Brainwaves are measured in “Hertz” – which just means cycles per second. When you’re feeling anxiety, your brain waves are really fast. When you relax, they slow down. When you sleep, they’re even slower.

Brain waves are affected by scent, sound, taste & light and that’s the foundation of brain entrainment!

Pretend you’re really stressed. Maybe you don’t have to pretend. If you could peek inside your head with an electroencephalograph (EEG) you’d see that your brain is firing off 30, 40 or up to 100 electrical impulses per second. Telling yourself to relax seldom helps. Telling an anxious brain to relax is like trying to catch a whirling dervish.

But if you put on music that has beats at 10 Hertz, your brain will begin to follow along, and reproduce the rhythm of the music you’re listening to. Your brain waves will slow down to match the music you’re listening to and will help you relax. It works every time, and it’s called brain entrainment.

The opposite works, too. You know those times when you just can’t seem to get motivated? Or when you’re trying to focus, but it’s just not happening? Or you’re suffering writer’s block? Or creativity seems to elude you? Brain waves. Those things happen when your brainwaves aren’t doing what you want them to be doing. Brain entrainment can help.

There are many methods of brain entrainment. You can use sophisticated light emissions to change your brainwaves. Food (taste) and scent can change your brainwaves, too. Comfort food, anyone? But music is just so easy. Put on headphones and 14 minutes later you’ve literally altered your state of mind.

Brain entrainment music uses ambient music or nature sounds embedded with the beats that will entrain your mind to the frequency you want to be at. So you can focus. Or relax. Or sleep. People who meditate using brain entrainment music can go into relaxing Alpha brainwaves at will. Put on the headphones and close your eyes. It doesn’t really get much easier than that, does it?

Brain entrainment is not just for relaxing. It is also used to stimulate your mind. Help you wake up when you’re fuzzy minded. Help inspire creative thought. Brain entrainment can help you study better, learn better and work more efficiently.

To see what brain entrainment can do for you, let’s look at Beta, alpha, theta and delta brain waves…

There are five categories of brain waves, ranging from the least activity to the most. You’ve probably heard of Beta and Alpha. The brain wave categories include Delta, Theta, Alpha, Beta and Gamma. Some researchers lump Gamma and Beta into the same category, calling them both Beta waves.

Delta Brain waves: Up to 4 cycles per second

Delta – up to 4 pulses per second (240 per minute) is the slowest brainwave. Delta brainwaves have the greatest amplitude and slowest frequency, and may occur when you’re in a deep, dreamless sleep. Most adults are so perpetually wound up that they can’t even achieve Delta in their sleep, but newborns and children sleep in Delta very frequently. That’s what it means when people talk about sleeping like a baby; babies sleep deeper sleep than most adults do.

Theta Brain waves: 4-8 cycles per second

Theta waves are associated with creativity, dreams and Extra-sensory perception. When you’re in dreaming sleep, during the rapid eye movement state of sleep (REM) that’s the Theta state. Theta is when your conscious mind is disengaged, and it’s the goal of deep meditation and relaxation. We achieve Theta any time tasks become so automatic that you can mentally disengage from them. The ideas that often bubble up during the theta state are free flow and occur without mental censorship. Theta is often the state of mind we’re in when showering or taking a bath. (Eureka!) Many adults only attain theta waves in their sleep, and can not seem to attain Theta when they are awake, except perhaps in the shower.

Alpha Brain waves: 8-12 cycles per second

Alpha waves were first discovered in 1908 by an Austrian Psychiatrist named Hans Berger. Alpha is the state of mind when you are awake, but very relaxed, like when you’re daydreaming. It’s an effortless state of consciousness. Most people go into Alpha state when they are watching television or a movie. Children tend to play in Alpha. Low Alpha – just before crossing into Theta – is that state of being “not quite all there” that you experience just before you fall asleep or when you’re just waking up.

Beta Brain waves: Over 12 cycles per second

Beta waves are the awake state, and indicate a strongly engaged mind. Engaged in what is the question. Beta waves can mean a calm conversation where your brainwaves are 14 cycles per second… but beta waves can also mean high beta or gamma waves that result in stress, anxiety, fight or flight reactions or a full blown panic attack.

The Beta state is also where we focus, learn, create, study, memorize, write and change our lives. So, let’s look at beta brainwave patterns a little deeper.

Gamma brain waves are 40-100 cycles per second, and are often lumped in with Beta brain wave patterns. That’s why some researchers refer to beta as 12+ instead of 12-38/40 cycles per second. It’s important to know that no brain wave pattern is “better” than the others. All brain wave patterns are equally important. That said, let’s look at the pros and cons of increasing your Beta brain wave activity.

This is what happens when you increase your beta brainwave activity;

You can think quicker.
When you have ample beta brainwaves, you can think fast, get ideas quickly, and live in a high-state of functioning. Quick thinking and mental processing definitely help in work or school environments.

Feel More Excitement
A feeling of excitement in the pit of your stomach or rush of adrenaline is caused by an increase in the amount of beta brainwaves.

Become More Focused and Goal Oriented
An increase in left-hemisphere brain functioning is associated with goals, goal setting and performance ability.

More Energy and Positivity
If you feel tired and sluggish, increasing your beta brain wave patterns can pump you back up. The left side of your brain is associated with positive thoughts, so when you increase your beta brainwaves, you also increase your levels of positive thinking.

Too much of a good thing?

Yes, it is possible to have too much of a good thing. If you overdo it, you can experience the nightmares that are associated with too much beta.

Anxiety, Stress and Irrational Fears
If you’re experiencing too much beta brain waves, you may experience high levels of anxiety and stress or you find yourself afraid of things that normally would not make you afraid.

Muscle Tension and Muscle or Eye Tics
If you’re experiencing that annoying twitch in an eye or muscle, or you just can’t seem to relax and your muscles are tight as a wire, you’re probably experiencing too much beta brain waves.

Insomnia and Obsessive Behaviors
When you just can’t sleep, and you keep waking up or you can’t fall asleep at all and you’ve counted all the sheep that were ever born or ever will be…. or you’ve checked the door 5 times to be sure it’s locked and you’re counting steps as you walk, or other obsessive behavours – those are signs of Beta overload.

Addiction
It doesn’t matter if you are addicted to the Internet, gambling, or what you’re addicted to. Addictions are often associated with an over abundance of beta. Sometimes the addiction is to a substance that helps you calm down, which is counter productive because that same substance takes you to a state in which you are not functioning at your best. Other times, the addiction is to a substance like cocaine or amphetamines that increase your beta waves. I don’t need to tell you that if you want to live at your most optimum, and achieve the goals you dream of, addiction probably won’t help you get there.

Someone will control your mind. The question is who?

Could you imagine what it would be like if you didn’t have control of your hands or feet? If you feet led you off somewhere that, perhaps, you’d rather not go? If your hands did things while your mind screamed NO!! It’s the same with your mind. Either you choose how it works, or society, past conditioning and the people around you will control it for you.

You get to choose when you need beta for functioning, or when you need to unwind and relax.

Sometimes, you may even want to boost your beta into Gamma Brain Wave Patterns

The first thing to know is that your brain always generates more than one brainwave pattern at a time. You’re seldom in “just” beta, or “just” Alpha, or “just” any one brain wave state. Your brain fluctuates between states, perhaps emitting beta waves and theta waves simultaneously, with one of them being predominant. Incidentally, beta and theta combinations are often found in people who are diagnosed with A.D.H.D.

Gamma is Like The Calm After the Storm

You would think that if high Beta levels create stress, anxiety and panic – then Gamma Brain Wave Patterns, which are even faster, would make you crazy. Not so. Think of Gamma Brain Wave Patterns as the calm after the storm. The second wind that gives you all new energy.

Gamma brain waves have a frequency of 30-70 cycles per second (Hertz) – and their amplitude is so small it’s almost unnoticeable. Think of amplitude so small it’s almost a horizontal line, but not quite. Unlike beta, which predominantly comes from the left side of your brain, gamma waves are found in all parts of the brain. Gamma waves help your brain improve the memory and perception of everything you experience.

Gamma brain wave patterns bind together your sense of smell, touch, sight, taste, and hearing, enhancing the way you experience life. Colors are brighter, scent is more vivid. Gamma lets you live in technicolor.

Gamma Brain Wave Patterns and Information Processing
Gamma is associated with a higher level of information processing, quicker thinking, and enhanced perception of reality. Your brain operates more efficiently at this higher level. People with high amounts of gamma tend to have advanced learning abilities and better retention and memory. People with learning disabilities or learning difficulties tend to have lower amounts of gamma brainwave patterns. In particular, the 40 Hertz Gamma Wave Frequency has been associated with memory and power of recall. Increasing your brainwave pattern to 40 Hertz will help you function more intelligently and retain information better.

Gamma Brain Wave Patterns Are Mother Nature’s Antidepressant
Gamma Brainwave Patterns are a known natural antidepressant. Gamma waves increase our compassion for others, as well as our levels of happiness. People who are diagnosed with depression tend to have significantly lower levels of gamma brain wave patterns than people who are not suffering depression.

Gamma waves are natural antidepressants because your body creates them. When your brain creates Theta waves, it simultaneously creates Gamma waves. When you are sleeping in deep Theta REM sleep, you are creating Gamma. When you are meditating at Theta levels, you are creating Gamma waves.

Using E.E.G. studies, Richard Davidson of the University of Wisconsin Madison found that increased levels of experience with meditation resulted in higher amounts of gamma brain waves. Most people are not able to achieve a pure meditation state, like monks do, and may never feel the joy and wonder of the gamma brain wave state that results from regular deep meditation.

Too Much Gamma Brain Waves?

Gamma is generally not associated with stress or anxiety. However, researchers have found that when a person displays high levels of Gamma in conjunction with high levels of Beta, that usually indicates a high stress or high anxiety person. If you know that you are a high anxiety individual, it is best not to increase your beta and gamma at the same time, or you may feel increased anxiety.

Some people are not prepared for the mental awakening that occurs when you increase your Gamma brain wave patterns. If your life has been relatively unfocused or lacked direction, increasing your Gamma Brain waves rapidly may result in thoughts and a mental awakening that you are not very happy with. It might be best to use Gamma Brain Entrainment slowly or moderately at first.

Perhaps you’d like to know some meditation health benefits?

out of the blue, the fax machine in Richard Davidson’s office at the department of psychology at the University of Wisconsin at Madison spit out a letter from Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama. Davidson, a Harvard-trained neuroscientist, was making a name for himself studying the nature of positive emotion, and word of his accomplishments had made it to northern India. The exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists was writing to offer the minds of his monks – in particular, their meditative prowess – for scientific research.
Excerpt, The New York Times

For 2,500 years, Buddhism has focused on training the mind to understand happiness and defuse negativity for the well being of both people and society. Scientific research has focused on the short term effects of meditation, finding that;

• The brain can be trained to reduce stress
• Meditation can reduce your heart rate and blood pressure.
• Stress reduces immune function, so meditating to reduce stress enhances your immune system

The “Monk experiments” at Madison showed that it is “scientifically respectable” to study the benefits of meditation and brain training on health, and that non-Buddhists can use the power of meditation to reduce stress and the effects of stress.

Electrodes snaked out of her scalp…

”All right, here comes the first picture,” the young woman visibly tensed, gripping her elbows. Electrodes snaked out of her scalp and from two spots just below her right eye. And then, staring into a monitor, the young woman watched as a succession of mostly disturbing images flashed on a screen in front of her — a horribly mutilated body, a severed hand, a venomous snake poised to strike.

The Monks and nearby office workers both viewed the same images. The purpose was to see what each person’s “affective style” was. That means to see how long they hang on to the results of negative affect. Generally, people who meditate recover from negativity faster than those who do not. Which means simply that people who meditate generally recover from negative experiences faster than people who do not meditate.

Since founding the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Kabat-Zinn has published studies showing that;

• People undergoing treatment for psoriasis heal four times as fast if they meditate
• Cancer patients practicing meditation had significantly better emotional outlooks
• Meditation relieved symptoms in patients with anxiety and chronic pain and…
• The benefits persisted up to 4 years after training.

In the years since the “Monk Weekend,” scientific research has shown that meditation can help ease many stress and health problems. A “short list” of meditation health benefits include;

• Decreased respiratory rate.
• Increases blood flow and slows the heart rate.
• Increases exercise tolerance in heart patients.
• Leads to a deeper level of relaxation.
• Can bring high blood pressure back to or closer to normal.
• Reduces anxiety attacks by lowering the levels of blood lactate.
• Decreases muscle tension
• Decreases headaches.
• Increases serotonin production which influences mood and behaviour. Low serotonin is associated with depression, obesity, insomnia and headaches.
• Helps in chronic diseases like allergies , arthritis etc.
• Reduces Pre- menstrual Syndrome.
• Helps in post-operative healing.
• Enhances the immune system by increasing ‘natural-killer cells’ that kill bacteria and cancer cells.
• Reduces activity of viruses
• Reduces emotional distress.

But, what if you’ve tried meditating and you can’t silence the mental chatter? Learn

•  How To Improve Concentration
• How to Improve Focus
• Learn Meditation
]]> http://betabrainwave.com/meditation-health-benefits/meditation-health-benefits.html/feed 1 http://betabrainwave.com/how-to-improve-concentration/how-to-improve-concentration.html http://betabrainwave.com/how-to-improve-concentration/how-to-improve-concentration.html#comments Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:10:46 +0000 admin http://betabrainwave.com/how-to-improve-concentration/how-to-improve-concentration.html Have you ever tried reading, and find that you keep reading the same line over and over again, or find yourself staring at the page, absorbing nothing? It’s frustrating, and can make studying, reading or working a challenge. We all have the ability to concentrate at least some of the time. Other times, our mind races from one topic to the next and concentration is difficult to achieve or maintain for any length of time.

The ability to focus and concentrate are among the most important components of our mental life and cognitive performance skills.

Our ability to concentrate is influenced by;

• Commitment to the task at hand
• Enthusiasm for the task at hand
• Skill at doing the task
• Our emotional state
• Our physical state
• Our psychological state
• Our environment

Improving any of those can help improve concentration. It is difficult to concentrate if you have distractions, if you are too tired to concentrate, believe you can’t concentrate, or are stressed about something else. Even the slightest change in our state can help improve concentration.

If you struggle with lack of concentration, the first thing you must do to develop stronger concentration skills is to remove any distractions from the area. Turn off your phone. Close the door. Then, set short periods of time, beginning with only a few minutes, and reward yourself with a small break each time you achieve your concentration goal. Gradually increase the amount of time that you spend concentrating on a task until you develop the habit of concentration.

Association also assists with development of concentration skills. For example, if you sharpen a pencil or move an object to a specific place right before you start to concentrate, your mind will associate that action with the beginning of concentration.

How To Improve Concentration with Beta Waves

It is also important to know that individuals with poor concentration often lack sufficient levels of Beta1 brain waves to sustain concentrated attention. The Beta1 band of brain waves is also known as SMR – short for sensory motor rhythms.

Research by Dr. Joel F. Lubar indicates that Biofeedback (Neurofeedback) brain entrainment is successful in children, adolescents, and adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. His application of Neurofeedback (brain entrainment) is now becoming widespread in clinics and schools throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Israel, Europe and Mexico. The treatment sessions include increasing SMR and decreasing Theta waves to enhance the ability to concentrate.

If you struggle with concentration, why not try our free Beta Brainwave sample?

]]> http://betabrainwave.com/how-to-improve-concentration/how-to-improve-concentration.html/feed 1 http://betabrainwave.com/meditation/how-to-improve-focus.html http://betabrainwave.com/meditation/how-to-improve-focus.html#comments Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:09:31 +0000 admin http://betabrainwave.com/?p=24 With constant commmunication lines open through phone, fax, email, instant messaging, cell phones, and more, many people find it difficult to stay focused. Lack of focus can make work difficult at best, and unproductive and frustrating at worst.

Focus and concentration are closely related. Your focus is the object of your attention. Concentration is when you expend all your effort, faculties and action on that one thing.

For example; You are trying to write a report, but you keep getting interrupted by people or your phone. Each time a disruption is handled, you return to the report. Your focus is on the report, but distractions are preventing you from concentrating. Or perhaps it’s something stressful on your mind that’s preventing concentration. You work on the report, and find youself thinking about the stress, and force yourself back to the task, only to find your mind wandering back to the stress again. That’s a lack of concentration.

Lack of focus is when you can’t even make one thing the object of your attention in the first place. You start writing that report, but the phone rings. You hang up the phone and start another task, only to be interrupted by someone asking about yet another task. So you set aside the second task to work on the third task. Hours later, you realize you meant to work on that report, but forgot about it as other tasks came along. That’s a lack of focus.

To train your mind to focus on a task more efficiently, it is helpful to set time logs. Tell yourself that you will focus on one task for a specific amount of time, and ignore all distractions during that time. Gradually increase the amount of time that you spend focusing on one task or topic, always rewarding yourself with a small break or with points that can be redeemed towards a bigger reward. For example, give yourself 10 points for every 10 minutes spent focused on one task. 60 points gives you a coffee break or some other small and relaxing reward.

How To Improve Concentration with Beta Waves

People who struggle with focus often lack sufficient levels of Beta brain waves, specifically the SMR band of beta brainwaves. Listening to brainwave entrainment music can also help strengthen your ability to focus as well as concentrate.

If you are struggling with focus or concentration, why not learn meditation?

]]> http://betabrainwave.com/meditation/how-to-improve-focus.html/feed 2 http://betabrainwave.com/meditation/learn-meditation.html http://betabrainwave.com/meditation/learn-meditation.html#comments Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:02:31 +0000 admin http://betabrainwave.com/?p=18

To learn meditation is not difficult.

You sit down in a quiet place for 10 – 40 minutes and focus on your breathing, a sound, chant or mantra. Whether you use a mantra or chant or not is entirely up to you and what you’re comfortable with.

What is a mantra?
The Sanskrit word mantra comes from the root “man” – which means “to think” (or, in manas “mind”) and the suffix “tra” – which means “tool.” Literally, a “mantra” means an “instrument of thought”.

When you repeat a sound, such as OM (rhymes with home) or Ara Kara (AH-ruh KAH-ruh) there is a vibration that you will feel from the sound if you say it out loud. However, mantras are said to be effective whether you say them out loud (soft verbal chanting) or whether you repeat them mentally, silently in your mind. That’s the simple part.

When You Learn Meditation, Quieting the Mind is More Difficult Than Quieting the Body

If you’ve tried meditating, you know what often happens. You turn off the phone. Dim the lights. Perhaps you light a scented candle or incense if you find scent to be calming. For the first few minutes, all goes well. Then the mind chatter starts. And your foot goes numb. And your arm gets itchy. So now you’re squirming and wondering how long it’s been. Ooops. You start the chant again. Quieting your body is easy. Quieting the mind is not quite as easy. That’s the hard part of trying to learn meditation.

Meditation Tips

There are so many benefits to learning meditation that it’s worth your while to persist. These tips will help you learn meditation successfully;

• Don’t meditate on a full stomach. Wait an hour or two after eating before meditating.
• Don’t meditate with candy or food in your mouth.
• Choose an uncluttered room or area for meditation. Your surroundings affect your state of mind.
• Turn off the phone and eliminate any potential distractions
• Dim the lights if possible.
• If you find scent to be relaxing, light a scented candle or incense.
• Learn gradually. Start with 10-15 minute sessions and work up to longer sessions over time.

Meditation Music & Brain Entrainment

Many people find that meditation music helps clear the mind. Gentle tracks without lyrics, such as nature sounds or music specifically for meditation can help you train your brain to relax.

In addition to relaxation meditation, there are audio tracks that will help you entrain your mind to achieve different responses from deep relaxation to improved concentration, and intense focus. It’s as simple as putting on your headphones.

Why not try our free Beta Brain Wave sample?

]]> http://betabrainwave.com/meditation/learn-meditation.html/feed 2 http://betabrainwave.com/meditation/beta-brain-waves.html http://betabrainwave.com/meditation/beta-brain-waves.html#comments Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:37:33 +0000 admin http://betabrainwave.com/?p=3 When you have ample beta brainwaves, you think fast, get ideas quickly, and live in a state of efficient mental processing. An increase in beta brain waves is associated with goal setting and performance ability.

You’ll have more energy and more positivity. Increasing your beta brain wave patterns can pump you up. If you struggle to focus, concentrate, stay on task or keep your attention on your goals, why not try a beta boost?

We spend most of our waking hours in beta. Why not train your brain to respond the way you want, when you want it. All you need is a set of headphones. Brain training doesn’t get much easier than that. You’ll get all five of the following recordings;

You get…

Attention & Focus Use this session with your eyes open while studying, reading or working. This is a low beta/SMR session with isochronic beats at 12 Hz – 14 Hz, designed to facilitate attention and focus while you are studying or working. Be sure to adjust the volume to a lower level than usual so it can do it’s work quietly in the background. We recommend that you do not use this for more than an hour at a time, and take at least an hour break between uses.

Motivation and Energy This recording features isochronic brain beats at 15 Hz – 18 Hz, recorded under the sound of a bubbling spring. This is a stimulating beta session created to provide a boost of energy and motivation before you start a task or project that will call for plenty of motivation or mental energy. We recommend that you do not listen to this soundtrack in the evening because the stimulation can interefere with your ability to sleep.

Study & Concentration In a 1999 study, Thomas Budzynski, Ph.D worked with 8 struggling college students. After brainwave stimulation, the students significantly increased their GPA, and it continued to rise after the treatment was discontinued. Based in that study, this recording uses fluctuating beats of 14 Hz – 22 Hz to help you focus and learn better. The question is not whether you can learn new skills. The only question is what new skill do you want to learn better?

Gamma Session This recording is based on a cognition study, by Dr. Ruth Olmstead, demonstrating an increase in cognitive skills such as working memory, visual-motor coordination, response inhibition, planning, processing, freedom from distractability and processing speed. This stimulating session uses gamma waves of 14-40 Hz, useful for fatigue, depression, energy, attention and cognition. Recommended use: once/week.

Extreme Focus This recording was created based in the ADD research by psychologist Michael Joyce and David Siever, indicating that extreme focus can be achieved by stimulating SMR in the right brain hemisphere and Beta in the left. This recording uses binaural beats of 12-20 Hz, recorded with overlying underwater sounds. It is ideal to help focus and sharpen your mind before you begin a mentally strenuous task.

Beta Brain Wave Sharpen Your Mind 7 Day Meditation Program Simple, step by step instructions to use the recordings in this package to sharpen your mind and improve your focus, concentration and cognitive working skills. You’ll never have to wonder when to use which recording, or how to get the most from the package. We’ve laid it all out for you in a simple and easy to follow calendar. Includes instructions to get the most from each individual recording, plus a 7 day calendar that you can print out to use again and again – anytime you like.

[buy button here]

]]> http://betabrainwave.com/meditation/beta-brain-waves.html/feed 1 http://betabrainwave.com/meditation/download-free-binaural.html http://betabrainwave.com/meditation/download-free-binaural.html#comments Tue, 17 Feb 2009 14:50:24 +0000 admin http://betabrainwave.com/?p=1 This is where the free download will go
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