Does Brainwave Entrainment Work?

This is a question commonly asked by a great number of people, looking to find a solution to problems like anxiety, stress, migraines, or simply exploring various ways to take their meditation practice to a whole new level. Having been skeptical enough to fully research the subject myself, as well as gaining more than seven years of experiential knowledge with brainwave entrainment products, I have meant this article to serve as a starting point for anyone in need of a trustworthy resource in brainwave entrainment research and information.

Let's make it clear that one's perception of whether brainwave entrainment works or not can greatly vary, depending on their expectations. Some may have read that brainwave entrainment audios will alleviate pain or anxiety, and others that it is going to bring them to a deep level of relaxation, greatly enhancing their meditation practice. Both statements may be true if we undertake a structured approach to exploring the topic.

Brainwave Entrainment Fundamentals

A common reason of why many people doubt the effects of brainwave entrainment is because the term itself sounds a bit scientific and incomprehensive. That's why we should look at some real life brain entrainment examples. You are probably asking yourself… What? Yes, the brain is meant to adapt, and it quickly changes its state, according to the surrounding environment. Let's take a look at this - when one first wakes up in the morning, they still feel rather sleepy (as their brain has been in a state of sleep); if, however, they look out of the window and see a fire burning in the next building, they will become very alert - the brain has quickly entrained itself to this new state. On the contrary, if the same person goes to a room full of sleepy people, it is likely that they will stay in this same state unless they do something different (make a cup of coffee, go out, etc.).

Scientists have found out that all these states of the mind can be measured, as one emanates certain brainwave patterns, easily detected with an EEG (encephalograph). The alpha brainwave patterns are the ones associated with physical and mental relaxation, while beta brainwaves are emitted during our usual state of alertness throughout the day. Theta brainwaves occur in a state of meditation, while delta brainwave patterns are the ones emanated by our brains during deep sleep. All these have the corresponding frequency, measured in pulses per second; i.e. alpha ranges between eight and twelve pulses per second (Hz), beta ranges between twelve and thirty pulses per second, etc.

A Bit of Science

What brainwave entrainment claims to do is that it can, with the help of specifically designed audios (recently visual materials have been introduced, too) bring the brain to one of these specific states (alpha, beta, theta, etc.). Once the brain is brought to that state, the person reaps the benefits associated with it; to illustrate, it has been medically and scientifically proven that deep sleep triggers growth and body healing. It is quite logical, too, as otherwise our bodies would not have been 'constructed' with the natural need to fall into sleep for at least a couple of hours every single night. What this all means is that brainwave entrainment does not 'magically' make you more relaxed or more creative, or heal your migraine. If you manage to bring yourself to a certain state, without the use of the equipment, then you will definitely reap the benefits, associated with brainwave entrainment. Consequently, if you are able to bring yourself to a level of deep meditation without the use of brainwave entrainment, then without doubt you will start seeing the positive changes in your life that this practice offers (we will not go into the details of what these are right now). Of course, just like the need to take your portion of sleep eacn and every night, you would have to repeat the practice on regular basis in order for it to have any significant effect on you, and same goes for listening to brainwave entrainment audios.

So, does brainwave entrainment really work?

All this being said, the actual question that should be asked here is whether brainwave entrainment audios can truly alter your brainwaves, bringing them to one of the above mentioned states (alpha, theta, etc). Again, with the use of the exact same machine - encephalograph (or simply EEG) - it has been proven that yes, they can. Of course, the efficacy of the different audios varies greatly between producers, but this is a whole different theme to explore. The point of this article is to clearly demonstrate that it has been scientifically and materialistically proven that brainwave entrainment audios can bring one's brain to a specifically designed state. Consequently, yes, brainwave entrainment does work in the sense that it can bring you to a state associated with deep meditation or deep sleep, which in turn can ensure further benefits such as improved memory, pain relief, and many more (again, you should rather explore the gains associated with the various brainwave patterns).

To wrap it up, brainwave entrainment MP3s offer a modern, practical way for people to experience things that were once only preserved for certain groups of individuals. It is up to the user for these, though, to further research the various audios and products available out there and to clearly set their goals. Different brainwaves produce different results, and this is why products would be designed in various ways, too. Some bring you to alpha, others go all the way down to delta… It is up to you which realms of your brain you wish to explore… So, anyways, how far exactly do you see brainwave entrainment taking you?