Personal Development for Smart People Forums - View Single Post - Questions about using brain entrainment audio with binaural beats

Bruce Achterberg · 09-13-2009, 09:41 AM

I'm interested in exploring binaural beats (i.e. listening to audio that has the goal of brainwave entrainment).

That said, I have a bit of resistance that I'd like to soothe. Maybe you guys can help me out.

I see binaural beats (or at least, the audio that induces binaural beats in my brain) to be much like a food. Much like any food or substance I can put in my mouth, I can "consume" the audio, and as a result, they'll affect my somehow (hopefully positively).

When it comes to food, I have a good basis of understanding that I use to help guide me so that I have positive experiences with what I eat and how it affects me.

Part of what bothers me about binaural beats is that I'm not really sure what I'm working with. I've read about how they work and people's experiences with them, but I'd like to have a better basis of understanding I can use to evaluate and guide my experience with binaural beats so that I have a positive experience with them.

Below I'll share some questions I have.

I've included extra info below the questions because, in some cases, while I have an intuitive awareness of what I'm asking, it wasn't so easy to put into words and sum up in a one-line question.

I'd appreciate any info or links to info you have. Thanks, guys.

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1. How can I get best results from using them? How long can I use them before they become unhelpful?

E.g. To use the food example, I know that if I eat 2 avocados in one meal, my body will be okay, and that the avo's will be good for me. If I eat, say, 8 avocados in a meal, my body won't feel so good. Even if that happens, I know that if I give my body enough time to recover from the massive amount of fats I ingested from the 8 avocados, I'll be able to eat them again in a few days, and I'll probably knew when I'm ready by whether I have a desire for avocados or fatty foods (an emotional/feeling indicator), or by whether I see signs of low fat in my body (e.g. dry, cracked skin--a physical indicator).

To sum up, I have a good basis of understanding I can use when it comes to eating.

When it comes to binaural beats, I'd like to have more of a basis of understanding.

Obviously I want to do things in a balanced, harmonious, holistic way, but when it comes to binaural beats, I have no idea what that looks like.

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2. What happens if I'm, say, half-way through an audio track and get interrupted and don't finish it? Would it be okay to just start again, or would that be not-so-good?

Is it okay to just change from one state of brainwaves to another, or would that be not-so-good? Could I listen to an audio that would produce a certain state, and then listen to another audio directly after, and if not, why not? Are there some guidelines that are helpful to use?

At the moment, I don't know too much about how the brain functions in regards to brainwaves and states, so I'm not sure what is natural.

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3. Do our brainwaves get naturally entrained by anything else? Are we able to put ourselves into the same states we put ourselves in when listening to brainwave entrainment audio, and if so, what are some ways to do that?

E.g. I've heard that shamans and American Indians used drums in rituals and such, and those drum beats might have aided them reaching certain states.

I've also read from Angela that you can put yourself into an Alpha state by lying down, relaxing, and rolling your eyes to the back of your head.

Suffice to say, I'd like to know more about these states--i.e. how we might induce them naturally, or have them induced naturally without us even knowing about it.

I suspect that we're able to change the state of our brain at will, so I'm curious about how

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4. I've read that some people experience negative results from binaural beats. Why do some people have great experiences, and why do some have unpleasant experiences? (I understand there are many variables in play, and it's probably not easy to give a definitive, across the board answer, but I figure maybe someone has a good answer to this question.)

E.g. Inspirations reports feeling quite ill after listening to them. Alsy reports being able to absorb information from books well while not using entrainment, but having issues absorbing info when not. Vera Nadine reports getting headaches, feeling dizzy, and vomiting two days after using Holosync.

Why would they have those experiences when other people wouldn't? Why is there a range in experiences?

To me, it indicates that there's some sort underlying factors to be aware of when using binaural beats. If so, what are those factors?

----------------------

5. Are there any long-term effects associated with the long term use of binaural beats, positive or negative?

I.e. Could I, say, entrain a certain state in that isn't helpful to me (maybe without realising that it wasn't helpful until I've been doing it for quite a while), and if so, do these states linger around, or if you stopped listening to binaural beats audio, would you return to a "natural" state?

Again, I don't really understand the brain science as it relates to this topic, so I'm trying to get an idea of how these different states work.

I know that I could probably experience some positive results from listening to binaural beat audio, but I'm mindful of long-term results, and also mindful of considering it in a holistic context.

09-13-2009, 09:41 AM	#1 (permalink)
Bruce Achterberg Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: New South Wales, Australia (GMT+10) Posts: 970	Questions about using brain entrainment audio with binaural beats I'm interested in exploring binaural beats (i.e. listening to audio that has the goal of brainwave entrainment). That said, I have a bit of resistance that I'd like to soothe. Maybe you guys can help me out. I see binaural beats (or at least, the audio that induces binaural beats in my brain) to be much like a food. Much like any food or substance I can put in my mouth, I can "consume" the audio, and as a result, they'll affect my somehow (hopefully positively). When it comes to food, I have a good basis of understanding that I use to help guide me so that I have positive experiences with what I eat and how it affects me. Part of what bothers me about binaural beats is that I'm not really sure what I'm working with. I've read about how they work and people's experiences with them, but I'd like to have a better basis of understanding I can use to evaluate and guide my experience with binaural beats so that I have a positive experience with them. Below I'll share some questions I have. I've included extra info below the questions because, in some cases, while I have an intuitive awareness of what I'm asking, it wasn't so easy to put into words and sum up in a one-line question. I'd appreciate any info or links to info you have. Thanks, guys. ---------------------- 1. How can I get best results from using them? How long can I use them before they become unhelpful? E.g. To use the food example, I know that if I eat 2 avocados in one meal, my body will be okay, and that the avo's will be good for me. If I eat, say, 8 avocados in a meal, my body won't feel so good. Even if that happens, I know that if I give my body enough time to recover from the massive amount of fats I ingested from the 8 avocados, I'll be able to eat them again in a few days, and I'll probably knew when I'm ready by whether I have a desire for avocados or fatty foods (an emotional/feeling indicator), or by whether I see signs of low fat in my body (e.g. dry, cracked skin--a physical indicator). To sum up, I have a good basis of understanding I can use when it comes to eating. When it comes to binaural beats, I'd like to have more of a basis of understanding. Obviously I want to do things in a balanced, harmonious, holistic way, but when it comes to binaural beats, I have no idea what that looks like. ---------------------- 2. What happens if I'm, say, half-way through an audio track and get interrupted and don't finish it? Would it be okay to just start again, or would that be not-so-good? Is it okay to just change from one state of brainwaves to another, or would that be not-so-good? Could I listen to an audio that would produce a certain state, and then listen to another audio directly after, and if not, why not? Are there some guidelines that are helpful to use? At the moment, I don't know too much about how the brain functions in regards to brainwaves and states, so I'm not sure what is natural. ---------------------- 3. Do our brainwaves get naturally entrained by anything else? Are we able to put ourselves into the same states we put ourselves in when listening to brainwave entrainment audio, and if so, what are some ways to do that? E.g. I've heard that shamans and American Indians used drums in rituals and such, and those drum beats might have aided them reaching certain states. I've also read from Angela that you can put yourself into an Alpha state by lying down, relaxing, and rolling your eyes to the back of your head. Suffice to say, I'd like to know more about these states--i.e. how we might induce them naturally, or have them induced naturally without us even knowing about it. I suspect that we're able to change the state of our brain at will, so I'm curious about how ---------------------- 4. I've read that some people experience negative results from binaural beats. Why do some people have great experiences, and why do some have unpleasant experiences? (I understand there are many variables in play, and it's probably not easy to give a definitive, across the board answer, but I figure maybe someone has a good answer to this question.) E.g. Inspirations reports feeling quite ill after listening to them. Alsy reports being able to absorb information from books well while not using entrainment, but having issues absorbing info when not. Vera Nadine reports getting headaches, feeling dizzy, and vomiting two days after using Holosync. Why would they have those experiences when other people wouldn't? Why is there a range in experiences? To me, it indicates that there's some sort underlying factors to be aware of when using binaural beats. If so, what are those factors? ---------------------- 5. Are there any long-term effects associated with the long term use of binaural beats, positive or negative? I.e. Could I, say, entrain a certain state in that isn't helpful to me (maybe without realising that it wasn't helpful until I've been doing it for quite a while), and if so, do these states linger around, or if you stopped listening to binaural beats audio, would you return to a "natural" state? Again, I don't really understand the brain science as it relates to this topic, so I'm trying to get an idea of how these different states work. I know that I could probably experience some positive results from listening to binaural beat audio, but I'm mindful of long-term results, and also mindful of considering it in a holistic context.