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Brainwaves
Frequencies and their characteristics
| Name |
Frequency range |
Usually associated with: |
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Gamma waves |
30 to 70 Hz |
Processing
of various attended stimuli (visual, auditory, touch) and the grouping
of the various features of a given stimulus, particularly visual, into a
coherent whole.
Important points
about Gamma Waves :
(1) There is no
such thing as a “gamma state” of mind. Gamma waves largely play a
supporting – though integral- role in the brain. From an EEG point of
view, they will be present mostly while a subject is awake, but they
will always be supported by other waves in the beta, alpha, theta, or
delta ranges.
2) They have been noted during Buddhist meditation of compassion & music
listening experiments.
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Beta waves |
13 to 30 Hz
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Associated with
attentiveness, selective attention, concentration & anticipation.
They have
been related to
concentrated mental activity such as solving
math problems, anxiety, and apprehension.
Important points
about Beta Waves
: (1) These are the waves
of alertness, wakeful state. Most common and most prevalent in the
brain. If you are alert and awake, you are in Beta now.
(2) In meditation, beta waves have been noticed only in very experienced
practitioners that too in a state of ecstasy and concentration.
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Alpha waves |
7 to 13 Hz
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Associated with relaxed
wakefulness, and creative thought where attention may wander and free
association is favored. They are also correlated with a generally
tranquil, pleasant, almost floating feeling.
Important points about Alpha Waves :
(1)
Considered as the brainwaves of meditation. Most prominent during
meditation.
(2)
Considered as an integral part of the relaxation process before sleep.
The alpha frequency band has been studied extensively in meditations of
various kinds (like Zen, TM etc) and in almost all cases an increase in
the alpha waves has been noted during meditation.
(3) Use
of Cannabis (marijuana) has also been linked to an increase in alpha
waves in brain. That's why many people love the high they got from using
drugs.
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Theta waves |
4 to 7 Hz |
Associated with
Dreams,
deep meditation, hypnosis and, sleep, meditation, and hypnosis. Seemed
to be involved with
short-term memory. It is a state of somnolence with reduced
consciousness. The theta-state is described by sleep researchers as
stage 1 sleep or the twilight state. In this states subjects pass out of
the alert alpha-state into a theta-state in which they lose their sense
of lying in bed, though still being awake.
Important points
about Theta Waves :
(1) Subjects
can be easily awoken from this stage of sleep, and it has many
interesting properties. For a brief time as we lie in bed at night,
neither fully awake nor yet asleep, we pass through a twilight mental
zone like a state of reverie. Many people associate this drowsy stage
with hallucinatory images, more fleeting and disjointed than dreams, and
compare it to the viewing of a speeded-up, jerky series of photographic
slides. A host of artists and scientists have credited the imagery of
this twilight state with creative solutions and inspiration for their
work.
(2)
This theta stage is also observed in people under hypnosis.
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Delta waves |
1 to 4 Hz |
Associated with deep
dreamless sleep. Consistently observed in deep sleep. The deeper the
sleep, the higher is the amount of delta waves.
Important
points about Delta Waves :
(1) Meditative states associated with
the increased presence of delta waves seem to occur mostly in very
experienced practitioners, possibly because entering a delta state and
maintaining consciousness at the same time is tremendously difficult.
(2) Also related wit the state of Samadhi, the deepest state in
meditation as appeared in ancient Indian Yoga text. |
All the above
mentioned five brainwave frequencies are normally present together in
the brain. However, the dominant frequency in the EEG pattern determines
what shall be called the current state of the brain. If the amplitude of
the alpha range frequencies is highest, then the brain is said to be in
the alpha stage. Note, that other frequencies still exist and it is
impossible to give any "exact frequency your brain is operating on."
However, for simplification purpose, it is often assumed that such a
single frequency exists.
In general, we are accustomed to using the beta brain rhythm. When we
diminish the brain rhythm to alpha, we put ourselves in the ideal
condition to learn new information, keep facts, perform elaborate tasks,
learn languages and analyze complex situations etc. Meditation, relaxation
exercises, and activities that enable the sense of calm, also enable
this alpha state.
As is evident from the above table,
these 5 brainwaves produce different
type of feelings and state of consciousness in people. A person, who is
in meditation, can have any experience related to alpha, theta or delta
brainwaves. From this we can draw a very interesting corollary.
When a person meditates, he finds himself in a relaxed and clam state.
On a brainwave level he reaches alpha state of consciousness. As the
meditation deepens he finds himself more calm and focused and his
brainwave levels reaches to theta (and finally to delta) state.
So if a person is not able to meditate owing to some reasons, can't we
induce some extra stimulus in his brain to make him reach an alpha or
theta level? If we can do this by using some method, we will be able to
make that person calm and serene by altering his brainwave level to an
alpha, theta or delta level. This way the person will experience the
same kind of feelings as he would do on meditating in a traditional way.
This in one way means, an end to the meditation ritual. An end to our
vows of not finding enough time for meditation or our inability to
maintain a regular meditation routine. Extending the same corollary, the
similar effect of a hypnotic state, deep sleep, relaxation etc can also
be produced using external stimulus.
So is it possible to bypass meditation altogether and adopt a quick and
fast way to achieve a desired brainwave ?
Well the answer is yes and no.
Yes. It is possible to bypass meditation and use an automatic tool to
achieve a meditative state. In is very much possible to achieve a Non
Ordinary State of Consciousness (NOSC) using the methods you will learn
in this section.
However, having said that, I also want to clarify that on the basis of
my long experience as a practitioner of traditional meditation
techniques, I can say with full confidence that no machine, no matter
how much powerful or fast it is, can ever make the traditional methods
of meditation needless. The human brain is one of the most complicated
and mysterious things in the world. We have just explored a very little
of our brain. Still we are far from understanding the functioning of the
human brain. Though many studies have been made with very positive
results indeed, it will be too early to say that meditation is nothing
but a change in our brainwaves. Brainwaves level are just one indicator
of what actually happens in meditation. Though with the help of using
brainwaves you can attain a meditative state for you immediate benefits,
for a long and permanent spiritual growth you will need to stick to a
traditional meditation path. Binaural Beats shall provide you some
excellent results often instantly which will help you in many ways.
However, for a permanent life changing spiritual focus, you need to use
traditional meditation methods as your primary tools. (For more
information kindly read chapters in 'Meditation
Corner'.) Here we shall stick to the concept of instant
meditation and Binaural Beats.
Let us understand now, how we can alter our brainwaves to produce a Non
Ordinary State of Consciousness (NOSC). It has been scientifically
proven that brainwave's frequency in our brain can be altered to a
desired frequency using specialized sound waves.
In other words, using specialized sound waves as external stimuli, we
can alter our brainwaves frequency to an alpha, beta, theta or delta
level which are considered as the brainwave levels of meditation and
other spiritual phenomena.
In order to understand how brainwaves are altered, we need to answer two
questions :
(1) How any external sound can alter our brain wave frequency? We listen
so many sound everyday. All of them must have an effect on our
brainwave. Then how come a particular sound of a particular frequency
will bring change in our brainwave's frequency?
(2) The frequency of alpha, beta, theta and delta are in the range of 1
to 30 Hz whereas human ears are capable of listening to sounds only
within the frequency range from 20 to 20,000Hz . So how can we listen an
external sound that produce an effect within 1 to 20 Hz to attain alpha, theta or
delta level of conscious?
Let us discuss both these questions.
 :
Entrainment
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