| The
Science Behind Mind Stereo
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Brainwave
Overview |
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What are Brainwaves?
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Your brain is made
up of billions of brain cells called neurons,
which use electricity to communicate with each
other. The combination of millions of neurons
sending signals at once produces an enormous
amount of electrical activity in the brain, which
can be detected using sensitive medical equipment
(such as an EEG), measuring electricity levels
over areas of the scalp.
The combination of electrical
activity in the brain is commonly called a
BrainWave pattern, because of its cyclic, "wave-like" nature.
Below is one of the first recordings
of brain activity.
Here is a more modern EEG recording:
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The Significance
of Brainwaves
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With the discovery of brainwaves
came the discovery that electrical activity
in the brain will change depending on what
the person is doing. For instance, the brainwaves
of a sleeping person are vastly different
than the brainwaves of someone wide awake.
Over the years, more sensitive equipment
has brought us closer to figuring out exactly
what brainwaves represent and with that,
what they mean about a person's health and
state of mind.
You can tell a lot about a
person simply by observing their brainwave
patterns. For example, anxious people tend
to produce an overabundance of high Beta
waves while people with depression tend to
produce an overabundance of slower Alpha/Theta
brainwaves.
Researchers have found that
not only are brainwaves representative of
of mental state, but they can be stimulated
to change a person's mental state,
and even help treat a variety of mental disorders.
Certain Brainwave patterns can even be
used to access exotic or extraordinary experiences
such as "lucid dreaming" or ultra-realistic
visualization.
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Brainwave
Entrainment (BWE) |
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Stimulating
brainwaves with sound and light: What
is Brainwave Entrainment?
Mind Stereo uses Audio and Visual impulse
patterns to stimulate the brain through a process known
as Brainwave Entrainment (or BWE).
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Brainwave Entrainment refers
to the brain's electrical response to rhythmic
sensory stimulation, such as pulses of sound
or light.
When the brain is given a stimulus,
through the ears, eyes or other senses, it
emits an electrical charge in response, called
a Cortical Evoked Response (shown
below). These electrical responses travel throughout
the brain to become what you see and
hear.
When the brain is
presented with a rhythmic stimulus, such as
a drum beat for example, the rhythm is reproduced
in the brain in the form of these electrical
impulses. If the rhythm becomes fast and consistent
enough, it can start to resemble the natural
internal rhythms of the brain, called brainwaves.
When this happens, the brain responds by synchronizing
its own electric cycles to the same rhythm.
This is commonly called the Frequency Following
Response (or FFR):
FFR can be useful because brainwaves
are very much related to mental state. For
example, a 4 Hz brainwave is associated with
sleep, so a 4 Hz sound pattern would help reproduce
the sleep state in your brain. The same concept
can be applied to nearly all mental states,
including concentration, creativity and many
others. It can even act as a gateway to exotic
or extraordinary experiences, such as deep
meditation or "lucid dreaming" type
states.
If you listen closely to sound
played through Mind Stereo, you will hear small,
rapid pulses of sound. If you look at the visualization
screen you will see subtle pulses of light.
As time progresses, the frequency rate of these
pulses is changed slowly, thereby changing
your brainwave patterns and guiding your mind
to various useful mental states.
Brainwave Entrainment has over
70 years of solid research behind it. See a Short
History Of Brainwave Entrainment. |
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Mind
Stereo's BWE |
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Mind Stereo embeds entrainment into
audio and visuals in a number of ways:
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Sound Modulation
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Mind Stereo embeds brainwave entraining
frequencies into the sound files or net radio stations
in your Playlist. Instead of just masking tones like
most companies, Mind Stereo actually alteres the audio
to form neural patterns, using the
existing
sound
as the "carrier wave".
The entraining modulations
may be barely noticeable to the listener(s) while,
subconsciously, dramatically altering their brainwave
patterns.
One unique feature of Mind Stereo is
called Pitch Modulation Panning. This filter
modulates the pitch of the left and right side so that
when the two sides are combined in the brain, they
form the beat we call a Binaural Beat. This unique
feature allows you to experience actual binaural beats
using carriers as complex as a symphony.
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Tones, Binaural Beats
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Binaural beats and tones pulses are undeniably
the most widespread and popular method of stimulating
the brain via brainwave entrainment. Over the last
30 years, embedding binaural beats underneath music
has become a very popular technique, used in thousands
of CDs around the world. Additionally, Mind Stereo supports the
embedding of Monaural Beats and the very powerful Isochronic
Tone method. While not as subtle as binaural beats,
these methods are far more effective from a neurological
perspective.
In Mind Stereo, you don't need to use
tones to stimulate the brain - in fact, the Pitch
Modulation Panning feature (explained above)
can actually create binaural beats in any song added
to
your playlist, using the song as the carrier.
However, the option to generate binaural beats or tones
is available if you choose to use it, and a number
of binaural beat sessions are included.
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Brain-Enhanced
Visual Plugins
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 People have been using light to affect
the brain almost as long as they have been using drums
to enter altered states of consciousness. Ptolemy noted
that when looking at the sun through the spokes of
a spinning wheel, a feeling of euphoria would take
over. Shamans would have their subjects walk single-file
past a fire, obscuring the light in a rhythmic fashion.
In WWII, many people noticed that those who monitored
the radar frequently entered altered mental states
because of the rhythmic pulses of light coming from
the screen.
Mind Stereo allows you to use your computer
screen as a powerful brainwave entrainment device.
Visual plugins in MS are embedded with flashes of light,
precisely timed according to the target brainwave.
You will quickly find your mental state changing after
only minutes of using this technology.
Mind Stereo supports a popular visual
plugin format, giving you access to a large number
of user-created plugins, many of which are mesmerizing
and hypnotic even without brainwave stimulation!
Use with Eyes Open!
Most devices that use light to entrain
the brain require that the user close his or her eyes,
relying on the thinness of the eyelids to let sufficient
light in to entrain the brain, without suffering the
irritation of flashing light. However, Mind Stereo
is different. We have designed the photic stimulation
capabilities to be easy on the eyes, and comfortable
to experience fully with eyes open. You can even use
this with relaxation sessions. If you start to feel
tired, allow your eyes to close naturally. The audio
component of the BWE session will then take over and
relax you even further.
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AudioStrobe (LED Glasses)
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 LED
glasses are a powerful and effective way to entrain
the brain. Like the light pulses embedded
into visual plugins, AudioStrobe uses light to entrain
the brain. LEDs are mounted onto glasses and positioned
an inch or two away from the eyelids. The lights
are then flashed according to the target brainwave
frequency.
Most mind machines today
are AudioStrobe compatible, meaning their glasses
can be controlled and synchronized using AudioStrobe
signals. If you own or plan on buying an AudioStrobe-compatible
device, Mind Stereo will be able to communicate with,
and control the LED lights. You can synchronize the
audio and visual impulses to create stronger entrainment,
or control the LEDs independently, creating a mental
light show for yourself. This can be particularly
enjoyable using musical selections where you can synchronize
the light with the tempo of the music. |
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Can
Mind Stereo be used without headphones?
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Many entrainment techniques used in Mind
Stereo are revolutionary in that they do not
require headphones or even stereo speakers. Veterans
of brainwave entrainment may find this strange, since
headphones are traditionally part of the brainwave
entrainment experience. The reality of the matter is
that headphones have never been required for use with
anything except Binaural beats, which present a slightly
different tone to each ear and thus require stereo
separation. Monaural beats, for example, do
not require such separation and can be used very effectively
without
headphones. So can modulations, pulses, clicks and
light stimulation. Any repeating stimulus can entrain
the brain, with or without headphones.
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More
Brainwave Info |
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Brainwave Bands
There are certain bands (subcategories)
of brainwaves that are related to specific functions
of the body and mind. Brainwave
stimulation can be a very effective treatment for many
types of mental and physical disorders. It can also
be a gateway into exotic or extraordinary mental states.
Dominant Brainwaves
The brain is constantly emitting nearly
every type of brainwave. However, based on the strength
of the certain bands of brainwaves, and depending on
where the EEG electrodes are placed on the scalp, a
person can be said to be "in" a certain brainwave.
As you are reading this, you are (assumedly) wide awake
and are most likely producing more Beta brainwaves
than any other type. So you could be said to be "in" Beta.
Mental States
By stimulating the brain to produce or
decrease certain brainwaves bands, we can induce a
huge variety of mental states and emotional reactions,
including meditation, excitation, motivation, anxiety,
irritation, sexual excitement, relaxation, spiritualism
and more.
For instance, if we were to embed Alpha
waves into music, listening to it would be very relaxing,
even causing your body to physically relax. If we embedded
Theta waves into music, people might even fall asleep!
Specific Brainwave Frequencies
In addition to bands of brainwaves, very
specific frequencies have been shown to have certain
effects, such as stimulating the release Serotonin
or human growth hormone (HGH).
Brainwaves Types
Wave
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Frequency
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Mental
State / Sub-Categories (bands)
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| Beta |
12hz -
38hz |
Wide
awake. This is the state you are normally in
from the moment you wake up to the time you go
to sleep at night. Usually, this state in itself
is uneventful, but don't underestimate its importance.
Entraining SMR and Beta 1 in particular can be
extremely beneficial to people with mental or
emotional disorders such as insomnia, depression
or ADD. This band can also be used for increasing
focus or even IQ!
- SMR (sensorimotor rhythm)
(12 - 15Hz): Related to body motion. Increasing
this can result in relaxed focus, improved
attentive abilities. Generally a good thing
to increase.
- Beta 1 (15 - 20 Hz) - Can
increase mental abilities, IQ, focus
- Beta 2 (20 - 38Hz) - Highly
alert, but also anxious
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| Alpha |
8hz - 12hz |
Awake but relaxed
and not processing much information. When you
get up in the morning and just before sleep,
you are naturally in this state. When you close
your eyes your brain automatically starts producing
more Alpha waves.
Alpha is usually the goal of
experienced meditators, but to enter it using
this program is incredibly easy. You can also
use this state for effective self-hypnosis
and mental re-programming.
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| Theta |
3hz - 8hz |
Light sleep or extreme
relaxation. Lucid dreaming and Out of body experiences
can also occur at this state. Other anomalous
and
often
spiritual experiences have been reported while
in or very near the Theta state.
Theta can also be used for hypnosis,
accelerated learning and mental programming
(using pre-recorded suggestions).
- Theta 1 - (3 - 5 Hz) The suppression of
this band can improve concentration, attention
and reduce hyperactivity.
- Theta 2 - (5 - 8 Hz) Very
relaxed and dreamful sleep. Life-Transforming,
paranormal, and spiritual experiences are
most common at this band.
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| Delta |
0.2hz -
3hz |
Deep, dreamless sleep.
Delta is the slowest band of brainwaves. When your
dominant brainwave is Delta, your body is healing
itself and "resetting" its internal clocks.
You do not dream in this state and are completely
unconscious. |
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Further Reading
Bermer,
F. "Cerebral and cerebellar potentials." Physiological
Review, 38, 357-388.
Chatrian,
G., Petersen, M., Lazarte, J. "Responses to Clicks
from the Human Brain: Some Depth Electrographic Observation." Electroencephalography
and Clinical Neurophysiology, 12: 479-487
Gontgovsky,
S., Montgomery, D. "The Physiological Response
to "Beta Sweep" Entrainment." Proceedings AAPB
Thirteenth Anniversary Annual Meeting, 62-65.
Oster,
G. "Auditory beats in the brain." Scientific
American, 229, 94-102.
Shealy,
N., Cady, R., Cox, R., Liss, S., Clossen, W., Veehoff, D. "A
Comparison of Depths of Relaxation Produced by Various Techniques
and Neurotransmitters by Brainwave Entrainment" - Shealy
and Forest Institute of Professional Psychology A study done
for Comprehensive Health Care, Unpublished.
Siever,
D. "Isochronic Tones and Brainwave Entrainment." Unpublished,
but available through his book the Rediscovery of Audio-Visual
Entrainment.
Walter,
V. J. & Walter, W. G. "The central effects
of rhythmic sensory stimulation." Electroencephalography
and Clinical Neurophysiology, 1, 57-86.
See References for
more.
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