Brainwave entrainment is a method to stimulate the brain into entering a specific state by using a pulsing sound, light, or electromagnetic field. The pulses elicit the brain’s ‘frequency following’ response, encouraging the brainwaves to align to the frequency of a given beat.
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We live in an age where technology is developing at a mind-blowing pace. This can be both scary and exhilarating; but we have a choice on how we wish to engage with it. It’s a great thing to be able to “unplug” when we need to: to re-generate, calm the mind, and get back in touch with our natural selves. Conversely, technology can help us save time and streamline so that we can focus on the more important things in life like family and health.
We can also engage in the realm where technology meets and enhances our health and well-being. This pertains to the tried and true age-old technologies such as the science and art of meditation, yoga and mindfulness, for example; as well as to emerging electronic and frequency-based technologies such as neurofeedback.
Neuro what?
Neurofeedback is a powerful tool that takes advantage of the brain’s plasticity (its process of changing and reorganizing itself by forming new connections between brain cells). EEG sensors on the scalp read the electrical activity of the brain, in the form of brainwaves, and reflect this information back to the brain in a specific way through audio or visual cues. This real-time reflection and training of brainwave activity appears to support the brain’s natural ability to reorganize its own patterns and come into a better place of flexibility and self-regulation.
Brainwaves reflect the overall patterns of the electrical activity taking place in billions of brain cells as they communicate throughout their networks; making everything happen mentally, emotionally, and physically. Sometimes these networks and their electrical activity can become disrupted through a physical trauma such as a concussion, or through various emotional traumas and stressors. Neurofeedback helps the brain to readjust and regain its edge.
I’ve been accused of being too enthusiastic about these types of technologies, and ultimately about the brain’s ability to heal and self-regulate under the right circumstances. But I work with these technologies every day, and I’m continually blown away by the results I see.
Will applying a feedback process for the brain reverse structural damage, or halt a degenerative process? Not likely. Can it help the brain remap and reorganize to best take advantage of the resources it has left? Absolutely.
But you do the research. And don’t be discouraged if the research hasn’t caught up yet with the anecdotal reports. There is more and more high-quality research coming out all the time; and the development of various neural technologies underpinned by an ever-evolving scientific understanding of the brain is flourishing.
Take advantage of it. We are lucky to live in a day and age where we have so many choices where we can customize and target specific aspects of our physical and emotional health. Unplugging when we need to, and engaging in both time-honored and cutting-edge technology as appropriate, can do wonders for our physical, mental, and spiritual health and happiness.
Brainwave entrainment is a method to stimulate the brain into entering a specific state by using a pulsing sound, light, or electromagnetic field. The pulses elicit the brain? ?requency following?response, encouraging the brainwaves to align to the frequency of a given beat.
This ?requency following?response of brainwave entrainment can be seen in action with those prone to epilepsy. If a strobe flashes at their seizure frequency, the brain will ?ntrain?to the flashing light, resulting in a seizure.
On the positive side, this same mechanism is commonly used to induce many brainwave states; such as a trance, enhanced focus, relaxation, meditation or sleep induction. The brainwave entrainment effectively pushes the entire brain into a certain state.
Brainwave entrainment works for almost everyone. It is a great way to lead your mind into states that you might usually have difficulty reaching, allowing you to experience what those states feel like.
THE HYPE
There is a lot of marketing hype around brainwave entrainment. It is sold with promises of increasing IQ, promoting weight loss, ?ind-tripping? enhancing creativity, concentration, inducing spiritual states and more.
While these claims are not entirely true, they are not altogether false either. In practice, the claims are based on an overly-simplistic view of how the brain and the brainwaves function.
THE RUB
People are very seldom deficient in a certain brainwave type in all areas of their brain. Usually the distribution is much spottier, with an excess in one area and a deficiency in another.
We are all different, especially when it comes to the distribution of our brainwaves. Boosting a certain brainwave state may be beneficial for one person, and emotionally uncomfortable for another. Without knowing each person? starting position, entrainment can be rather ?it and miss?
If brainwave entrainment leaves you with unwanted side-effects (see below) or discomfort, you?e probably encouraging a range of brainwaves that are already excessive in some area of your brain. The way around this is to get a brain map to see what your brain? strengths and weaknesses are, and see what (if any) brainwaves could use some encouragement.