Tune your brain!

Brain activity can be measured using an EEG or Electro Encephalo Graph. The device registers the frequency of the brain waves in specific regions of the brain. Certain frequency ranges are related to the state of mind in which the observed individual is in at the time of monitoring. These ranges are shown in the graph below:

Frequency range	Name	Usually associated with:
> 40 Hz	Gamma waves	Higher mental activity, including perception, problem solving, fear, and consciousness
13–40 Hz	Beta waves	Active, busy or anxious thinking and active concentration
7–13 Hz	Alpha waves	Relaxation (while awake)
4–7 Hz	Theta waves	Dreams, deep meditation
<>	Delta waves	Deep dreamless sleep

As is the case with many things, the opposite of measuring is possible - we can actually apply a frequency to our brain to bring it in the desired state. This can be done by stimulating our visual sensors (the eyes) or by generating sound. Visual stimulation can be done with what is called a Dream Machine that is basically a stroboscope. Artist Brion Gysin and scientist Ian Sommerville created the dream machine after reading William Grey Walter's book, 'The Living Brain'. Generating waves in the Alpha frequency range however can cause Photo Sensitive Epilepsy (PSE). Since no one is excluded to being receptive to stroboscopic stimuli, it is much safer to stimulate the brain by using sound.

You will note that the frequencies above are outside of the scope that human ears are capable of detecting. This makes it impossible to use the required frequencies to stimulate the brain. In 1839 Mr. Heinrich Wilhelm Dove discovered that two sounds that are similar but slightly shifted in frequency will beat to produce two new frequencies which are the average and the difference of the original two sounds. When one generator produces a sound wave with a frequency of 400 Herz and an other produces a 410 Herz sound, the result will be a 405 Herz tone pulsating at 10 time per second, which is similar to the low frequencies occuring inside the human brain.

The brain is capable of producing a similar effect inside itself, provided that the difference between the induced frequencies is smaller than 30 Herz. Furthermore the tones can only produce a beat when they are below 1000 - 1500 Herz. What is actually achieved, is synchronization of the brain hemispheres. The phenomenon described on this page is known as Binaural Beats. The vast majority of people predominantly use their left brain hemisphere, while the right brain hemisphere is barely used. The functions of the left and right hemispheres are explained in the graph below:

Left brain functions	Right brain functions
sequential	simultaneous
analytical	holistic
verbal	imagistic
logical	intuitive
linear algorithmic processing	holistical algorithmic processing
mathematics: perception of counting / measurement	mathematics: perception of shapes / motions
present and past	present and future
language: grammar / words, pattern perception, literal	language: intonation / emphasis, prosody, pragmatic, contextual

The above properties reflect the skills required by today's society and corporate environments. But as systems become more complex and less transparent, an increasing number of people become incapable of grasping the circumstances they live in. Let alone that they are capable of taking proper action to function properly or even survive. Dealing with stress for instance is becoming a problem too big for many to handle. Finding solutions for chemical and radiation related health threats is another. The list is growing each day. The quick fix solutions society - the most notable of which is an incredibly increased use of medication - provide side effects that are often worse than the disorder they were intended to cure.

It is not without reason that many begin to look for solutions that have less negative side effects. What is needed to stimulate the brain into a certain frequency range is a stereo headphone and software to generate the tones. Audacity is a freeware program that is capable of generating tones of a certain frequency or so called white noise for those who find continuous tones annoying. The program can be downloaded here. There is a small tutorial on YouTube that shows how to use Audacity (this is the link) in combination with a plug-in called NYQUIST that you can download here. More information on Binaural Beats you will find here.

Note: If you get an error message saying: 'Nyquist returned too many audio channels', this means you tried to generate stereo surf without having first opened a blank stereo track. In Audacity goto Project, then select New Stereo Track and then goto Generate and select Binaural Tones with surf 2... The error message will no longer pop up.

You may find it convenient to just download the file from this site and play it in Audacity. Get it by clicking here. Rightclick the link and select save target as... Download Them All plug-in is probably the easiest way to obtain it. Make sure the file has an .aup-extension in order to be able to play it in Audacity. in IE, in Firefox downloading it with

The effects of Binaural Beats have not (yet) been accepted in the realm of regular science. But it is most certainly not the first time science was 'late' in acknowledging discoveries. In addition to mentioning this lamentable tradition, my personal belief is that a certain trade is going to see its market share drop dramatically when the benefits of Binaural Beats become known on a larger scale. Its enthousiasm concerning the effects of Binaural Beats would be zero. Unfortunately it is one of the major funders of science, which could explain science' slow response.

Please bear in mind that you have probably not synchronized your brain hemispheres since the time that you were a very young child and that as a result, it may take a certain amount of time for this technique to become effective. Like with all meaningful things, give it time. Enjoy experimenting and spread the word.