Brain wave sound therapy

[Top cat]

Has anyone tried this?

They are background music.. Different types and brands. Some CDs are for meditation, aiding in better sleep & relaxation, and others are for enhancing memory & studying. I also found one for increasing sex drive

They often say you need headphones to use them
but I am just wondering if anyone here has tried using just the speakers? Perhaps putting the speakers near your ears. I recently found a flat pillow online which has speakers embedded in it so you can sleep while listening instead of using earbuds/headphones (they were part of the company's own product line)... so I figure maybe it means you don't always need to use headphones.

 

[enfp can be shy]

They often say you need headphones to use them

Because they use stereo effects. Music in one ear, soft voice in the other, then switch, etc. It distracts and confuses the mind, so it can't process the information consciously. I am not convinced that the whole method has any merit except relaxing music, relaxing voice/text, and such mind distractions. When they begin with their ad stories of how everything was adapted to fit the delta and beta brain waves etc, it sounds very unreasonable and unclear. But maybe I just don't know enough. Certainly, any type of mind distractions leave the brain in half-conscious state, like in hypnosis, narcosis, or normal sleep. That's not such a surprise, and is not so complicated to claim application of knowledge about brain waves. I think they do the latter, only because of commercial advertisement reasons, which repulses me.

Here's a trick anybody can try successfully, without any knowledge of brain waves, based on simple distraction too:

Tell someone to close their eyes. Talk to them for a couple of minutes with calm sleepy voice about some meditation state you are helping them to reach. At some point tell them very carefully that you are gonna ask them to open their eyes; and then answer a question, as fast as possible. When they are ready, you put a finger in front of each of their closed eyes, and shake it fast:

Something like that, but much closer - one finger to almost touch each eye. Then you tell them (still very calmly) to open their eyes (your fingers are shaking like brownian motion, very fast and confusing), and you ask them abruptly: "1 x 1 =" ... (you must ask it very suddenly and shocking in speed-contrast and voice contrast to the previous minutes, demanding and aggressive)

100% of the times, they instantly answer "2". It works with anyone. People can't really think. We are all reactive machines. Some of us abuse others all the time into making irrational decisions, based on such aggressive provocations. I see not much use in all that, because it leaves most people blind, and those who blind them, in order to decide to do that, have usually been blinded in some way too, beforehand.

 

[BenW]

Binaural tones are unscientific tripe on par with phrenology.

 

[Roger]

yes i know about brain wave sound therapy.

I everyday do it in my room. Simple, just plug your headphones to your ear and then listen to some calm, full of love and accompanied with pleasant music. Focus on something like, hmmm, you can chant anything that can work for you. You can chant any positive affirmation. After 40 mins, you will get recharged or may happen any incurable disease can be healed.

Depends on how is your focus.

 

[lynchman]

Ben W doesn't know what he is talking about.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_beats

I've been using binaural beats for the past four years for meditation, relaxing, focusing etc and I can vouch from extended personal use that not only do they work very effectively, but I wouldn't live without them. I even have a program on my iPhone which I use daily.

I also meditate without them but it is never quite the same.

I wouldn't advise putting speakers up to your ears. Can you not afford headphones?

 

[Stellar Affinity]

Like in the PM I usually use headphones with them. But you can definitely enjoy it with I stereo in your room and get the same effect I think. As long as it isn't too loud and overbearing but just right.

 

[slant]

Because they use stereo effects. Music in one ear, soft voice in the other, then switch, etc. It distracts and confuses the mind, so it can't process the information consciously. I am not convinced that the whole method has any merit except relaxing music, relaxing voice/text, and such mind distractions. When they begin with their ad stories of how everything was adapted to fit the delta and beta brain waves etc, it sounds very unreasonable and unclear. But maybe I just don't know enough. Certainly, any type of mind distractions leave the brain in half-conscious state, like in hypnosis, narcosis, or normal sleep. That's not such a surprise, and is not so complicated to claim application of knowledge about brain waves. I think they do the latter, only because of commercial advertisement reasons, which repulses me.

Here's a trick anybody can try successfully, without any knowledge of brain waves, based on simple distraction too:



Tell someone to close their eyes. Talk to them for a couple of minutes with calm sleepy voice about some meditation state you are helping them to reach. At some point tell them very carefully that you are gonna ask them to open their eyes; and then answer a question, as fast as possible. When they are ready, you put a finger in front of each of their closed eyes, and shake it fast:

Something like that, but much closer - one finger to almost touch each eye. Then you tell them (still very calmly) to open their eyes (your fingers are shaking like brownian motion, very fast and confusing), and you ask them abruptly: "1 x 1 =" ... (you must ask it very suddenly and shocking in speed-contrast and voice contrast to the previous minutes, demanding and aggressive)

100% of the times, they instantly answer "2". It works with anyone. People can't really think. We are all reactive machines. Some of us abuse others all the time into making irrational decisions, based on such aggressive provocations. I see not much use in all that, because it leaves most people blind, and those who blind them, in order to decide to do that, have usually been blinded in some way too, beforehand.

I think you might have linked some unauthorized material ENFP...

 

[Top cat]

Thanks for the responses and explanations

I was interested in the speakers because I'd like to use the waves for sleep and it might be more comfortable. I used earphones/earbud last week and the therapy doesn't seem to be working for me, so maybe I am losing sound, not sure.. Also the sound seems to be fine --I can hear the distinct sounds from one speaker to the other.

They recommend to me "stereo headphone"
and I was wondering if they are different from any other "headphone." I checked google images --they seem to be the larger type of headphone, with cushions that cover the whole ear. Like what some people who work in noisy environments wear.
I thought it might be nice if I could wear the headphones also when I'm outside, but I don't like the giant phones for the ears and the big strap that goes over your hair (just for aesthetics)... Last night I found a headphone where the strap wraps the back of your head/neck and the phones were smaller, but not covering the whole ear --didn't say if it was stereo headphone though.

By the way do you guys think headphones are more durable than earphones/earbud?
I have gone through a couple of earphones before and also friends', and they have all deteriorated quickly.. crackling or one sound goes into only one earphone. But they weren't the expensive kind. For earphones the best I hear is $80 by Shu (?). I'm just wondering how much should I expect to pay for a good headphone. Someone told me last night there is one only around $30 by Sony, and it works really well and hasn't broke down on her.

Also here is the picture enfp posted ^^

 

[BenW]

Ben W doesn't know what he is talking about.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_beats

I've been using binaural beats for the past four years for meditation, relaxing, focusing etc and I can vouch from extended personal use that not only do they work very effectively, but I wouldn't live without them. I even have a program on my iPhone which I use daily.

Show me one peer reviewed study demonstrating their effectiveness.

 

[IndigoSensor]

This got long, sorry (also sorry if this is disjointed).

I have never tried binural beats, however, I have reason to believe it would have a REALLY strong effect on me. Music means a lot to me, and I spend a lot of time thinking about it, and trying to understand it. The theories and ideas I have are not backed up by anything, but are just things that make sense to me.

I put alot of effort into "figuring out" my music. With no knowlage of insturments, notation, ect. it is not up to par to what I want, but it is the best that I can do. For whatever reason, I am drawn to rather specefic styles of music. Trip-Hop, and Electronic make up almost all of it, with Ambient, Shoegaze, and a few others tossed in as well. The music I seek out is very complex. I do not sit down, and listen to music that is simple. There is nothing for me to pick apart. However, I will also listen to music that has a emotional piece to it. Interestingly enough, it seems that the breath of music that people will repsond to with emotion, is near limitless. This makes sense as emotion is tied very strongly in with personality. Different personalites will want to align with different emotions, and will respond to different styles in different ways.

For me, I find the strong responses to music that have a deep constant sound (some kind of bass usually), and higher level tones. I.E. sounds with a higher frequency, whether it is some kind of instrument, or it is vocals. These two things combined have a really marked effect on me. When I am in the right mindset, I will literally be able to feel the bass reverberate through my entire body. The higher sounds will then get my brain turning rather fast. At times, I can literally feel like I am on a drug. It is an experience for sure. I see this a parallel to binural beats. The low level sounds that pass through with other tones as well, often offkey from a classic musical orginization. My music that I like is very much like this as well.

The question I want to know is why do I seek this out so much? I am not really sure. I am just drawn to this music, and I like it or I don't rather quickly with out much thought. It is as if my brain is seeking out all of this overload. It seems to like it. Yet, because these aren't binural beats, I don't know what kind of effect they have. I really do enter an altered state when I listen to this kind of music. I fan physically feel it, and emotionally I can become very overloaded. More often then not, it is plesent. I think part of it is by entering these mindstates is that I can figure out my inner workings more. A side product is afterwords I sometimes feel much better, like it was some kind of therapy. This is what makes me think I would respond extremely strongly to binural beats, if music has this much of a marked effect on me. At least, certain kids of music.

 

[Top cat]

That's interesting, indigo. I guess you are just trying to learn more about yourself.. which in itself can be an interesting thing to ask, isn't it -don't we decide what we like? How we are? For me too, it's like I'm discovering a person but it lives inside me.
I don't think I've ever really analysed the music I listen to..but I always get reactions from people when they are around me when I play it. Usually the comment is about personality. Also I've never really known if it fits in any specific genre. I do more analysing with things I like, design-wise-- colours, shapes, paintings, visual and tactile things.. I go with the flow when it comes to sound. But nowadays I like to go with the flow with everything. hard though.

Interesting thing here you write

emotion is tied very strongly in with personality. Different personalites will want to align with different emotions, and will respond to different styles in different ways.

I found a lot of binaural beats on youtube, so you can eat your heart out. But youtube seems to have a limit of how long videos are.. The beats I have are at least 30 min. Although last night I tried it without sound.. just on my own. I think I've maybe developed a skill since I'm noticing I can be meditating for hours and hours and not realise it till I've got up.

Also perhaps the sound I was listening to was the reason I could not get to sleep.. It had some kind of siren that kept startling me although it was not a big deal. So I use another one more often, it's just one smooth sound all the way..

 

[Top cat]

Well I believe I made a huge booboo :tinfoil3: I think I made the word "earphone" up all by myself lol

Seems headphone is everything that you put in/on your ears. Small or big etc.

How silly of me *smile*