What is Consciousness STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS
BRAINWAVES AND CONSCIOUSNESS Brainwaves, which are measured by an electroencephalograph (or EEG), represent the language of the brain. An EEG measures brainwaves of different frequencies within the brain by placing electrodes on specific sites on the scalp to detect and record the electrical impulses of the brain. Brainwaves, like all waves, are measured in two ways. The first is frequency, or the number of times a wave repeats itself within a second. Thus, frequency is measured in cycles per second (cps, sometimes also called HZ), ranging from .5 cps to 38 cps. The second measurement is amplitude, which represents the power of electrical impulses generated by the brain. The main categories of brainwaves are Gamma, Beta, Alpha, Theta, and Delta. When we are accessing our Multidimensional SELF we are able to use a combination of all four brainwaves.
BETA BRAINWAVES 13 to 39 cps Beta waves, in which our brainwaves pulsate at between 13 and 39 cps, are associated with day-to-day wakefulness. These waves are the highest in frequency and lowest in amplitude and are also more desynchronous than other waves. That is, the waves are not consistent in their pattern. This desynchrony is due to the daily mental activity of our many cognitive, sensory, and motor activities and experiences. Also, it is during Beta Consciousness that our focus is desynchronous, as our daily life has many inner and outer distractions. Beta waves are seen on both sides of the brain and are most evident in the frontal lobe, where
decisions and expressions of our persona are initiated. Beta brainwaves stimulate rational, analytical thinking and the consequent action. In this state, our attention is focused on our external activities, and our brain is primarily accessing the logical, sequential thoughts to process, organize, and act upon the myriad stimuli that arrive through our five physical senses. If all this information is not put into some kind of order, we will become confused and overwhelmed. The voice of our inner self can still be dimly heard, but as in talking to someone in a loud and busy airport, we can hear it, but we can’t always understand what it is saying. Beta waves are the predominant brainwaves in our everyday life. Without Beta Brainwaves, it would be difficult to function effectively in our daily world.
ALPHA BRAINWAVES 8 to 12 cps Alpha waves, which are between 8 and 12 cps, are slower in frequency, higher in amplitude, and more synchronized than Beta waves. When we take time out of our busy day to have a power nap, reflect, listen to music, read a poem, or meditate, we go into Alpha Consciousness. When we concentrate intently on one thought, emotion, or activity, we have fewer stimuli to process and our brain can move into the intense focus of Alpha waves. Alpha waves will peak around 10 cps. Alpha wave thinking promotes mental resourcefulness and aids in our ability to mentally coordinate stimuli so that we can quickly and efficiently accomplish whatever task is at hand. When Alpha predominates, most people feel calm and at ease, which serves to manage stress and benefit our health. The vivid imagery and relaxed, detached awareness serves to create conscious links to both our conscious and unconscious minds. Alpha is the major rhythm seen in normal, relaxed adults, and it is present during most of life, especially beyond age 13. Alpha waves are predominant in the white matter of the brain, which is the part of the brain that connects all other parts with each other. Alpha is a common state for the brain and arises when a person is alert, but not actively processing information. Alpha waves, strongest in the occipital lobe (at the back of the head), cortex and also frontal cortex (the forehead), have been linked to extroversion, active listening and improved problem solving, and creative mental activity. Whereas Beta brainwaves are predominantly logical, sequential thinking, Alpha brainwaves incorporate holistic, creative functioning. Hence, when in Alpha Consciousness we lose track of time and space. An hour feels like a minute and a mile feels like a few blocks. With the concentrated focus on a creative task in Alpha Consciousness, we experience fewer distractions, and we hear our own inner voice more easily. It is in this state of consciousness that we have our moments of “A-ha.” Many performers, artists, scientists, and athletes consciously or unconsciously put themselves into an Alpha state to gain inspiration and to achieve their best performance.
THETA BRAINWAVES 4 to 7 cps Theta waves allow us to access our innate creativity, inspiration, and spiritual connection. Theta waves, 4 to 7 cps, are even slower than Beta or Alpha waves and are typically of even greater amplitude. When we narrow our focus primarily on our inner self, we can go into Theta waves, which are usually associated with deep meditation or sleep. In this state it is difficult to maintain conscious
contact with the outside world. Our bodies need to be in a safe place when we access Theta Consciousness, for to maintain this state, our bodies must be still and our eyes closed. Even then, the mere act of opening our eyes or listening to the exterior world could bring in too much stimuli and shift our consciousness back to the faster brainwaves, and our Theta wave experiences are lost. In order to bring our Theta state experiences into our conscious mind, we must be able to communicate these experiences to our language centers so that we can “save” them to our cerebral cortex. Taking time to relax, write, and/or draw after sleep or deep meditation will help us in translating our Theta wave experiences into our Alpha and Beta wave thoughts. Even then, our Theta experiences are usually retrieved by our right brain’s symbolic, imagistic language and not by the sequential language area of the left-brain. Relaxing into an Alpha state can translate these images onto our language area where we can think about them or write them down. Theta waves are abnormal in adults who are awake but are perfectly normal in children up to 13 years old. They are normal for all ages during sleep. The Theta state is believed to reflect activity from the limbic system and hippocampus regions deep inside the temporal lobe, which are related to emotions, converting short-term memory to more permanent memory, and recalling spatial relationships. Theta Consciousness promotes adaptive, complex behaviors such as learning and memory. Theta brainwaves are conducive to profound inner peace, “knowing,” feelings of oneness, mystical truths, transformation of unconsciously held, limiting beliefs, creating a better quality of life, physical and emotional healing, and finding our purpose. Theta Consciousness provides the “peak” in the peak experience.
DELTA BRAINWAVES 0.5 to 4 cps Delta waves usually ranging from .5 to 4 cps, are involved with our empathy as well as with our interaction and connection to our full multidimensional perception. These brainwaves are involved with our ability to integrate and let go. Delta waves are of the greatest amplitude and the slowest frequency and are the dominant rhythm in infants up to one year of age. Delta waves never go down to zero because that would mean that we would be dead. In fact, Delta waves are often associated with being in a coma. In this state of consciousness, our bodies are in hibernation mode. Practiced yogis can consciously achieve this state. While in Delta Consciousness, they are able to regulate their body temperature and heart rate. They may even appear to be dead, but they are able to revive themselves. Delta waves are the deepest level of dreamless sleep in which our bodies shut down to completely focus on healing and growing. Peak performers decrease Delta waves when high focus and peak performance are required. However, most individuals diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) naturally increase rather than decrease Delta activity when trying to focus. The inappropriate Delta response often severely restricts their ability to focus and maintain attention. It is as if the brain is locked into a perpetual drowsy state. Going into Delta Consciousness is like driving a car and shifting into first gear. We can’t go very fast in first gear (Delta), but we have maximum control of the car. Delta brainwaves are conducive to miracle healing, divine knowledge, inner being and personal growth, rebirth, trauma recovery, oneness with the universe, samadhi, and near-death experiences. Delta brainwaves provide profound intuition, empathic attunement, and instinctual insight.
GAMMA BRAINWAVES 36 to 40 cps Gamma waves 36 to 44 cps, faster than Beta waves, are the only brainwaves found in every part of the brain. It has been hypothesized that when the brain needs to simultaneously process information from different areas that the Gamma activity consolidates the required areas for simultaneous processing. A good memory is associated with well-regulated and efficient Gamma activity, whereas a Gamma deficiency creates learning disabilities. Gamma waves are associated with high levels of information processing and integrative thinking. CHANGING BRAINWAVES When we fall asleep, our brain shifts gears and our brainwaves begin slowing down. We start at Beta then go down to Alpha, Theta, and then Delta. When we move towards waking up, our brainwaves move in the reverse order of Delta, Theta, Alpha, and finally, Beta. Just as we unconsciously change our brainwaves in sleep, we can learn to consciously change our brainwaves while we are awake. To keep our brain in an effective Beta brainwave pattern, we can determine to narrow our focus to a few things at a time and choose not to allow ourselves to indulge in obsessive or fearful thinking. We can take time out to relax, contemplate our lives, and enjoy our creativity to induce Alpha brainwaves. We can meditate and/or pray and place our total focus upon our inner Self on a regular rhythmic basis to induce Theta brainwaves. We can get plenty of sleep, let go, and surrender to our Soul to induce Delta brainwaves. TRAVELING IN OUR CONSCIOUSNESS We travel in our consciousness via our different brainwaves. When we calibrate our consciousness to the different brainwaves, we set our expectation to filter in the perceptions within the frequency range of that filter/expectation. We then experience the reality that vibrates at that wavelength/brainwave. When we dial the Beta Brainwave Channel, we calibrate our consciousness to filter out the perceptions that do not pertain to our external third dimensional world. On this channel, our Multidimensional SELF gives us information regarding our conscious ego self in our physical world. Our “beta reality,” which is our individual consciousness, is filled with myriad stimuli. It is directed towards survival, thoughts, decisions, and actions. Our individual consciousness directs our attention, and hence our perceptions, toward our individual assessment of reality. When we dial the Alpha Brainwave Channel, we calibrate our consciousness to filter-out any extraneous, third-dimensional perceptions that do not pertain to creative activity. On this channel, our Multidimensional SELF gives us information about our physical world from the perspective of our superconscious, fourth-dimensional self, as well as forgotten memories and stimuli regarding our true potential, which we have formerly filtered out. Our “alpha reality,” which is our collective consciousness, is one of creativity, artistic focus, relaxation, and imagination. Our collective consciousness directs our attention, and hence our perceptions, to an assessment of reality based on the consciousness of all humanity. When we dial the Theta Brainwave Channel, we calibrate our consciousness to filter-out all thirddimensional frequencies except maintenance of our physical body. On this channel, our Multidimensional SELF relays information from our superconscious self regarding our fifthdimensional world, our fourth- and fifth-dimensional extra-sensory perceptions, moments of illumination from the past, and new ideas regarding attaining our present goals. We can also experience euphoric feelings and moments of illumination on this channel. Our “theta reality,” which is our planetary consciousness, is deeply spiritual and introspective. Our planetary consciousness directs our attention, and hence our perceptions, to an assessment of reality based on the
multidimensional consciousness of all planetary life forms. When we dial the Delta Brainwave Channel, we calibrate our consciousness to filter-out all external, third-dimensional frequencies. On this channel, our Multidimensional SELF gives us information from our superconscious mind regarding our fifth-dimensional self and beyond, as well as information from our unconscious mind regarding our first- and second-dimensional earth vessel. Our “delta reality,” which is our galactic consciousness, is focused on our cellular and subatomic reality and our interdimensional self. Our galactic consciousness directs our attention, and hence our perceptions, to an assessment of reality based on the multidimensional consciousness of our planet, our solar system, and our galaxy. When we dial the Gamma Brainwave Channel, we calibrate our consciousness to filter-out individual stimuli and move beyond all time, space, and dimension to integrate the information we have received on the other channels so that we may be conscious of our process. Our “gamma reality” is truly multidimensional, as it is ALL in ALL. This cosmic consciousness directs our attention, and hence our perceptions, to an assessment of reality based on the multidimensional consciousness of our universe.
