Jason Knits

Hi there! It’s been a while. Let me start by announcing that I got a new toy. It’s an iPod Touch! No, I am not bragging. (Although it’s really an awesome product.) But it is how I found out about this Brain Syncing thing.

I got the iPod not for music or the games. I got it so that I could use Getting Things Done on the go. iPod Touch is like an iPhone without the phone or camera. It can use many, many, many of the apps developed for iPhone. And this lead to my discovery of Binaural Beats.

Here comes the brain thing… I don’t even know how I came across this little program called Mind Wave that uses Binaural Beats to get you to shift/condition your state of mind. It even claims to help relieve headaches! Sounds kinda weird but I was intrigued. After a little Google research, and talking to a couple of people who actually used Binaural Beats with results, I decided to give it a try. Just to satisfy my curiosity really. Also, I was wanting to find something to help me focus and learn when school starts.

Being a meditator I am very cautious of what gets into the mind. I don’t want any subliminal messages embedded in anything that I listen to, so I looked for recording that uses only Binaural Beats. It’s one thing to alter frequencies of brainwave. It’s another to try to feed ideas into your mind.

I started with Mind Wave which gives the bare audio tones without background noise/music. Then I found a series of CDs produced by Dr. Jeffrey D. Thompson. Highly recommended by some. His series of CDs include classical, new age, sounds of nature, electronics, etc. I got a variety of sounds that include all four major frequencies, Alpha, Beta, Theta and Delta. I also got Gamma Meditation for deep meditation.

My experiences with the Gamma CDs have been very interesting so far. There are 2 discs. First one is classified Gamma frequencies, the second is HyperGamma. You see, I didn’t read the labels in the beginning, so I didn’t know there was a difference. I started with the first one lying in bed doing mindful practices. I found it calming, even making me feel a little drowsy. But the focus stayed sharp when directing the mind to do so. That particular soundtrack was about 30 minutes. The first 10 minutes were very pleasant and mindful. Then all of a sudden I became aware that the soundtrack had ended. Whoa! What happened in the last 20 minutes? It seemed to had passed in just one quick second. This phenomenon is not unheard of in meditation. Time has no meaning in deep concentration. But did that happen to me? I am not ready to say yes. More experiments needed, with added mindfulness to see the changes in state of mind.

Next I tried the second disc. Again, without reading the fine prints first. 2 soundtracks. I started the first expecting to have similar experiences. But I stayed completely alert. Focus was sharp, but none of the fading away feeling. I wondered if something wasn’t right. But later I read that this particular track was designed to be used while doing other activities. Anyway, I moved onto the 2nd track and that fading away feeling came back. But this time with added effects. In the mind’s eye colored flashes started to appear. Purple and magenta. Maybe some green. This was something I experienced before when meditating. But I was very intrigued that the audio soundtrack was able to bring a similar experience.

Gamma is quite interesting. Other sounds also produce some notable effects. Like brightening the mood, helping the mind to stay focused and energized, etc. But I am not making any recommendations for anyone to try this. I just find it a very interesting blog topic. Please do research if you want to try Binaural Beats. There are some concerns for people who are prone to seizures. Consulting a doctor first would be very wise. OK, OK. End disclaimers. You are on your own if you try. And one more thing. This absolutely does not replace the mindful practices that lead to Awakening. Insights and wisdom come from investigating one’s mind. Although these sounds seem to be able to help calm and relax you, or make you become more alert, you still have to direct your attention to the right practices to gain insights. Without that intention, that effort, these sounds are really just relaxation tools.