Does Brainwave Entrainment Damage Your Brain? By Matt Clarkson & Kevin Schoeninger
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Does Brainwave Entrainment Damage Your Brain? You may have heard about the wonders of Brainwave Entrainment Technology (BET).
It’s touted to
help you “meditate like a monk,” tap your inner genius, heal your emotional wounds, and manifest what
you truly desire. And it’s all so darn simple and effortless! All you have to do is put on a set of headphones and let the technology work its magic. Who wouldn’t want that? However, here at The Mind-Body Training Company, we’ve had serious reservations about promoting any products or programs that contain BET. We’ve had concerns about how this technology is marketed and how safe it really is. This has led us to turn down countless promotional opportunities and partnerships. Now that the technology has been with us for many years, we feel it’s time to set the record straight. In this report, I’d like to tell you the truth about this technology and what our position is on the various programs you see o n the market these days.
First, let’s define what we mean by BET. Then, we’ll define the alternative practice that we’re best known for recommending to our community—meditation. By seeing how these compare and differ, I hope to give you insight into both practices. So, what is BET technology and how does it work?
I found a nice articulation of BET on Unexplainable.net. Here’s what they have to say on the most wellknown of these technologies called binaural beats:
“Binaural Beats work by broadcasting two separate frequencies in each ear. For example, if you wanted to tune your brain to a 7 Hz frequency, you could play 200 Hz in your right ear, and 207 Hz in your left ear. The brain will compensate for the difference between the two and produce a third tone that will be exactly 7 Hz. This will result in your brain frequency being raised or lowered, and tuned to the desired operating stage. ”
© Matt Clarkson and Kevin Schoeninger. Brought to you by The Mind-Body Training Company All rights reserved.
To utilize this technology, you listen to the binaural beats technology through a set of stereo headphones. You use stereo headphones so that a different frequency can be played in each ear. The possible benefits of using binaural beats include:
deep relaxation,
release of tension,
improved immune response,
better synchronization between the two hemispheres of the brain,
super learning,
enhanced memory,
heightened creativity,
improved concentration,
increased mental clarity,
stimulation of positive brain chemistry,
release of old trauma and inner limits,
emotional healing, and so on.
From this list of benefits, BET sounds like a cure-all—and a lot like the benefits of meditation. It’s true, these are benefits you can also expect from meditation practice. So what’s the difference?
© Matt Clarkson and Kevin Schoeninger. Brought to you by The Mind-Body Training Company All rights reserved.
Let’s look at one definition of meditation: Meditation is a practice of consciously focusing your attention.
Different meditations have different objects of focus. These include, but are not limited to, your breathing, a specific area, energy center, or pathway in your body, present moment awarene ss, a specific emotional state, and creative visualizations. What is common to any meditative practice is consciously and actively focusing your attention until you reach a “meditative state.” When that happens, meditation feels more like it happening to you or through you. On the way there, you have a period of consciously focusing your attention in a specific way for a period of time. In contrast with BET which is completely passive stimulation, meditation is an active process and a skill that you can develop. This sort of self-initiated active development of inner skills is the heart of mindbody training, which is what we are all about here at The Mind-Body Training Company. In fact, you develop many different skills of consciousness through meditation. The basic technique of meditation is a four-part skill. Because it is a skill, it is something that you get better at through consistent practice over time. The four steps are these: 1. You focus on your meditation cue(s). 2. You recognize when your mind has wandered from its focus. 3. You release any distracting thoughts, emotions, images, or sensations that have grabbed your attention . 4. You return to your focus.
By following these steps you develop the following internal skills of being able to:
observe and accept yourself and your inner physical, emotional, and mental processes without judgment,
actively relax,
breathe deeply,
align your posture,
release negative emotions, © Matt Clarkson and Kevin Schoeninger. Brought to you by The Mind-Body Training Company All rights reserved.
generate positive feelings,
clear and quiet your mind,
connect to inner guidance,
become aware of Awareness itself, or become aware of yourself as pure consciousness, and
feel a sense of Oneness with Source or spiritual connection with the ground of your Being.
You develop these inner skills in a natural and holistic way, as your body is ready and able. Because you are using your natural abilities and focusing on cues in your own body, heart, mind, and spirit, the process unfolds as your system is ready to expand. Because of this, the process proceeds safely and naturally, at exactly the right pace and timing for your present need. You release subconscious tensions, heal wounds, and expand your awareness and ability as you are able to handle these things. At some point, you begin to experience the whole process is being guided by a higher wisdom within you. Meditation develops your ability to discern your Inner Guidance and follow its prompting. You find yourself “just knowing” what is best for you in any situation and automatically doing the best thing, something Deepak Chopra calls “spontaneous right action.”
Like any set of skills though, meditation does take time, practice, and effort. It also gives you rewards and benefits that you cannot get without those e fforts and the development of those skills. When you cultivate the skills of meditation, it is empowering.
You know that you can do this at any t ime because you’ve learned how to do it yourself. Even with just a little practice, you have gained a certain level of mastery in the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of your being. You have learned how to focus your attention, regulate your thoughts, feelings, and inner experiences, and sense guidance from the deeper currents of your being. Now, you can take these skills and apply them to anything that you desire to express, grow, and manifest in your life. That’s empowering! Understanding what meditation is and what BET is, I’m sure you can see the difference. BET is not meditation. Meditation is an active and natural process that is guided from within you by your present needs. BET is a passive, technological process that is guided by a specific programmed frequency or set of frequencies toward specific goals. So, once you throw out the idea that BET is meditation, the question becomes. . . Is BET damaging and under what circumstances can it be beneficial?
Well, it turns out that many people have had phenomenal results with BET. For example, entrainment in the 8-12 Hz Alpha range is associated with light relaxation, creativity, and super-learning; while deeper entrainment in the 3-8 Hz Theta range is associated with enhanced creativity, deeper subconscious processing, and emotional healing. Ever have problems manifesting what you want or © Matt Clarkson and Kevin Schoeninger. Brought to you by The Mind-Body Training Company All rights reserved.
getting your affirmations to take hold? The Theta range is the ideal state for super-effective programming of the subconscious mind! On the other hand, there are also those who have felt damaged by BET, especially those who go for even deeper levels. At the Delta levels (1-3 Hz), some people have reported physical tremors, overwhelm by subconscious images, and intense agitation as a result of overusing BET technology. Entrainment in the deeper levels, e specially prolonged periods of time in Delta, may leave you susceptible to these negative results and, there fore, should be used with appropriate caution. So, what determines which way it will go for you? How can you gain the benefits while avoiding the risks of this powerful technology?
For any type of BET program yo u might pursue, the key is to self-monitor how you are doing as you go. This all comes back to a key skill of mind-body training: Self-Observation/Inner Discernment. If you feel edgy or irritable, you may have had enough BET for the moment. Your brain may have received enough stimulation to produce a positive adaptation and it needs some time to integrate that. Take a break and come back to it once your brain has had a rest.
Think of BET like having a brain workout , and at the deeper Delta patterns, a “sense of self” or “identity” workout! If you are just starting to workout, your body only needs a little exercise and then it needs time to adapt to that before you are ready for more. If you want to increase your workout time and/or intensity, you should do so gradually, allowing for adequate rest and recovery betw een sessions, so your body will get stronger and fitter. If you do too much too soon, and/or if you don’t allow enough time for recovery, your body will start to breakdown and get injured. We find the same is true for your brain with BET. At the lighter Alpha levels, BET can help you downshift into a calmer, more relaxed state of m ind that promotes healing and super-learning. At Theta levels, you can tap into a more creative and receptive state that is ideal for re-programming or “attracting” the more positive experiences that you want in your life. At the deeper Delta levels, it can (and will) challenge your concept of Self and who you think you are. The positive side of this is that many of the negative aspects of “ego” will begin to fall away, i.e. your “story” of your “suffering self,” as we ll as many dysfunctional patterns of thought, feeling, and
behavior. Good thing, right? © Matt Clarkson and Kevin Schoeninger. Brought to you by The Mind-Body Training Company All rights reserved.
On the other hand, some report that this kind of intensive practice in the deep -Delta range has caused a loss of mental-emotional stability and self-confidence in day-to-day life. Of course, every person is different and that’s why we always say “trust your Inner Guidance.” What’s clear though is that this
kind of reality-changing practice should not be undertaken lightly! If you choose this deep-Delta path at progressively higher and higher intensity frequencies, we feel it is wise to go carefully. Keep contact with your Inner Guidance at all times and have appropriate support str uctures in place from the start. Many BET programs work in a much more gentle and holistic way.
BET at the lighter Theta and Alpha levels is generally a much smoother, easier, and even fun path. Used in conjunction with affirmations, positive images, and cre ative visualization, it can be wonderful for raising your vibration and helping you resonate with what you truly desire. It can also prime and program your brain circuits so you more readily manifest and ex perience what you want in your real life. As a tool for manifesting what you desire, we find BET is a tool well worth exploring! Here’s one of the best tools we’ve found for doing that using the gentler Theta levels: http://www.mindbodytrainingcompany.com/recommends/bet-manifesting.htm So, to summarize, used wisely, BET can be a wonderfully effective tool in your mind-body training toolkit. As with any self-growth practice, it’s important that you accept full responsibility for what you do, keep contact with your Inner Guidance and allow that to lead the way. Extra care should be taken that you don’t overdo it, especially at the deeper Delta levels. Listen to your Inner Guidance. Always
allow enough time for recovery and integration. One thing is for sure: we do not recommend that BET replace active, self-initiated, natural processes such as daily meditation, prayer, and conscious relaxation. It is important that your mind-body practice on the whole be about developing inner skills that make you the master, not a slave of the technology. If you rely only on things outside yourself to get the results you want, then you’re missing out! Mind-body training is ultimately about growing in empowerment, and the way to do this is to actively practice inner skills that become yours forever.
That said, BET can be used to break through personal limits, resolve specific issues, and put your brain in a state that is conducive to creativity and positive reprogramming. In other words, BET is a great tool when you use it consciously and wisely. Use your mind-body training skills to stay present with what is going on inside you as you use BET and allow your Inner Guidance to lead your way. If you’re interested in exploring BET to help you rapidly manifest exactly what you desire in your life, here’s a great program we recommend: http://www.mindbodytrainingcompany.com/recommends/bet-manifesting.htm
© Matt Clarkson and Kevin Schoeninger. Brought to you by The Mind-Body Training Company All rights reserved.
