An Overview Of Binaural Beats And Altered States

If you follow the trends in the personal development field, you will have heard about binaural beats. They are so well-known that they hardly need introduction. Everyone seems to know that they have something to do with meditation and that you listen to them with headphones. That’s really all most people know, though. How do they work?

Binaural beats (BB for short) were discovered by H. W. Dove, a German scientist. He was studying human hearing and in the course of his experiments discovered the remarkable fact that when one sound was heard exclusively through one ear and another exclusively in the opposite ear, the brain actually heard a third frequency – the difference between the two sounds.

It wasn’t until 1973, though, that BBs captured the imagination of the wider community. That was the year that Dr. Gerald Oster published an article in Scientific American about them. While he did not even mention brainwave entrainment in his article, it made others think that they could be used for that purpose.

The human brain is constantly creating electromagnetic energy that can be measured in hertz (beats or pulses per second). Using EEGs and other brainwave monitoring devices, researchers have pinpointed states of consciousness and their corresponding frequencies. When we are wide awake, for instance, our brains are producing beta waves at around 25 hertz.

Our brains do a curious thing when a rhythmic external stimulus is applied to them. Through a process called the frequency following response, the brain follows the applied frequency and we enter a corresponding state of consciousness. The stimulus can be applied through many of the senses, but the easiest way to apply it is through sound. The first frequency applied for brainwave entrainment purposes is usually the beta frequency.

In a binaural beat meditation CD or MP3, the frequency is slowly and methodically lowered until it reaches a target frequency in the alpha, theta or delta ranges. These frequencies correspond with drowsiness or daydreaming, dreaming and deep sleep. They also correspond with different levels of meditation and altered states of consciousness.

The goal of the mp3s is to use brainwave entrainment to guide the listener’s brain into deeper and deeper states of relaxation and allow them to experience meditative states that normally would take years of practice in an ideal environment to master. The testimony of many people who have used this method seems to back up this assertion.

There are now scores of CDs and mp3s and other programs on the market that use binaural beats for meditation or to alter consciousness in other ways. Some of the programs are designed to be practiced for years, while others also add hypnosis or subliminal messages. Still others are stand alone mp3s for different purposes.

Binaural beats can be used for other purposes besides entering the deeper meditative states. You can use them for focused concentration while studying, for performance anxiety or even as a coffee substitute. The only danger in using them is if you use them foolishly. They do work, so never try your meditation or sleep CD while you’re driving your car!

If you’re curious but skeptical, find a site that offers free trials or a money back guarantee. The companies that produce the best brainwave mp3s are happy to offer a money back guarantee because they are so confident that once you try brainwave entrainment, you’ll be happy to give them your money!

To get your binaural beats, you can search to see what we have. We can provide you some brainwave entrainment that can practice your mind and make you more relaxed. To acquire more knowledge about binaural beat music, your a click away.