Brain Entrainment Archives » Nurture for the Future

After reading all the positive benefits of meditation, I started looking to music for meditation and came across this…

Binaural Beats

Binaural beats are auditory processing artifacts, or apparent sounds, caused by specific physical stimuli. This effect was discovered in 1839 by Heinrich Wilhelm Dove and earned greater public awareness in the late 20th century based on claims coming from the alternative medicine community that binaural beats could help induce relaxation, meditation, creativity and other desirable mental states. The effect on the brainwaves depends on the difference in frequencies of each tone: for example, if 300 Hz was played in one ear and 310 in the other, then the binaural beat would have a frequency of 10 Hz. – Wikipedia

Binaural beats appears to be growing in popularity as a form of “brain entrainment” which have been linked to the following benefits:

changes in arousal states, attentional focus, and levels of awareness leading to sensory integration (Morris 1990)
improved response to alpha biofeedback training (Foster 1990)
relaxation
meditation
stress reduction
pain management
improved sleep (Wilson 1990; Rhodes 1993)
enriched learning environments (Akenhead 1993)
enhanced memory (Kennerly 1994)
creativity (Hiew 1995)
treatment of children with developmental disabilities (Morris 1996)
the facilitation of attention (Guilfoyle & Carbone 1996)
treatment of alcoholic depression (Waldkoetter & Sanders 1997)
positive effects on vigilance performance and mood (Lane et al. 1998)

Does it work?

The research on this subject is a little weak at the moment, but given the powerful effect of music on the brain, I’d like to stick around and see what else comes out of this. In the meantime, you can check these out…

Research from the Monroe Institute

Children with ADD who listened to special binaural beat patterns in combination with amino acid supplementation improved much faster than those who used amino acid supplementation alone (Van Der Schaar, 2009).
Adults listening to simple binaural auditory beat stimuli during a 30-minute vigilance task improved performance and reported positive changes in mood associated with the task (Lane, Kasian, Owens, & Marsh, 1998).
Bariatric patients undergoing general anesthesia who were exposed to specific binaural beat combinations during surgery required significantly (1/3) less analgesia than those who listened to a blank tape (Lewis, Osborn, & Roth, 2004).

Using the Whole Brain – Ronald Russell

In this book, Ronald Russell talks about the different applications of Hemi-Sync Sound Patterns.

About Monroe Products

Monroe Product’s binaural beat CDs can help you experience enhanced mental, physical, and emotional states.

Robert Monroe’s work inspired an entire industry of mind/brain products. After 50 years of research, and thousands of lab sessions, the internationally acclaimed patented Hemi-Sync® process remains unparalleled in its ability to assist us in harnessing our human potential.

Thanks to the cooperation of notable medical institutions and universities, the scientifically and clinically proven Hemi-Sync® technology continues to be the focus of a variety of specialized research projects. In addition, many therapists, physicians, educators, and other professionals use Hemi-Sync® extensively.

Such research is indispensable in revealing the influence of specific Hemi-Sync® sound patterns on consciousness. Over the years, these efforts have resulted in the development of scores of individual products for specific applications such as focused attention, stress management, meditation, sleep enhancement, and pain management, to name a few.

Refined with over 50 years of research and development, and supported by numerous independent studies, reports, and articles, the patented Hemi-Sync® technology has been scientifically and clinically proven to be effective.

This unique audio-guidance process works through the generation of complex, multi-layered audio signals, which act together to create a resonance that is reflected in unique brainwave forms characteristic of specific states of consciousness.

When you hear these through stereo headphones or speakers, your brain responds by producing a third sound (called a binaural beat) that encourages the desired brainwave activity.
The result is a focused, whole-brain state known as hemispheric synchronization, or Hemi-Sync®, where the left and right hemispheres are working together in a state of coherence.