The Healing Effects of Binaural Beats

They say music soothes the savage beast. But, it actually goes so much farther than that. Sound wave therapy is a treatment technique for anxiety, stress, and other similar disorders. One version of this type of treatment is binaural beat therapy, and it is a self-help treatment anyone can do. Please keep in mind that this is not a therapy that is overseen by medical or psychiatric professionals. This means that it is not supposed to be used instead of traditional therapies and treatments. Instead, it is meant to be a companion to these treatments.

Let's take a look at binaural beats therapy, what it is, and how it can be used to treat a number of psychological conditions or even just for meditation.

Binaural beat therapy is a relatively new method of sound wave therapy. Both ears receive tones of different frequencies. This difference is only slight, and the brain will hear the two frequencies as a single frequency. There are five frequency pattern categories:

These beats have a frequency of 0.5-4 Hz, and can help people sleep without dreaming. One study showed that those who received this frequency while sleeping went into a deeper REM sleep.

For this pattern, the binaural beats are set to a frequency of 4-7 Hz. This is the best pattern for anyone looking to improve their meditations, become more creative, and sleep deeper during the REM phase.

This pattern is often used by people who want to be able to relax more, and better. It is set to a frequency of 7-13 Hz.

If you are looking for a therapy that can help you to have better concentration and be more alert, you may want to try the beta pattern. Its frequency is 13-30 Hz. Keep in mind that frequencies at the higher end of this scale can lead to increased anxiety, so you need to be careful.

The gamma pattern can help with maintaining arousal while one is awake. The frequency range for this pattern is 30-50 Hz.

In order for binaural beats to work, the tone frequencies should be below 1,000 Hz in order for the brain to be able to notice the binaural beat. As previously mentioned, there is a slight frequency difference between the right and left ears, and the binaural beat is the difference between those frequencies. So, let's say a tone of 200 Hz is registered by the left ear, and a tone of 210 Hz is registered by the right ear. The actual binaural beat would be 10 Hz.

Binaural beats can help anyone to be able to become more creative, be able to create memories in the brain, and lower anxiety. This technique has been used in many forms over the centuries, such as by some cultures that use drum beats or chanting to help with relaxation. But, most studies on this subject are only very recent.

The idea of binaural beats may be an ancient one, but this type of therapy can be extremely beneficial for those who are under a lot of stress. Considering all that is going on in the world today, it's no wonder that people are looking for alternative ways to deal with their stress and anxiety.

In addition to helping with stress management, binaural beat therapy can be used for many reason, including to increase awareness, have a better memory, better attention to detail, more focus, heightened creativity, and a whole lot more. It is also known to increase cognitive function. Here is a rundown of just a few of the benefits of binaural beats.

As we already mentioned, this is a self-help therapy that anyone can do on their own. The first step is to find a place where you will have nothing to distract you. Never listen to binaural beats when you are doing anything that demands your full attention. If you want to relax, be more creative, have better intuition, or simply clear your mind, this is a great way to accomplish your goal. You can even use binaural beat therapy for personal development, including visualization.

Sessions should last 15 to 30 minutes, with the first seven minutes just to get into sync with the beats, and then the rest of the time is devoted to listening and getting the benefits of the binaural beats.

During this meditation, it is important that you are wearing headphones. Binaural literally means, “having or relating to two ears”, and the brain creates the binaural beats from the frequencies in both ears. So, put on your headphones, sit back, focus on the music, and you will soon be in a very relaxed state.

One of the great things about binaural beats is that there are absolutely no negative side effects from this type of therapy. There are a few things to keep in mind though. One is that if you are listening to any sound at a decibel level of more than 85, it can lead to hearing damage. Also, anyone who has epilepsy is warned against using this type of therapy, but more research needs to be done on this. Other people who should avoid binaural beat therapy include:

Much research has been done on binaural beat therapy. For instance, there is “A Comprehensive Review of the Psychological Effects of Brainwave Entertainment”, performed by Tina L. Huang, PhD, and Christine Charyton, PhD. This research shows that binaural beats can help increase relaxation, improve sleep, and lower stress levels.

There are also research papers from Wilson, 1990, and Rhodes, 1993. with cognitive function, including pain, migraines, PMS, and stress, can benefit from binaural beat therapy. These papers also show that this therapy can help improve relaxation, meditation, sleep, and even pain management.

Robert Monroe of the Monroe Institute also performed a study. This study appears in the 1986 Michael Hutchison book, Megabrain, and shows that people who have problems with focus, creativity, learning and memory, problem solving, sleeping, and pain control.

Remember, binaural beat therapy is not meant to be used as a substitute for doctor-overseen therapies. But, it can be used in conjunction with these therapies, or on its own. It is strictly for self-help, and is not a proven medical treatment. But, there are many benefits that have been proven within the scientific community, and you can use this therapy for these benefits and more.