine and has been successfully shown to decrease mild anxiety and lessen hospital acute pre-operative anxiety.

Another claimed effect for sound induced brain synchronization is enhanced learning ability. It was proposed in the 1970s that induced alpha brain waves enabled students to assimilate more information with greater long term retention. In more recent times has come more understanding of the role of theta brain waves in behavioral learning The presence of theta patterns in the brain has been associated with increased receptivity for learning and decreased filtering by the left hemisphere. Based on the association between theta activity (4–7 Hz) and working memory performance, biofeedback training suggests that normal healthy individuals can learn to increase a specific component of their EEG activity, and that such enhanced activity may facilitate a working memory task and to a lesser extent focused attention.

Next a summary of binaural beats is presented so you can experiment with each one and share your experiences.

Mental states
Name	Frequency	State	Play
Gamma	40 Hz +	High alert
Beta	14 - 40 Hz	Normal alert
Alpha	8 - 14 Hz	Light relax
Theta	3 - 8 Hz	Deep relax, meditation
Delta	0.1 - 3 Hz	Deep sleep

Courtesy from mentallion.com

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Advantages and disadvantages of delta brainwave stimulation (0 - 4hz)

Delta brainwaves are the lowest in brainwave frequency: ranging from 0 - 4 Hz, but are the highest in amplitude They are considered the most relaxing brainwave frequency range and are commonly associated with the deepest sleep [stages 3 & 4] and a state of unconscious awareness. Delta brainwaves, like other slower brainwave patterns, are generated in the right hemisphere, though they may be observed in widespread patterns throughout various parts of the brain. The delta brainwave range is associated with empathy, the unconscious mind, and a decreased sense of awareness but also with slow mind.

Advantages of increasing delta brainwaves:

Release of Anti-Aging hormones
One of the associated benefits of increasing your delta brainwaves is the release of anti-aging hormones. The delta brainwave pattern stimulates the release of melatonin and DHEA, 2 powerful anti-aging hormones. The delta brainwaves are also associated with decreased levels of cortisol - a hormone linked to stress that has been scientifically proven to speed up the aging process.

State of empathy
Delta brainwaves can provide you with the ability to read other peoples emotions and determine their feelings at unconscious levels. In healthy amounts, delta brainwaves cause a person to have an advanced state of empathy, understanding, and compassion for others. If you are always able to relate to others and can “read other people’s minds,” you probably have more delta than the average person. If you find yourself getting into trouble for not being considerate enough or for “stepping on other people’s toes,” you may have less overall delta brainwave activity.

Extreme bliss
Advanced meditation practices and yogic traditions have associated the delta brainwave frequency range with a feeling of all-encompassing bliss. Since most people aren’t able to consciously experience the delta brainwave state, it may be tough to feel extreme bliss from the delta waves like the yogis, monks, or advanced meditators. With that said, there have been people that have testified to feeling the bliss associated with the delta brainwave while performing extremely deep meditation.

Advanced healing of body and mind
The delta brainwave rhythm is known to completely rejuvenate, replenish, and heal the entire body and brain. The delta brainwave revives the body after a hard day by rejenerating necessary chemicals while a person is asleep. Due to the deepest levels of relaxation that the delta brainwave provides, the body and mind are easily able to restore themselves after minor stress, a rigorous workout, or after boosting your brain power.

Human Growth Hormone (H.G.H.) Release
The delta brainwave is associated with the stimulation of the pituitary gland, which in-turn, is able to release human-growth-hormone — commonly referred to as H.G.H. It doesn’t release enough for you to skyrocket in height and weight. The delta brainwave will not provide adults with a second version of puberty. With that said, there is evidence that it does release slight amounts of H.G.H. in certain individuals. If you are looking to increase your H.G.H., you should definitely consider using delta brainwave entrainment and evaluate how it works out for you!

Connection with unconscious mind
Though the alpha and theta brainwaves are capable of bridging the gap between conscious thoughts and the subconscious mind, the delta brainwave allows us to connect deeper: it allows us to connect with the deepest possible level of our consciousness. The goal of many meditation practices is to experience and consciously control the unconscious mind. The subconscious mind, or our brain’s right-hemisphere, becomes activated when slower brainwaves like alpha, theta, and delta waves kick in.

Deepest possible level of mind / body relaxation
Delta brainwaves while a person is conscious or awake, are extremely rare. However, advanced meditators and infants, are 2 groups of people that are able to enjoy the deeply relaxing benefits of the delta brainwave. Remember what you felt like when you were an infant? Probably not - the delta brainwave is associated with extreme relaxation, yet completely unconscious mental processes.

Perfect intuition
Ever have a powerful gut-instinct that helped you make a good decision? Or a gut-instinct that you should’ve followed? If we get ourselves too caught up in the upper brainwave patterns of beta, our intuitiveness becomes severely damaged. As you increase your theta brainwaves and your delta brainwaves, your intuition will increase and so will your ability to recognize the feelings in your “gut.” There are some disagreements as to whether or not the theta brainwave patterns are better for intuition vs. the delta brainwave patterns, but most research suggests that if you can become consciously aware in the delta brainwave state, you will have a nearly perfect sense of intuition.

Connecting with the spiritual body
Many consider the delta brainwave to bridge the conscious mind with higher planes of reality, the subconscious mind, and / or the unconscious mind. Advanced spiritual gurus have considered the lowest brainwave pattern, delta, one that connects their spirit and their body to a universal life energy. Becoming consciously aware of experiencing the delta brainwave frequencies has been associated with the deepest sense of spirituality, highest sense of internal awareness, and feeling directly connected to a Higher Power.

Paranormal Experiences
People are especially open to O.O.B.E.’s (Out Of Body Experiences), astral travel, connecting with spiritual beings (i.e. “spirit guides,” “angels,” etc.), E.S.P., and other phenomenon in the delta brainwave range. Though most paranormal and psychic experiences can be argued to be real or fake, there is evidence that most people tend to have them when their brain is producing higher than average amounts of delta, and /or theta brainwaves. Though spiritual experiences and phenomena are commonly experienced in the theta brainwave state, the delta brainwave state has been associated with many too!

Boosted immune system
Increasing your delta brainwaves can lead to a boosted immune system due to the fact that delta brainwaves are associated with age-reversal or slowing, the production of healthy hormones, and significantly decreased amounts of stress. Increasing your delta brainwaves can lead to a boosted immune system due to the fact that delta brainwaves are associated with healing and rejuvenation of the body. Stress and too much anxiety can do harm to the immune system by releasing harmful chemicals such as epinephrine (adrenaline) and too much of the hormone: cortisol, associated with the adrenaline release. The delta brainwave releases pleasant chemicals and neurotransmitters to help keep your immune system at arguably its highest rate of performance.

Problems associated with too many delta brainwaves:

Packing on excess “emotional baggage”
If you’ve ever been told that you worry too much about the emotions of others or literally “feel what others are feeling,” chances are good that you have too much delta. While some people may enjoy increased empathy, others may feel like they are too caught up in other people’s emotional lives. The delta brainwave can definitely make you pack on too many extra emotions if you aren’t prepared.

Extremely unfocused mind
Not everyone may particularly enjoy an increased amount of delta brainwaves in their waking E.E.G. The delta brainwave range has been linked to extremely unfocused, unconscious thinking, and ADD. The delta brainwave range can increase mental fogginess, dreaming, and forgetfulness. If you are already extremely unfocused, increasing your delta brainwaves isn’t recommended.

Extreme sleepiness
Since the delta brainwave pattern has been linked to the deepest stages of dreamless sleep, increasing this brainwave may make you feel more sleepy than you normally do. The delta brainwave is found in individuals that are sound asleep. Drowsiness and extreme sleepiness will occur if the delta brainwave is displayed while a person is awake. When increasing your delta brainwaves, it is extremely common to fall asleep as your brain is being trained. You will wake up feeling refreshed though. It is very difficult to stay aware in the delta state of consciousness unless you are advanced in the practice of meditation.

Hyperactivity
Because the brain is functioning at the slowest possible brainwave pattern, the central nervous system uses up virtually zero energy. All of the energy that you’ve accumulated throughout the day from eating food needs to be put to use somehow. Having too much delta brainwave activity allows your brain and CNS to get by with very little energy. Since the brain and CNS use less overall energy, the excess energy is expressed in some people through hyperactivity.

Healthy ways to increase delta brainwaves:

Brainwave entrainment
As I mention a lot, brainwave entrainment is great for fine tuning your state of consciousness and awareness. If you want to easily and naturally experience delta brainwaves, brainwave entrainment is an easy process that involves simply listening to a tone (stimulus) and your brainwaves will automatically, naturally shift in order to match the desired frequency associated with the acoustic tone. While delta brainwave states usually occur in deep sleep, it is possible to train yourself to remain awake while experiencing the delta brainwave.

Getting a good night’s sleep
Delta activity is present in stages 3 and 4 of sleep. Getting a good night’s sleep is important for staying healthy, keeping a healthy, powerful brain. Though delta brainwaves will not increase when you wake up the next day, they are highly prevalent in your brain while you are deeply asleep. Most non-dream, deep sleep is linked to an increase in delta brainwave activity, whereas dream-sleep is mostly linked to theta brainwave activity.

Meditation
The goal of most types of meditation is to lower the brainwaves into the alpha-theta brainwave range. A very safe, healthy way to attempt to increase your delta brainwaves is to make the act of meditation a daily habit or start up a meditation routine. If you are already meditating, great - you’ll naturally increase your flexibility to travel through the alpha brainwave range, possibly through the theta brainwave range, and into the depths of the delta brainwave range.

Hypnosis / Self-hypnosis
The goal of all hypnosis and self-hypnosis programs is to target the lower brainwave ranges (i.e. alpha and theta) and implant new beliefs. If you practice frequent enough, and long enough, you may find that you are able to tap into your inner delta brainwave awareness.

Yoga
Like meditation, yoga is yet another activity that promotes relaxation and wellbeing by shifting your brainwaves to the calming patterns of alpha, theta, and sometimes delta. The yogic phenomenon of suspended animation has been claimed to only take place in the delta brainwave range. Though there are many different types of yoga, if they are practiced correctly, they can be utilized to slow brainwaves to tap the delta awareness and insight from within.

Unhealthy ways to increase delta brainwaves:

Skipping sleep
Depriving yourself of a good night’s sleep or completely skipping sleep will increase the amount of cortisol (a hormone associated with stress and aging) and will flood your brain with a combination of unfocused brainwaves: mostly theta, some delta and in some cases high-beta. If you have ever pulled an “all nighter,” you’ll know that skipping sleep makes you feel extremely unfocused, dizzy, and confused. This is due to to a combination of unbalanced chemicals, hormones, and brainwaves. Not a wise idea to skip sleep to increase your delta brainwaves.

Final evaluation of delta brainwaves:

I personally think that delta brainwaves are very unique to experience and everyone has a different reaction. The deep spaced-out connection associated with delta activity can feel great. You should be the judge as to whether or not increasing delta is the brainwave you want to experiment with. If you are already experiencing many of the listed “benefits,” your delta brainwave could be within it’s healthiest range.

Are you already a mentally fogged person? If so, chances are good that your brain could be naturally producing some delta brainwave activity. However, most people do not have large amounts of the delta brainwave unless they are in the deepest sleep stages. If you are experiencing too many of the listed negative effects, you may want to consider speeding up your brainwaves into the beta range.

Extracted from:
Understanding the delta brainwave

Example of delta session:




More sessions in Mentallion.com

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Advantages and disadvantages of theta brainwave stimulation (4 -8 hz)

Theta brainwaves are considered extremely relaxing brainwave activity that is commonly associated with sleep and dreaming. Theta brainwaves are high in amplitude and cycle within the range of 4 – 8 Hz and are usually generated in the brains right hemisphere.Theta waves kick in when we feel emotional, relaxed, daydreamy, unfocused, or are asleep.

Theta brainwaves are generally thought of as the brainwaves that are dominant in people with A.D.D., high levels of relaxation, high levels of creativity, and random thinking. The theta brainwave is considered the brainwave pattern that is dominant in deeply relaxed, dream sleep but they are also related with slow brain..

Benefits of increasing theta brain waves:

Deep levels of relaxation
Theta brainwaves while a person is awake is extremely uncommon. However, advanced meditators and children are 2 groups of people that are able to enjoy the deeply relaxing benefits of the theta brainwave. Remember what you felt like when you were a kid? The theta brainwave is a carefree state of mind that makes you feel emotionally connected with others.

Emotional connection
The theta brainwave range is associated with strong, powerful emotions. The cool thing about theta brainwaves is as they increase, so does the intensity of your emotions. Often times beta brainwaves can block out our emotions or not allow us to fully experience our natural emotions.

Advanced intuition
Ever have a powerful gut-instinct that helped you make a good decision? Or a gut-instinct that you should’ve followed? If we get ourselves too caught up in the upper brainwave patterns of beta, our intuitiveness becomes severely damaged. As you increase your theta brainwaves, your intuition will increase as well as your ability to recognize those feelings in your “gut.”

Subconscious connection
Though the alpha brainwave is capable of bridging the gap between conscious thoughts and the subconscious, the theta brainwave allows us to deeply connect with our subconscious mind. The subconscious mind, or our brain’s right-hemisphere becomes activated when slower brainwaves like alpha and theta waves kick in. If you spend too much time in beta, it may feel incredible to finally relax and allow yourself to connect with your subconscious mind.

Peak levels of creativity
The theta brainwave is often found in highly creative individuals. Many talented musicians, inventors, and artists are found to have extremely higher than average amounts of theta brainwaves. Utilizing the theta brainwave will definitely enhance your overall levels of creativity!

Advanced problem solving skills
The problem associated with having too much of the beta brainwave pattern is the inabiltiy to problem solve and get past “mental blocks” by thinking creatively. Ever get writer’s block? Increasing your theta or alpha brainwaves will most likely help you keep “flowing” right through your paper or article without getting “stuck.” I’ve heard cases of alpha brainwaves used to help prevent writer’s block and I’ve also read that theta waves were very effective.

Lower anxiety, stress, and neurosis
Lowered levels of stress and anxiety is yet another benefit that the theta brainwave can bring to your life. Not all people with large amounts of theta waves are relaxed, but the theta brainwave band has been linked to lower levels of anxiety, stress, and neurosis. Increasing the total amount of theta brainwaves will help slow rapid thoughts and will make you feel more comfortable in your own body.

Bridges the spiritual connection
Many consider the theta brainwave to be a bridge between the physical body and spiritual body. The theta brainwave has been associated with deeper spirituality and a deep spiritual connection. According to some, the theta brainwave range provides enhanced spiritual awareness and profound insight. Many spiritual experiences and phenomena are commonly experienced in the theta brainwave state.

Ability to program subconscious mind
There is some evidence to believe that by targeting the lower brainwave patterns and using affirmations or positive self talk, you can change some of your deepest unconscious beliefs or emotional blockages. In the theta brainwave range, the brain is extremely open to suggestion and new ideas. It is the openness of the brain in the theta frequency range that constitutes the ability to re-program the brain.

Paranormal Experiences
People are especially open to psychic experiences, OOBE’s (Out Of Body Experiences), visions, ESP, and other phenomenon in the theta brainwave range. Though most paranormal and psychic experiences can be argued to be real or fake, there is evidence that most people tend to have them when their brain is full of theta brainwaves. Psychics are supposedly able to tap the theta brainwave range in order to connect with higher spirits and the divine.

300% boost in learning ability
Though the alpha brainwave spectrum (8 - 12 Hz) has been associated with “super learning” abilities, the theta brainwave frequency range has been heavily linked to profound learning benefits. As your mind is able to enter the frequencies of the theta range, you will be able to retain over 300% more information than you can while in the beta brainwave state.

Boosted immune system
Increasing your theta brainwaves can lead to a boosted immune system due to the fact that theta brainwaves are associated with vitality and usually zero stress. Stress and too much anxiety can do harm to the immune system by releasing harmful chemicals such as epinephrine (adrenaline) and too much of the hormone: cortisol, associated with the adrenaline release. The theta brainwave releases pleasant chemicals and neurotransmitters to help keep your immune system at it’s peak.

Improved long-term memory
As theta brainwaves increase, the ability of the brain to recall and store long-term memories increases. The hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in memory processing and storing memories, has a normalized theta brainwave rhythm passing through this area. As we become more stressed out, the beta brainwaves throw the normalized theta brainwaves of the hippocampus out of sync. This is why stressful people usually have poorer ability to recall long-term memories.

Ability to hyperfocus
Many people with high amounts of theta brainwave activity are able to “get in the zone” and stay intensely focused and motivated with one idea. Many people with ADD or ADHD attribute their success in certain areas of life to their ability to hyperfocus. Hyperfocus is a unique phenomenon that can really only be experienced in the theta brainwave range. Some meditators have also claimed to have learned the hyperfocus ability.

Healing of body and mind
The theta brainwave rhythm is well-known to rejuvenate, replenish, and heal the body and mind. The theta brainwave is known to reset your brains sodium / potassium ion ratio. When you get yourself heavily involved in the upper frequencies of the beta range, your brain’s sodium / potassium ion ratio is severely thrown out of sync. Due to the deep levels of relaxation that the theta brainwave brings, the body and mind is easily able to restore itself after a tough mental or physical workout.

Do not increase your alpha brainwaves if you suffer from the following:

Inability to focus
Like I mentioned earlier, not everyone will benefit from a theta brainwave increase. The theta brainwave range has been specifically linked to lack of focus and ADD. In most cases, theta brainwaves are associated with mental fogginess, daydreaming activity, and random thinking. If you are already extremely unfocused, increasing your theta brainwaves is not a good idea!

Too many daydreams
Like the alpha brainwaves, as you increase theta brainwaves, you may have too many daydreams without any control over it. Higher than average amounts of theta brainwaves is never beneficial and too many daydreams is a prime example of why you may not want to entrain theta.

Depression
High amounts of theta brainwaves are found in individuals’ brains that have been diagnosed with clinical depression. Usually, individuals that have too many lower brainwaves tend to feel more depressed: increasing the amount of beta brainwaves will help them out! If you are depressed from being overstimulated, theta or alpha brainwaves can help your condition improve, but if you are too understimulated, I suggest staying away from alpha or theta brainwaves and sticking to beta.

Sleepiness
The theta brainwave pattern has been linked to dream sleep. The theta brainwave is found in individuals that are sound asleep or extremely tired. Sleepiness and drowsiness occur when theta brainwaves are found in people that are fully awake. When increasing your theta brainwaves, it is extremely common to fall asleep and wake up feeling refreshed. It is very tough to stay aware in the theta state of consciousness unless you are training through meditation.

Lack of excitement
Excitement is associated with beta brainwaves and the adrenaline that they produce. It is not uncommon to feel unexcited, or extreme feelings of boredom while in the theta range. If you are currently finding yourself bored with new activities, it is time to work to increase your beta brainwaves and stay away from increasing theta.

Extreme impulsiveness
Since a lack of conscious thought is associated with theta brainwaves, it is not uncommon for extremely impulsive people to be high in theta brainwaves. One symptom ofADD is being overly impulsive. It isn’t at all a surprise that increasing the total amount of theta brainwaves correlates with higher levels of impulsive behavior.

Hyperactivity
Because the brain is functioning at such a slow brainwave pattern, the central nervous system is using up less overall energy. All the energy that you accumulate from food you eat needs to be put to use somehow. Having too much theta brainwave activity allows your brain and CNS to get by with less energy. Since the brain and CNS use less overall energy, the excess energy is expressed in the individual through hyperactive behaviors.

Overly receptive mind
In the theta brainwave state, your brain may be overly receptive to suggestions and new information. Being overly receptive isn’t always a good thing and can make your subconscious more open to accepting negative suggested beliefs. Many hypnotherapists target the theta brainwave range to help you implant new beliefs into your mind.

Healthy ways to increase theta brainwaves:

Brainwave entrainment
As I mention a lot, brainwave entrainment is great for fine tuning your state of consciousness and awareness. If you want to easily and naturally experience theta brainwaves, brainwave entrainment is an easy process that involves simply listening to a tone (stimulus) and your brainwaves naturally shift in order to match the frequency associated with the acoustic tone.

Listening to music
Virtually all genres of music (besides classical) target the brain’s right hemisphere and increase theta brainwave levels. Ever wonder why music makes you feel more emotional or provokes an intense emotional reaction from within? Music brings emotions to the surface because when we listen, our brain naturally increases it’s theta brainwaves!

Getting a good night’s sleep
Getting a good night’s sleep is important for staying healthy, keeping a healthy, powerful brain. Though theta brainwaves will not increase when you wake up the next day, they are highly prevalent in your brain while you are sleeping. Most dream-sleep is linked to an increase in theta brainwave activity, whereas dreamless sleep is mostly linked to delta brainwave activity.

Meditation
The goal of most types of meditation is to lower the brainwaves into the alpha-theta brainwave range. A very safe, healthy way to increase your theta brainwaves is to make meditation a daily habit or start up a meditation routine. If you are already meditating, great — you’ll naturally increase flexibility with to travel through the alpha brainwave range to experience the depths of theta.

Hypnosis / Self-hypnosis
The goal of all hypnosis and self-hypnosis programs is to target the lower brainwave ranges (i.e. alpha and theta) and implant new beliefs. Doing self-hypnosis on a consistent basis or seeing a hypnotherapist will definitely help you reduce stress by increasing your theta brainwaves.

Creative Visualization
Every time that you close your eyes and do creative visualization, the amount of natural theta brainwave increases. Though it is tough to maintain awareness in a brainwave state predominantly comprised of theta waves, it can be done. Creative visualization will give your theta brainwaves a nice, healthy boost while you are engaged in this eyes-closed, extremely-relaxed process.

Yoga
Like meditation, yoga is yet another activity that promotes relaxation and wellbeing by shifting your brainwaves to the calming patterns of alpha and theta. There are many different types of yoga, and if practiced right, they’ll definitely slow your brainwaves and allow you to experience a much greater sense of awareness and insight within the theta range.

Unhealthy ways to increase theta brainwaves:

Skipping sleep
Depriving yourself of a good night’s sleep or completely skipping sleep will increase the amount of cortisol (a hormone associated with stress and aging) and will flood your brain with a combination of unfocused brainwaves: mostly theta, some delta and in some cases high-beta.

Taking Valium (diazepam)
Valium is a sedative that is commonly used to treat anxiety, stress, and panic. Taking the drug Valium will increase your brain’s lower frequency brainwaves: mostly theta. The theta brainwaves are what makes a person feel tired and deeply relaxed. If you have ever taken Valium, you know what a kick of the theta brainwaves feel like.

Drinking Alcohol
Though drinking alcohol primarily increases the total amount of a person’s alpha brainwaves, it definitely has an effect on the theta range too. In extreme cases of alcoholism and drunkenness, the theta brainwave pattern can dominate the brain and leave the individual extremely confused and impair all memory functions.

Hallucinogenics (i.e. Magic Mushrooms / LSD / Acid)
Hallucinogenic drugs like Magic Mushrooms, LSD, and Acid are definitely not wise to take. They are things that kill your brain cellsand can cause a user to have extremely negative reactions that result in huge emotional upheavals and possible psychotic episodes.

Final evaluation of theta brainwaves:

I personally think that theta brainwaves can feel awesome and are great to experience. The emotional intensity that is associated with high amounts of theta feels great. With that said, theta can be an intense brainwave to experience. If you find yourself overemotional and depressed, the theta band is not recommended. You should be the judge as to whether or not increasing theta is best for you. If you are already experiencing many of the listed “benefits,” you probably don’t need much of an theta brainwave booster.

Are you already an overemotional person? If so, chances are good that your brain naturally produces large amounts of theta brainwave activity and you may not need a boost. If you are experiencing too many of the listed negative effects, you may want to consider speeding up your brainwaves into the beta range.

I personally don’t recommend entraining the alpha brainwave or the theta brainwave if you currently know that your brain already produces large amounts of theta.

Extracted from:
Understanding the theta brainwave

Example of theta session




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Advantages and disadvantages of alpha brainwave stimulation (8 – 12 Hz)

Alpha waves describe the brain electrical activity in the frequency range from 8 to 12 hz during periods of waking relaxation with the eyes closed. Conversely alpha waves are attenuated with open eyes as well as by drowsiness and sleep. They are thought to represent the activity of the visual cortex in an idle state.

Alpha is generally thought of as the normal brainwave that is dominant in people who are relaxed, creative, and have a clear mind. Alpha is considered the “normal” brainwave pattern and is dominant when people close their eyes.

Alpha stimulation is considered the healthiest and the frequency recommended ranges around the 10 Hz. It has widely been accepted as the “safest” brainwave frequency to train.

There isn’t a single brain wave pattern is better than the others, so don’t think alpha brainwaves are a “cure all.” If your brain is deficient in the alpha brainwave pattern, increasing them can help you a lot.

Benefits of increasing alpha brain waves:

Relaxed body and mind
The alpha brainwave is associated with a completely relaxed body and mind. The brain’s thought process is slowed and the mind is clear. The body is completely relaxed and free of all tension and nervousness. Boosting the alpha brain wave is a great way to enjoy the feeling of relaxation and a great way to let go of all worries and tension.

Higher levels of creativity
The alpha brainwave rhythm is generally associated with above average levels of creativity. Alpha brainwave levels are found to be much higher in artists, musicians, and creative thinkers. Creative problem solvers are what many employers currently need to think of new, creative, innovative ideas for their companies. If you’d like to boost your creativity, consider giving alpha brainwaves a boost.

Improved ability to problem-solve
The problem associated with having too much of the beta brainwave pattern is the inabiltiy to problem solve and get past “mental blocks” by thinking creatively. Ever get writer’s block? Increasing your alpha brainwaves will most likely help you keep “flowing” right through your paper or article without getting “stuck.”

Balanced mood (emotional stability)
The alpha brainwave, especially the 10 Hz frequency, is associated with a balanced mood and stable emotions. Many overanxious and hyperactive, unstable people could greatly improve their brains by increasing their alpha brainwaves. Feeling emotionally stable means not overreacting to stressful situations and being able to maintain a calm state of mind. The alpha brainwave state is associated with a very stable state of mind.

Peak-performance
The 10 Hz alpha brainwave frequency is commonly referred to as a “peak performance” state of mind or being “in the zone.” There has been conclusive evidence from studies with professional basketball players and golfers that show alpha brainwaves increasing in their “left hemispheres” just before making a free-throw or shooting a great golf shot.

In players that did not make the shot, beta brainwaves flooded their left-hemisphere. It seems that “over thinking” (beta brainwaves) or “under thinking” (theta brainwaves) are detrimental to gameplay.

The study was also proved by comparing elite marksmen to novice marksmen. The elite marksmen showed a big burst of alpha in their left-brain hemisphere before their perfect shots.

Lowered levels of stress & anxiety
Lowered levels of stress and anxiety is a huge benefit that the alpha brainwave can bring to your life. Know anyone suffering from chronic stress or rapid, anxious thoughts? Suggest brainwave entrainment to them and have them read over this article to see whether or not they’d like to try to increase their alpha brainwaves.

Flow state of consciousness
A state of “flow,” refers to a mental state that all events and things seem to pass without problems. You are able to deal with life’s problems easily and aren’t overanxious or too relaxed. You are somewhere in between overstimulation and understimulation. In essence, you’re mind is “balanced” and in an optimal state of functioning.

“Super learning” ability
The alpha brainwave spectrum has been associated with “super learning” and being able to remember and retain information with less overall effort. The alpha brainwave state mostly improves one’s natural ability to passively absorb large amounts of information. Basically, you don’t need to make as much of an effort to learn a new ability, language, or skill.

Boosted immune system
Enhancing your alpha brainwaves can lead to self-healing and prevention of illness. This is due to the fact that alpha waves are usually associated with “lack of stress” and “relaxation.” Stress and too much anxiety can do harm to the immune system by releasing harmful chemicals such as epinephrine (adrenaline) and too much of the hormone: cortisol, associated with the adrenaline release.

Positive thinking
There has been some research that has found the alpha brainwave rhythm, especially the 10 Hz frequency, to be associated with a positive state of mind (i.e. positive thoughts), a positive mood, and an overall feeling of wellness.

Increased levels of “serotonin”
Alpha brainwaves are associated with the neurotransmitter serotonin being released. Low levels of serotonin have been one factor that some researchers have linked to depression.

Do not increase your alpha brainwaves if you suffer from the following:

Lack of focus
Like I mentioned earlier, not everyone will benefit from an alpha brainwave increase. Though the alpha brainwave isn’t usually linked to lack of focus and ADD, in some cases it can created a foggy state of mind. If you are already very unfocused, increasing the alpha brainwave pattern is usually not recommended.

Too many daydreams
As you increase your alpha brainwaves, you may have too many daydreams without much control. Some daydreams are fine, but higher than average amounts of alpha brainwaves wouldn’t be of much benefit if you are already daydreamy.

Depression
High amounts of alpha brainwaves in conjunction with relatively little beta brainwave activity has been linked to depression. Though peak-performers are able to generate a big burst of alpha in their left hemisphere right before their best shots, too much alpha activity in the left-hemisphere of the brain has been linked to depression. If you are depressed from being overstimulated, alpha will probably help you out, if you are too understimulated, I suggest staying away from alpha and sticking to beta waves.

Tiredness
The alpha brainwave pattern has been linked to tiredness and drowsiness in some individuals. If you are working to increase your alpha and you notice yourself becoming tired or drowsy, it may be temporary and your brain is most likely readjusting to fit the new pattern. With that said, alpha brainwaves are the brainwaves that are naturally produced right after you close your eyes to fall asleep.

Overly receptive
In the alpha brainwave state, your brain may be overly receptive to suggestions and new information. Being overly receptive isn’t always a good thing and can make your subconscious more open to accepting negative suggested beliefs.

Healthy ways to increase alpha brainwaves:

Brainwave entrainment
As I mention a lot, brainwave entrainment is great for fine tuning your state of consciousness and awareness. If you want to increase your alpha brainwaves, brainwave entrainment is an easy process that involves simply listening to a tone (stimulus) and your brainwaves naturally match the frequency associated with the tone.

Meditation
The goal of most types of meditation is to lower the brainwaves into the alpha-theta brainwave range. A very safe, healthy way to increase your alpha brainwaves is to make meditation a daily habit or start up a meditation routine. If you are already meditating, great! You’ll naturally increase flexibility with your alpha brainwaves as you continue the process.

Self-hypnosis
The goal of self-hypnosis is to target the lower brainwave ranges (i.e. alpha and theta). Doing self-hypnosis on a consistent basis will definitely help you reduce stress by increasing the natural amount of your alpha brainwaves.

Visualization
Every time that you close your eyes and visualize, alpha activity significantly increases. If you are the type of person that often enjoys shutting your eyes to imaging or picture things, you’ll have a naturally higher amount of alpha brainwave activity than others. Visualization can go hand-in-hand with a meditation practice, but if you’d rather only visualize, you’ll still be boosting your alpha brainwaves!

Yoga
Like meditation, yoga is yet another activity that promotes relaxation and wellbeing by shifting your brainwaves to the calming patterns of alpha and theta. There are many different types of yoga, and if practiced right, they’ll definitely allow you to tap into your alpha awareness.

Deep-breathing
Deep breathing is not only great for improving overall oxygen levels in the brain and body, it is great for achieving a state of relaxation. When you make deep-breathing a habit, you will begin to feel more relaxed and your brainwaves will shift from the somewhat stressful beta brainwaves to the alpha rhythm.

Saunas / Hot Tubs
Not only do saunas and hot tubs cause your entire body to feel completely relaxed, they cause your mind to quiet and drowsiness to kick in. The brainwave associated with those feelings of relaxation like you’ve been sitting in a hot tub or in a steamy sauna are the alpha waves. Same would apply for laying in the sun tanning on a nice warm beach — feeling the hot sun soak into your body is deeply relaxing. That feeling of deep relaxation is due to an increased amount of alpha brainwaves.

Watching T.V.
After just 30 seconds of watching T.V., your brain’s alpha brainwaves kick in. Even if you happen to be reading captions or text on the T.V. screen, the alpha waves still kick in! Normally, beta brainwaves kick in while reading, but not while reading on T.V. All radiant light from cathode-ray technology in T.V.’s and other appliances automatically cause the brain to idle and shift to the alpha rhythm. I personally don’t consider watching T.V. to be the best way to increase your alpha brainwaves, but I’m not going to put it in the unhealthy category.

Unhealthy ways to increase alpha brainwaves:

Drinking alcohol
In moderation, alcohol probably won’t kill your precious brain cells, but it isn’t a healthy activity for your body or your brain. Alcohol is a huge alpha brainwave booster. Are you a person that is constantly getting drunk to relax? Alpha brainwaves are the reason that tense and stressed people turn to alcohol. When you are drunk, your brain produces lots of alpha brainwaves and lowers your inhibitions.

Smoking marijuana
Though there is controversy as to whether or not smoking marijuana is good or bad, I personally don’t consider marijuana or any other illegal substance to be healthy. Smoking marijuana does increase alpha brainwaves, which is why smoking marijuana makes people feel relaxed. Marijuana will not give you the aware, synchronized, peak-performance alpha brainwave that most people are striving for.

Final evaluation of alpha brainwaves:
I personally think that alpha brainwaves feel awesome to increase and the 10 Hz brainwave is the safest brainwave to entrain. However, you should be the judge as to whether or not increasing them is best for you. If you are already experiencing many of the listed “benefits,” you probably don’t need much of an alpha booster.

Are you already a relaxed, laid back person that feels emotionally stable? If so, chances are good that your brain naturally produces large amounts of alpha brainwave activity and you may be perfect in the alpha range. If you are experiencing too many of the listed negative effects, you may want to consider speeding up your brainwaves into the beta range.

If you are over anxious, tend to worry a lot, and aren’t emotionally balanced, chances are good that you’d benefit from the alpha increase.

Extracted from:
Understanding the alpha brainwave

Example of alpha session


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Advantages and disadvantages of beta brainwave stimulation (12-40 hz)

Beta brainwaves describe the brain activity than is in the range of frequencies from 12 to 40 Hz. Usually generated in the brain’s left-hemisphere, beta states are associated with normal waking consciousness. Beta waves are also associated with active, busy, or anxious thinking and active concentration. In conclusion, beta brainwaves are considered to be the normal brainwave pattern in healthy adults.

Benefits of increasing beta brainwave activity include:

Ability to think quickly
When a person is high in beta brainwaves, they are able to think fast, generate new ideas quickly, and live in a high-state of functioning. Quick thinking and mental processing definitely helps when applying for a job in the 21st century and preparing for exams.

Being more social
When a person talks, their beta brainwave range naturally increases. If you are interested in becoming more social, an increase in beta brainwaves may be the ticket. In most people, an increase in beta activity boosts conversational energy and ability to keep conversation going.

Feeling excited
Ever get that nice healthy adrenaline rush or feeling of excitement in the pit of your stomach? That feeling is caused by an increase in the amount of beta brainwaves. Beta waves kick in when people get excited and definitely feel invigorating.

Peak-performance
Though a specific peak-performance brainwave pattern is heavily debated, beta brainwaves can certainly aid in performance ability. When a person’s focus skyrockets, and their energy levels skyrocket, their performance abilities will naturally increase.

Highest levels of focus
Have some mental fog and a low level of focus? Beta brainwaves may be the ticket to changing that around! People with ADD and ADHD are commonly prescribed stimulants, which cause beta brainwave activity in their brains to increase. Hence, an increased ability to focus, get things done, and all the other things associated with beta waves.

More energy
Do you lack energy? Are you always tired and wish you had more energy? Well, beta brainwaves could definitely help you out! People low in beta brainwaves feel tired and report less overall energy throughout the day. To get out of a sleepy state and lift some mental fog, consider increasing your beta waves!

Positive thoughts
I’ve definitely noticed that I feel less depressed and constantly am able to generate positive thoughts while in a high-beta mental state. Positive thinking and an increase in beta waves makes perfect sense because the left-hemisphere is associated with positive thoughts.

Write easily and quickly
When beta brainwave levels are high, one’s ability to write increases. Beta activity occurs in the left hemisphere which is highly activated while writing. I can personally testify for this one: my ability to write is definitely enhanced when I am able to get into a state of beta.

Increase in I.Q.
Studies have been done and show that people higher in the beta brainwave range actually have higher I.Q.’s than the average population. It makes perfect sense, since activities like reading and solving math problems can definitely help build a smart brain.

Increasing beta activity is not recommended when exists:

Anxiety
I can personally vouch for this one. Too much beta activity caused me to feel afraid or have thoughts of fear towards things that I’m normally completely calm with. I would imagine that if your brainwaves get high enough in the beta range, you will begin to notice a fear of things that are not normal to freak out over.

Stress
Though there are many good things that come with beta waves, there is also a huge possibility that they may stress you out. They are linked to increased stress, which is why it is important to learn how to shift your brainwaves when needed.

Paranoia
Paranoid schizophrenics are actually able to generate much more high-beta activity than the average population. Are beta brainwaves the cause of schizophrenia? No, they are a side-effect and schizophrenia is a much more complex disease. Increasing beta brainwaves will not increase the likelihood of you becoming crazy, but they could make you feel more paranoid than usual.

Muscle tension
Another drawback to the beta brainwaves is that your body will feel uneasy and muscle tension increases. Nobody enjoys feeling tensed and unable to relax their muscles. Avoid high amounts of beta activity to avoid tense muscles.

Increased blood pressure
High blood pressure is usually not anything to be proud of.Beta brainwaves cause an increase in stress and thoughts and naturally increase your blood pressure. If your blood pressure is already high, chances are good that you know what a beta brainwave state feels like.

Unwanted thoughts
Beta brainwaves can be a source of unwanted or anxious thoughts. Too much beta activity can cause one to experience a mild form of obsessive compulsive disorder. Rapid, random thoughts that are beyond control have potential to haunt the person that is high in beta.

Insomnia
Want to stay up all night? If so, I recommend increasing your beta activity. It is probably a bad idea to do any beta geared activity right before falling asleep. Keep your brain healthy, get that sleep, and work to prevent insomnia.

Addiction
Are you addicted to the internet? Chances are that if you have an addiction, you would greatly benefit from a downscaling in your current amount of beta brainwaves!Addiction is a long, bad cycle to go down that I don’t recommend. Look at “how to boost your alpha brain wave” to help you curb and hopefully eliminate your addictions.

Healthy Ways To Increase Beta Brain Waves:

Brainwave entrainment
Brainwave entrainment is definitely a revolutionary technique to help you naturally increase brainwave activity within a certain range. Prepare to be impressed with this technology, if you aren’t already. Check the example below.

Neurofeedback
Neurofeedback is quite expensive, but is actually very effective at increasing beta brainwave activity for people who have ADD and ADHD. There is a very high success rate for helping ADD in neurofeedback!.

Brain training games
Brain training games increase thinking speed and naturally increase amounts of beta activity. Not all brain training games are boring: check out the games Big Brain Academy for the Nintendo Wii or DS and Brain Age 2 for the Nintendo DS and prepare to have some fun.

Doing homework
Much of the schoolwork geared towards students in the 21stcentury is actually beta-geared. Doing math problems and reading short stories is a powerful, natural way to increase your beta activity.

Reading a book
Reading is a left-hemisphere oriented activity that everyone should do. Not only may you actually learn something, you will get smarter and increase your beta waves.

Solving math problems
If you aren’t a student, print out some math problems or buy a book of math facts to get up to par.

Drink a cup of coffee
The caffeine in coffee definitely gives a jolt of energy to the brain and body. Why? Taking in caffeine increases the amount of beta brainwaves for awhile. The caffeine effect is different for everyone, but you’ll learn that caffeine is definitely a beta brainwave booster.

Unhealthy Ways To Increase Beta Brain Waves:

Snort cocaine
Drugs are just plain unhealthy, addicting, and life threatening. Cocaine does increase beta activity in the brain; causing adrenaline rushes, rapid heartbeat, and positive thinking. Stay away from this stuff and increase your beta waves naturally.

Take diet pills
Ahh, good old fashioned diet pills. Pop a few down the hatch and you don’t have to work out or eat healthy to lose weight…right… Diet pills are not good for you. You should know better if you are currently taking them!

Take some amphetamines
If you need to take stimulants for ADD, then do what you’ve gotta do. If you don’t have a prescription for Adderall, then it is illegal to take and could potentially be very addicting. Just stay away from amphetamines if you don’t need them. Their long-term health effects are brutal!

Drink a Redbull (or another energy drink)
Energy drinks are just plain unhealthy in my opinion. Yes, they do give you a shocking amount of energy temporarily! After the energy comes, a crash occurs and your energy is completely zapped for the rest of the day! I recommend avoiding these to increase your beta activity.

Smoke a cigarette
The nicotine found in cigarettes is a beta brainwave booster. Want lung-cancer, a tarred up throat, and to lose money in the process? Nobody does! Stay away from cigarettes!

Extracted from:
Demistifying the beta brainwave

Example of beta brainwave session




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Advantages and disadvantages of gamma brainwave stimulation (40 - 100 Hz)

Gamma brainwaves are produced when masses of neurons emit electrical signals at the rate of around 40 times a second or more (100 - 40 Hertz or Hz). These patterns of brainwaves are associated with states of peak performance (both physical and mental), high focus, and concentration. They also are related to mystic and transcendental experiences such as out of body experiences and altered states. On the other hand, they have been observed in anxiety, schizophrenia and hyperactivity.

Benefits of increasing gamma brainwaves:

Boosted memory
High amounts of gamma brainwaves have been associated with a boosted memory and ability to recall past events.

Enhanced perception of reality
Gamma brainwaves can provide you with an enhanced overall perception of reality and understanding of consciousness. Because gamma brainwaves can be found in virtually every part of the brain, it allows parts of the brain to communicate. Through their communication, your reality and perception is formed.

Binding of senses
The gamma brainwave is what allows us to experience: smell, touch, vision, taste, and hearing altogether. It allows our brain to process multiple sensations at the same time and allows us to identify environmental forms of stimulation. It also improves our overall perception of our senses by enhancing our levels of focus.

Increased compassion
Advanced meditation practices and yogic traditions have associated the gamma brainwave frequency range with a pure state of compassion. Richard Davidson hooked long-time meditators up to an E.E.G. at the University of Wisconsin Madison and found that the more meditation experience a person had, a higher amount of gamma brainwave was displayed. Since most people aren’t able to cultivate a pure state of compassion like many monks, they may not ever understand or feel the wonderment of the gamma brainwave range.

High-level information processing
Gamma brainwaves are associated with high-level information processing in the brain. Basically, the brain is able to operate more efficiently at a higher level. Thoughts are easily processed and the brain is able to easily absorb and understand new information and changes in one’s environment.

Natural antidepressant
The gamma brainwave is a known natural antidepressant. Not only does it increase our level of compassion for others, it boosts our overall levels of happiness. Many people claim that listening to the gamma brainwave while meditating has proved to be extremely effective at completely eliminating their depression. The gamma brainwave decreases during stress, anxiety, and cases of depression. No wonder that increasing your gamma brainwaves will make you feel much less depressed. In people with depression, the amount of gamma brainwave tends to be much lower than average.

Advanced learning ability
Since gamma has been associated with a higher level of information processing, quicker thinking, and an enhanced perception of reality, people with high amounts of gamma brainwaves tend to have an advanced learning ability. People with learning disabilities, ADD, and those under a lot of stress, tend to have a significantly smaller amount of the gamma brainwave than others.

Intelligence (I.Q.) Increase
The gamma brainwave has been associated with higher than average levels of intelligence. People with lower I.Q.’s and learning disabilities tend to have very low amounts of gamma brainwave compared to smarter individuals. Increasing your gamma brainwave, especially 40 Hz, will probably correlate with at least a slight intelligence increase.

Positive thoughts
Are you a person that always thinks positive and one who has compassion for others? If you already think positively and are relaxed, you probably have high amounts of the gamma brainwave. In people with depression, there is relatively little amounts of the gamma brainwave that can be observed in an E.E.G. If you have depression or are a chronic negative thinker, you may want to really consider naturally increasing your gamma brainwaves.

Higher energy levels
Higher brainwave frequencies in the beta and gamma brainwave ranges correlate with increased physical and mental energy. Since the gamma brainwave range is among the highest of known brainwave frequencies, it definitely will give your energy level a jolt upwards. If you currently have low amounts of energy, consider increasing your brain’s gamma brainwaves.

High level of focus
The mind is extremely focused on just one thought while in the gamma brainwave range. It is important to cultivate a high level of focus in order to efficiently complete tasks and succeed in the world. It is very difficult when you have a learning disability or are lacking in focus to be successful. Sustaining a high level of focus can be done easily by increasing the amount of 40 Hz gamma activity in the brain.

Improved perception / consciousness
Gamma brainwaves have been linked to improved perception of reality and the ability to be aware of one’s consciousness. Gamma brainwaves are very powerful and may feel like quite an awakening to increase if you don’t have much natural gamma activity. Advanced meditators have much more gamma activity than the average person which is why it is easy for them to control and understand their state of consciousness.

Who has high amounts of gamma brainwaves?

Advanced Meditators
Advanced meditators tend to have a large amount of gamma brainwave activity compared to non-meditators. The amount of gamma brainwave and its amplitude increases as one’s ability to go deeper into meditation increases. Though most meditation practices increase the amount of slow brainwaves in the alpha and theta range, the gamma brainwave frequency increases as well. As you are able to gain more meditation experience, you’ll learn to naturally boost your gamma brainwave activity. Research has shown that the more experience you have with meditation, the more gamma brainwave activity you’ll display.

Peak performers
Peak performers tend to have large amounts of gamma brainwave activity compared to others. Though alpha bursts in the left hemisphere has been scientifically proven to be linked to peak performance, gamma brainwave activity is suggested to be essential to performing at an optimal level. If you are interested in manipulating your brainwave patterns to help create a state of peak performance, you may want to try alpha and gamma and be the judge as to which one works better. I’ve heard of several brainwave training regimens that claim it is best to use 10 Hz alpha for visualization several hours before your sporting event, then the gamma brainwave around 30 min. - 1 hour before your event. The combination of alpha, followed by gamma, is supposed to create a state of peak mental preparation and performance.

Problems associated with too many gamma brainwaves:

Some anxiety
Though gamma brainwaves are usually not correlated with stress and anxiety, they can be. When a person mostly displays high amounts of beta brainwaves in combination with gamma on an E.E.G., the individual probably has very high levels of anxiety. Though gamma brainwaves usually decrease when we are under stress, the dopamine released from gamma brainwaves can actually cause us to feel overanxious, nervous, or tense. It is best not to increase both gamma andbeta brainwaves at the same time. Depending on your current brainwave state, it is important to recognized that though you are usually safe with increasing gamma, overdoing training time or frequency of training may make you feel unpleasantly anxious.

Clear, conscious perception of reality
Some people are not prepared for the mental awakening that is associated with gamma brainwaves. If you are currently living a fairly unfocused life and happen to begin entraining the gamma brainwave, it may feel like a huge jolt to your consciousness. If I was extremely unfocused, I’d definitely work on entraining the gamma brainwave, but I’d do it slowly and in moderation. Too much gamma entrainment will actually give you a headache! It is important to not become disturbed by your brains initial reactions to an increased gamma brainwave and perception of reality.

Healthy ways to increase gamma brainwaves:

Brainwave entrainment
As I mention a lot, brainwave entrainment is great for fine tuning your state of consciousness and awareness. If you want to easily and naturally experience gamma brainwaves, I highly recommend trying any of the programs in my “recommended products” section. Brainwave entrainment is an easy process that involves simply listening to a tone (stimulus) and your brainwaves will automatically, naturally shift in order to match the desired frequency associated with the acoustic tone. If you have Neuro-Programmer 2 or Mind Stereo, I recommend creating a customized gamma brainwave session at 40 Hz.Why 40 Hz? 40 Hz is the brainwave of choice and has been linked to the most powerful, positive effects which are currently associated with the gamma brainwave.

Getting a good night’s sleep
Gamma brainwave activity is present in Rapid-Eye Movement (R.E.M.) Sleep and is sometimes associated with dreaming. Getting a good night’s sleep is important for staying healthy, keeping a healthy, powerful brain. Gamma brainwaves also increase the moment we awaken. Though we are in the theta brainwave for most R.E.M. sleep, the gamma brainwave is present along with the theta. Most non-dream, deep sleep is linked to an increase in delta brainwave activity, whereas dream-sleep is mostly linked to gamma and theta brainwaveactivity.

Meditation
The goal of most types of meditation is to lower the brainwaves into the alpha-theta brainwave range. With that said, as you learn to become more aware and increase awareness of your brainwave state, your gamma brainwave activity will naturally increase. A very safe, healthy way to attempt to increase your gamma brainwaves is to make the act of meditation a daily habit or start up a meditation routine. If you are already meditating, great - you’ll naturally increase your awareness. As you increase your awareness, your gamma brainwave will increase.

Hypnosis / Self-hypnosis
The goal of all hypnosis and self-hypnosis programs is to target the lower brainwave ranges (i.e. alpha and theta) and implant new beliefs. Though you are slowing your brainwaves, your concentration levels are skyrocketing as well. Only having large amounts of alpha and theta without gamma would make self-hypnosis very difficult and an ineffective practice. The more often you participate in self-hypnosis, the more your gamma brainwave amplitude will increase.

Yoga
Like meditation, yoga is yet another activity that promotes relaxation and wellbeing by shifting your brainwaves and increasing your perception of reality. Brainwaves of yogis have shown that they are able to increase their gamma brainwaves to higher than average amounts. Though there are many different types of yoga, if they are practiced correctly, they can be utilized to increase awareness and gain valuable insight from within.

Listen the example of Gamma session:

Extracted from:

Understanding the gamma brainwave

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Video about the physical benefits of brainwave entrainment

Perhaps you may think that brainwave entrainment is a tool to get some fun and relax without real physical effects. But you are wrong, in this video, from the Centerpoint Research Institute, you will be informed about the recent research about the physical benefits of brainwave entrainment.

Among the benefits are:

• The natural production of the Growth Hormone (HGH); the hormone that stimulates the growth and reproduction of cells in humans and animals.


• The natural production of the Melatonin; the hormone of healthy sleep and powerful antioxidant.


• The natural production of the Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA); the precursor hormone of all hormones, such as testosterone and estrogens.


• Also a deep relaxation reduces the production of the Cortisol hormone;
  also known as the "stress hormone".

Courtesy of the Centerpoint Research Institute

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What are brainwaves?

You should know that your brain is made up of billions of brain cells called neurons. These neurons use electricity to communicate with each other. The combination of millions of neurons sending electrical signals at once produces an enormous amount of electrical activity in the brain, That activity can be detected using sensitive medical equipment (such as an EEG), measuring electricity levels over areas of the scalp.

Thus, the combination of electrical activity of the brain is commonly called a Brainwave pattern, because of its cyclic, 'wave-like' nature. Our mind regulates its activities by means of electric waves which are registered in the brain, emiting tiny electrochemical impulses of varied frequencies, which can be registered by an electroencephalogram. These brainwaves are known as:

1. Beta emited when we are consciously alert, or we feel agitated, tense, afraid, with frequencies ranging from 13 to 60 pulses per second in the Hertz scale.
   


2. Alpha when we are in a state of physical and mental relaxation, although aware of what is happening around us, its frequency are around 7 to 13 pulses per second.
   


3. Theta more or less 4 to 7 pulses, it is a state of somnolence with reduced consciousness.
   


4. Delta when there is unconsciousness, deep sleep or catalepsy, emitting between 0.1 and 4 cycles per second.
   

From doctorhugo.com

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