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Does Brainwave Entrainment Work?

By Samantha Sullivan


There is a neuro-scientific technology available today, that has been used successfully by the medical-scientific community for over the past 70 years, in the area of healing, and it is called brainwave entrainment.This neuro-technological tool, is specifically designed, portable, convenient, and very effective in the areas of self-healing, cognitive function improvement, augmentation with traditional psychological therapies, the stimulation of hormones and pain relievers, and the enhancement of relaxation, making it the panacea for today's stressed-out, busy lifestyle.
[Brain Entrainment]


Let's make it clear that one's perception of whether brainwave entrainment works or not can greatly vary, depending on their expectations. Some may have read that brainwave entrainment audios will alleviate pain or anxiety, and others that it is going to bring them to a deep level of relaxation, greatly enhancing their meditation practice. Both statements may be true if we undertake a structured approach to exploring the topic.

Brainwave Entrainment Fundamentals.A common reason of why many people doubt the effects of brainwave entrainment is because the term itself sounds a bit scientific and incomprehensive. That's why we should look at some real life brain entrainment examples. You are probably asking yourself... What? Yes, the brain is meant to adapt, and it quickly changes its state, according to the surrounding environment. Let's take a look at this - when one first wakes up in the morning, they still feel rather sleepy (as their brain has been in a state of sleep); if, however, they look out of the window and see a fire burning in the next building, they will become very alert - the brain has quickly entrained itself to this new state. On the contrary, if the same person goes to a room full of sleepy people, it is likely that they will stay in this same state unless they do something different (make a cup of coffee, go out, etc.).

When the brain is exposed to a frequency, it undergoes a Cortical Evoked Response, where it emits an electrical charge in response to the stimulus. The predominant brainwave frequency is said to move towards the frequency of the stimulus, matching its frequency.Pulses and patterns of neural activity move through the brain in waves in a dynamic ocean of subtle electrical matter at all times. These patterns of electrical activity are called brainwaves and are responsible for different states of consciousness.

A Bit of Science.What brainwave entrainment claims to do is that it can, with the help of specifically designed audios (recently visual materials have been introduced, too) bring the brain to one of these specific states (alpha, beta, theta, etc.). Once the brain is brought to that state, the person reaps the benefits associated with it; to illustrate, it has been medically and scientifically proven that deep sleep triggers growth and body healing. It is quite logical, too, as otherwise our bodies would not have been 'constructed' with the natural need to fall into sleep for at least a couple of hours every single night. What this all means is that brainwave entrainment does not 'magically' make you more relaxed or more creative, or heal your migraine.

The brain rapidly entrains motor responses to auditory rhythms that are stable and steady, synchronizing states below and above conscious perception thresholds.Different Methods of Brainwave Entrainment.There are three main forms of entrainment used today to alter consciousness.BINAURAL BEATS-one frequency is played in one ear and a slightly different frequency is played in the other. Each ear is connected to the opposite side of the brain and when each half hears something different, it compensates by creating a third beat, that is not really there. The sound only exists in your brain and causes both hemispheres to entrain at a single frequency.

So, does brainwave entrainment really work? All this being said, the actual question that should be asked here is whether brainwave entrainment audios can truly alter your brainwaves, bringing them to one of the above mentioned states (alpha, theta, etc). Again, with the use of the exact same machine - encephalograph (or simply EEG) - it has been proven that yes, they can. Of course, the efficacy of the different audios varies greatly between producers, but this is a whole different theme to explore. The point of this article is to clearly demonstrate that it has been scientifically and materialistically proven that brainwave entrainment audios can bring one's brain to a specifically designed state. Consequently, yes, brainwave entrainment does work in the sense that it can bring you to a state associated with deep meditation or deep sleep, which in turn can ensure further benefits such as improved memory, pain relief, and many more (again, you should rather explore the gains associated with the various brainwave patterns).

After several months of regular daily use of the same brainwave recording your mind gets accustomed to the stimuli and it becomes 2nd nature, giving the impression that the recording doesn't work anymore. The reason is your mind is strengthened in once neglected areas as new neural pathways are created and adjusted to the recording. Working your mind with brainwave recordings is similar to working your muscles. After a time a certain muscle, for example, no longer seems to be receiving any benefit from the same exercise which initially seemed very effective. The reason is the exercise served its purpose in bringing the muscle to its present much more healthy condition. The only way to add additional benefit to that muscle is to change the exercise around a little. This will produce long-term benefits. Likewise your mind gets stronger with time as you listen to brainwave recordings, but it reaches a point where a particular recording which once seemed so effective appears to be doing nothing anymore. However, if the recording is changed around a little it will produce additional, long-term results. And just as having a variety in your exercise routine, and even a variety in your diet, is better for your body. So likewise you will receive long-term benefit, and a more balanced mind, by listening to a variety of brainwave entrainment recordings.For this reason some companies sell several CD recordings contained in one program with specific instructions on when to listen to certain recordings, and for how long, before switching to the next level of recordings. They do it this way so you receive the optimal benefits the recordings offer. And just as it is not a good idea to stuff yourself with a variety of different foods at once, or to exercise too much all at once, so likewise it is good to start with one level of recordings, giving your mind time to adjust to that recording before moving to the next level.




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