Binaural beats- Entrain your brain and see the powers you gain!

Binaural beats - Entrain your brain and see the powers you gain!

There are many spiritual approaches nowadays that talk about spiritual awakening and enlightenment. There are several tools to enhance such process and boost our abilities, one of those tools are the Binaural Beats.

While it may be easy to dismiss binaural beats as the next wellness gimmick currently enjoying its short period of fame, there’s some science behind these sounds.

Binaural beats are a frequency wave which stimulates and changes our brain state. This can help to relax, think better, sleep better, increase focus and concentration, have lucid dreams or Out of Body Experiences! and MUCH more- dependent on the beat frequency and the quality of the audio inducing the binaural beat of course. Here we present everything you need to know about it.

What are the binaural beats?

When you listen to a sound with a certain frequency, your brain waves will synchronize with that frequency. But what happens when each of your ears hear a sound with slightly different frequency? Your brain will receive both frequencies, process it and “produce” a perception of a single tone, equal to the gap between the two frequencies, and related to one of the brain natural states.

Let’s have an example.

The picture presents a situation in which the right ear of the person receives a sound with a frequency 209 Hz, while his left ear receives a sound with a frequency 205 Hz. Each sound travels separately to the inferior colliculus of this person brain, the part of the brain that gathers auditory input. There the sounds processed and “united” together into a “beat” at a new frequency of 4 Hz which is, in this case, within the Theta brainwaves frequencies zone.

This is the binaural beat. “Binaural” means “relating to both ears.”

A bit of history:

Heinrich Wilhelm Dove was a meteorologist who had launch the science of global climate study. But today, his work is mostly mentioned with regards to his side discovery which was made by incidence.

In 1839, when Dove was around 35 years old and teaching in a secondary school, he noticed an interesting phenomenon. He put a subject in a room. On one side of the room he placed a tuning fork, with a listening tube that ran from the fork to the subject’s ear. On the other side of the room he placed another tuning fork, and another tube, running up to the subject’s other ear. The two forks didn’t quite vibrate at the same frequency. He discovered that the subject could hear the difference, but they could hear it as a combined sound—one slow beat, now known as a binaural beat.

Binaural beats were just a curiosity until the 1970s, when Dr. Gerald Oster noticed that people varied in sensitivity to binaural beats and that people with some neurological conditions couldn’t hear them. Dr. Oster asked himself whether this could be a diagnostic tool? And the rest is history. Heinrich Dove found the ultimate trend in new age medicine, 150 years before its time.

So, how does it work?

Once binaural beats introduce a new frequency to the brain, the brain waves feel compelled to sync to it, effectively launching into a different “brain state.” It’s like if you constantly dripped something into a pool of water. Eventually, the ripples would take over the entire pool, even though the actual drip is tiny compared to the pool. The use of binaural beats in this way is sometimes called brainwave entrainment technology.

Our brain has five main types of brainwave frequencies, generally divided into low, medium and high (as can be seen in the following picture):

Binaural beats designed to move you into ANY of those states.

Recently, a sixth type was found by the consciousness researcher Dr. Jeffrey Thompson. He later decided to call one of these uncommon states of consciousness he discovered, Epsilon, a brainwave pattern even slower than Delta, with a frequency below 0.5 Hz. This is the state achieved during a deep meditation by the yogi’s when they achieve “suspended consciousness”. Dr. Thompson also discovered properties of this pattern that led him to believe it to be a carrier wave for the ultra-fast brainwave patterns he observed in other expert meditators, patterns as fast as 200 Hz or more.

Brainwaves and binaural beats:

Based on the different brain states, there are several types of binaural beats, all of which serve a different purpose. While the length of listening will be different for everyone, so will the type of binaural beats you’ll chose to listen to. In order to choose the most suitable binaural beat, you’ll need to decide which state you desire.

Each specific binaural beat audio track will list the frequencies and the purpose of that specific track, and usually there will be a combination of frequencies from several types and background tones that will support the required state, but in general, following are the different binaural beats uses based on the brainwaves frequencies ranges:

Scientific proof:

There is a growing number of studies performed with binaural beats, which for itself may indicate that there is “something” interesting with those beats. Several studies have provided evidence that this auditory illusion does indeed have health benefits, especially related to anxiety, pain relief, mood, meditation and performance and more.

Recent meta-analysis based on 22 studies have shown that binaural-beat exposure is an effective way to affect cognition for reducing anxiety levels and the perception of pain without prior training, and that the direction and the magnitude of the effect depends upon the frequency used, time under exposure, and the moment in which the exposure takes place (before or during the task).

How to use the binaural beats?

Binaural beats are considered auditory illusions.

According to a 2015 literature review, for a binaural beat to work, the two tones have to have frequencies less than 1000 Hz, and the difference between the two tones can’t be more than 30 Hz.

The tones have to be listened to separately, one through each ear, therefore stereo headphones are a must.

For best results the following are suggested, based on personal experience:

The right headphones– this is the most important factor so choose wisely. Good stereo headphones that ideally can cancel outside noise are the best choice. Since some of the beats are used for better sleep and therefore need to be heard during the sleeping process, it is suggested to try the Sleep Phones (there are additional types, but I have found those the most comfortable), as it is very uncomfortable to sleep with a bulky headphones, although you can try 😊
The right track – you should consider the purpose and the quality of the binaural beats as it will influence which provider you go with, and what package you choose.

The purpose of the different binaural beats is discussed in general above, and you can also check the description of the track that you are considering.

The quality of the available binaural beats varies very much. There are many “home” producers and therefore you have to trust reviews and more than anything else, do your research. You can try the free tracks available on YouTube, but don’t rely on them. Search for reviews of the specific binaural beats companies you’re looking at, and then make a decision.

There are lots of big names, here are some that have been around for a while and have lots of reviews behind them:

Binaural Beats Meditation
Ennora
Holosync
HemiSync– My favorite based on personal experience. Those are not just binaural beats but complex, multi-layered audio signals which result in hemispheric synchronization, a focused, whole – brain state. This is essentially how binaural beats work in general, but the difference with these ones is that they’re able to MATCH UP the two halves of your brain like nothing else, meaning your state of focus (or any other state you seek) is greater than if you’d just listened to standard binaural beats.

With the benefits achieved by using the binaural beats (as described below)- it is worth the investment.

In order for you to record your experiences with the different tones more efficiently, you can find here a tracking chart that we have prepared for your convenience especially for this task 😊

Patience– It’s very important! Some parameters need to be adjusted personally like volume, listening time and the most appropriate track, so it is important to be patient while adjusting those. Stay positive about it- the benefit is great, if you persist!
The right place– Find a comfortable place free of distractions. Simply listen to the binaural beat audio for at least 30 minutes each day. Make sure you are comfortable, otherwise this will distract you from the effects of the beats. Wireless headphones can help if you are using the beats for waking hours activity, while sleep headphones can help in case of listening during sleep.
The right length– You can experiment with the length of time you listen to the binaural beats to find out what works for you. The length of the track will vary from one activity to another. For example, the length of the binaural track for power nap may last for 20 min to half an hour, but a track for a lucid dream may last for any duration between 1 hour and 4 hours.
The right time– that is very dependent on the effect you want to achieve, with the time you are performing the desired activity being the best time to listen to the supporting binaural beat track. You can do them right before sleep, or right upon awakening. Listening during meditation or visualization exercises will help to improve and deepen your practice. If you feel a little blue or you need a break from the daily routine, you can put a track and unplug completely. When you return to whatever you were doing, you will find that you are more refreshed and ready to take on whatever is before you. You can indeed listen to binaural beats/brainwave entrainment while you sleep (with the appropriate headphones as discussed above). Helping repair disrupted sleep patterns is a great use of brain wave entrainment, as well as to achieve lucid dreaming. These beats take you from awaken state to the state of drowsiness and they continue playing for a certain (fixed) duration of time even after you are deep asleep.

The right volume– the volume should match the activity and it should never be too loud, as at the long run it can damage the hearing as any loud noise. Make sure you can hear the pulsing vibration of the beat and then leave it at that right from the start, otherwise you will be used to it and will not realize even if it is too loud. You will get the effect even if playing the beats at a fairly low volume.
Possible accessories– visual stimulation combined with binaural beats (using mind machines, for example) creates a VERY powerful effect and can almost instantly put you into a trance state.

Benefits and precautions:

You may ask yourself why bother using the binaural dreams? Well, the first and the most profound reason is that you will get to the results much faster and easier simply by getting into the state you’d otherwise try desperately to get into.

You will also get (depends on the beats you are using):

Increased cognitive function
Better and more relaxing sleep
Deeper meditation and relaxation
Increased mindfulness and positivity
Improved physical body healing
Lower stress and anxiety levels
Higher spiritual consciousness and ability to lucid dream and to explore out of body!

There are no known side effects to listening to binaural beats, but remember to adjust the correct volume as described above in order to avoid hearing damage due to loud sounds over time.

Binaural beats are safe for most individuals to enjoy. However, there are some people who really shouldn’t listen to them, including people with the following conditions:

People who suffer from seizures, because it can increase the probability of having a seizure, due to brain wave change.
People with heart conditions or who have a pacemaker. Brain waves are responsible for heart rhythms, and any change to heart rhythms can potentially cause a serious condition or situation.
People who are taking tranquilizers, or who suffer from mental or psychological disorders. Binaural beats can affect a person’s personality by way of changing up the brain waves, so people who suffer from schizophrenia or any personality disorder are cautioned not to use the beats without the approval of a health care professional.
Children – children who have listened to binaural beats have a higher risk of developing seizures or a seizure disorder, due to the immaturity of the brain.
Pregnant women are cautioned not to listen to brain wave entrainment since this can stimulate labor.
People who are working, driving or operating heavy or large machinery are advised never to listen to binaural beats, as it can put them into a trance-like state and can risk their own personal safety, as well as the safety of those around them.

Listening to binaural beats is not something to be feared, however. In most situations, listening is safe and very enjoyable.

And in order to ease your binaural beats experience recordings, we have prepared a tracking booklet especially for you! You can find it here.