Brainwave Entrainment -- A Natural Thing To Do?

Brainwave Entrainment has been becoming more and more popular as a method to alter states of consciousness and change lives. Many are using it to achieve certain mental states that correspond to certain behaviours. Binaural beats, monaural beats and isochronic tones are the sources of sound used in brainwave entrainment.

With the increasing popularity, some have asked: "Ïs it natural (and therefore safe) to change your inner brainwave frequencies using an input from the outside?"

Before I attempt to answer this question and set your mind at ease, let's examine what is brainwave entrainment or brainwave synchronisation is based on.

The Nature of Brainwave Entrainment

Brainwave entrainment is based on a natural behaviour of the brain: the tendency of the brain to synchronise its dominant frequency with the frequency of an external stimulus. There's even a term for this: Frequency Following Response.

For example, when you hear a disco beat, your body tends to move naturally to it. Another instance of this is when the gently dancing flame of a candle evokes in you a sense of peace and inner calmness.

What brainwave entrainment does is to use a more systematic way to sync your brain. Science and technology are once again put at your service, in this case to create the most optimal ways to change your brain frequency quickly. And decades of research have found that binaural beats, monaural beats and isochronic tones are by far the most efficient ways to bring about this brain synchronisation.

In short, instead of letting your brain be influenced by any random stimuli from the outside, very specific audio inputs are used to change your mental state in order to achieve the outcome you desire.

In fact, brainwave synchronisation has a precursor in the natural meditation techniques practised by monks. The objective is the same: to achieve a stillness of mind, a deep inner peace. Only the methodology differs. In this case, brainwave entrainment reaches this objective in a fraction of the time it takes for meditation to achieve the same effect.

Feel the Pulses of Your Neurons

There is another natural behavioural characteristic of the brain that brainwave entrainment is based on: the electrical activity generated by its 10 billion neurons. These electrical pulses form brain waves with different frequencies which can be measured using an Electrocardiogram (EEG).

There are four categories of brainwaves ranging from the most active to the most passive states of mind. They are Beta, Alpha, Theta and Delta.

Beta waves are the most active brainwaves with frequencies from 13 to 40Hz. They are activated when your mind is actively engaged and alert. They are most conducive to activities requiring concentration.

Alpha waves have slower frequencies of between 8 to 12 Hz. In this state, you're relaxed and your mind tends to drift. Your mind is relaxed yet aware and imagination and intuitive thinking come naturally.

Theta waves have an even lower frequency of 4 to 8 Hz. They produce a deeper level of relaxation and meditation. In this state, you are daydreaming, feeling sleepy, or in the first stages of sleep.

Right at the bottom are delta waves with frequencies of below 4Hz. That's the state when you go into a deep, dreamless sleep and wake up totally rejuvenated.

Brainwave entrainment is a safe method using sound recordings to tune your brainwave frequencies to the different naturally occurring brainwave states. This technology basically works with the natural tendency and characteristic of your brain to help you achieve the result you've been searching for.