This Excites Me- Curious About Your Experiences With Binaural Beats

[Deleted member 24866]

Curious if anyone else has tried meditation through binaural beats and had as much effect as me. A head ache will be gone in less than a minute - and it does help me to create new focus and better harmony in times of discord. For inspiration I post this awesome video about cymatics demonstrating the visual aspect of how sound waves travel. Binaural and isochronic tones theoretically in my words over ride thought patterns and invoke a selected or targeted brain wave function- there by disrupting the stress pattern. Done in practice perhaps can help boost your mood and ability to avoid the chemical imbalances that can occur from periods of a lot of stress.

 

[City Slicker]

I use binaural beats almost every night. I have recordings that vary each ear by about 10hz (100hz in one and 110hz in the other if I recall correctly). I find them helpful but I know the science hasn't caught up to understanding the psychology of sound and tends to dismiss binaural beats - who cares. It helps me better than most things so I use it frequently.

I also use Theta binaurals as well. My iPod has about 4 hours of different beats depending on what I need.

 

[Chava]

I'm not sure why but they make me anxious...quickly. But I was curious because I do find certain sounds to be more powerful than anything for grounding and also regular calming, so I do relate to the power of certain sounds/vibrations.

I read something about early trauma being connected to different brain waves (like stuck in one of the earlier patterns), thus responding differently to these rhythms. It was something out of neuro-feedback research. But I can't say much because I don't understand it (theta, beta, I don't remember or know much about it). I also have no idea if being a musician has anything to do with my reaction (and even among musicians I am hyper-sensitive to sound, for good or for bad).

I really like singing bowls. The pulsing is different. So what I don't know for sure is if it's the typical binaural beats themselves that make me anxious or they way/sound delivery (or if this question even makes sense). Anything I've come across on youtube that's labeled as meditative binaural beats makes me feel about ten seconds away from inducing heart arrhythmia, which only happens in weird panic states. It definitely has an effect on me but it's completely jarring.

So I do think it's fascinating anyway...how we are affected and how powerful sound is. I'd be cautious of anything suggesting it can improve learning, sleep (everything we want) but also alter consciousness...and yet also corresponds somewhat to our own brain waves (and all the other stuff), which are not the same. I wish there was more good research. I'm glad I have a therapist who is open and creative enough to let me bring things like a tuning fork that helps ground me. It's amazing. But these binaural beats feel really uneasy. Awesome if they are helpful or restorative for others, and that we have some access to this stuff.

 

[Kintsugi]

I think binaural beats have potential. It becomes a crack pot sort of thing when people start insisting they have some sort of overwhelming, involuntary effect, or claim that they can produce the same effect as controlled substances.

 

[illusionist]

I'm hard of hearing but do find the vibration through my fingertips soothing..more than other music...goes against what this music is intended for but definitely is calming in my world.

 

[joeylittle]

I use them for sleep, and have a pretty decent success rate. I have no idea if it's the recording or of its a placebo effect, but I'll take it, either way.

 

[Deleted member 24866]

The beats below 13 Hz are recommended for various relaxation- there are technical ways to listen to them as well, its not supposed to be like you listen to music for example, but rather ideally through noise canceling headphones and quietly. Yet even the headache one was effective without the headphones I noticed. Some also issue warnings about driving during some while listening.

 

[Deleted member 24866]

The higher ranges could potentially make things worse dependent of your focus.

 

[Chava]

Thanks for posting brainwave correlations @4melissa .

I did more simple personal tests with youtube. It's helpful to search around because they are NOT all the same. Even within the binaural beat waves, there is difference that matters...like I do not like high-pitched versions of the beta waves, but lower seems pretty good.

Delta binaural beats: make me anxious. Feelings of impending arrhythmia.
Theta " ": also make me anxious, but less than delta. Tolerable for a bit, not relaxing.
Mu: similar to theta but creates an icky fullness in my ears (independent of volume setting)
Alpha: uncomfortable at first (like icky sensations in my face and throat) but this might resonate somewhat...after a little while it's not jarring but feels more in sync with me.
Beta: Hmmm. I sort of like this one. Not higher pitched ones, but lower and more subtle pulsing (found one recording that felt right).
Gamma: Better than all the others.

I have no idea what this means. Do those of you who find this stuff helpful for sleep and relaxing relate to the lower hz waves that are supposedly related to relaxation? Which ones feel calming? I don't understand why the rest-related ones make me feel really anxious, like heart arrhythmia anxious very quickly, but the gamma wave version feels subtle.

????

Also not sure what current states have to do with. I'm super fatigued but have been fighting it off with cigarettes...so I feel "normal". I wouldn't yet dare use any of these for long because I'm purely confused.

If I respond most easily to "gamma" is that because that is where I'm at, so like my brainwaves "entrain" easily? Or am I really low wave and gamma does something for me? Can I be horridly fatigued and having fast brainwaves? I don't expect answers to all these questions...just interested? Do others notice a big difference between these different binaural beats or have preferences?

ETA:
(I wasn't able to scroll down on your link @4melissa but found it, which answers some questions):

The brain entraining is more effective if the entraining frequency is close to the user's starting dominant frequency[citation needed]. Therefore, it is suggested to start with a frequency near to one's current dominant frequency (likely to be about 20 Hz or less for a waking person) and then slowly decrease or increase it towards the desired frequency. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_beats)

So supposedly I could listen to gamma then ease my way down the ladder, which would take all night (easier for me to take a pill!!). But its very interesting. I'll see if later in the evening something like alpha could actually feel less uncomfortable. Just don't understand why the lower waves make me feel positively anxious and inwardly jittery.

 

[Deleted member 24866]

Very interesting. Thanks so much for your input and the time you spent checking it out, I amhopeful it can help anyone other than me and found it fascinating. Visually also as far as I understand we can effect these waves as well, though I haven't done enough searching into this process. I tend to like the relaxation ones delta and theta.. these are the ones it feels like I put on a pair of glasses and a headache I never realized I had goes away.. I can relax and for me it is fast. Interesting.. I appreciate even just the ability occasionally to shift the focus. Thanks for sharing so much Chava !

 

[Chava]

Neurofeedback for PTSD....detecting brainwave patterns and "training" using musical tone (I assume like binaural beats). This is interesting:
http://betterbrainsinc.com/ptsd.htm

There could be something real here. Unfortunately too much of it is in a quackery state, with youtube videos about astral projection, etc. But if there was more research, like the kind that could support more clinical practice (it's certainly not an option to be found in clinics in my area), I'd love to try this with a neurofeedback specialist...especially since meds don't work well for me. On my own, especially with the really anxious responses to supposedly calming soundwaves, I just don't dare make much use of it. But I do hope this sort of thing is studied more. It stinks that so much medical research funding just goes to pharmaceuticals.

 

[InvisibleSun]

I've used binaural beats several times in my meditations and have had wonderful results. I've used them to help with bouts of anxiety and to induce sleep. Still a very new, yet fascinating, concept.