Posted by JLx on October 2, 2004, at 19:13:20
apparently.
I listened this morning to a CD I just got that uses binaural beats. I was so surprised that when I was done, I had the same feelings I used to have when I would first start on an SSRI! Mild nausea, a bit manic and very mildly euphoric, some loss of appetite and even joint pain, which is something I would also get. Could this technology boost serotonin, I wondered?
In case you're wondering what binaural beats are, from the package insert:
"Binaural beats were originally discovered in 1839...when signals of two different frequencies are presented separately, one to each ear, the brain detects the phase variation between the frequencies and tries to 'reconcil' that difference. In doing so, as the two frequencies mesh in and out of phase, the brain creates its own 'phantom' signal -- a binaural beat -- equal to the differences between the two frequencies. Research has proven that introducing a binaural beat will cause the brain to begin resonating in tune with the frequency of that beat. For example, by listening to a binaural beat pulsing at a frequency of 10 Hz -- an Alpha frequency -- you can trigger your brain to resonate at that same 10 Hz frequency, automatically inducing brainwaves in the Alpha range. When both hemispheres of the brain begin to resonate to the binaural beat in synchronization, this is called 'whole brain synchronization', also sometimes referred to as 'whole brain functioning' or 'hemispheric synchronization'. Whole brain synchronization occurs when the various parts of your brain begin to work together, creating new denritic growth and causing neural pathways to fire more rapidly."
From this article: http://www.mercola.com/article/neuro_technologies2.htm
"Many researchers believe that different brain wave patterns are linked to the production in the brain of various neurochemicals associated with relaxation and stress release, increased learning and creativity, memory, and other desirable benefits. These neurochemicals include beta-endorphins, acetylcholine, vasopressin, and serotonin.
Dr. Margaret Patterson, in collaboration with biochemist Dr. Ifor Capel, at the Marie Curie Cancer Memorial Foundation Research Department, in Surrey, England, has shown that certain frequencies in the brain dramatically speed up production of a variety of neurotransmitters, different frequencies triggering different brain chemicals. For instance, a 10 Hz (alpha) brain wave pattern boosts the production and turnover rate of serotonin, a chemical messenger that increases relaxation and eases pain, while catecholamines, vital for memory and learning, respond at around 4 Hz (theta).
According to Capel, ". . . as far as we can tell, each brain center generates impulses at a specific frequency based on the predominant neurotransmitter it secretes. In other words, the brain’s internal communication system—its language, if you like—is based on frequency . . . Presumably, when we send in waves of electrical energy at, say, 10 Hz, certain cells in the lower brain stem will respond because they normally fire within that frequency range." (28)
Dr. William Bauer, one of the foremost experts in the field of electromedicine, elaborates:
What I think is happening . . . is that by sending out the proper frequency, proper waveform and proper current . . . we tend to change the configuration of the cell membrane. Cells that are at sub-optimal levels are stimulated to ‘turn on’ and produce what they’re supposed to produce, probably through DNA, which is stimulated through the cell membrane . . . You’re charging the cells through a biochemical process that can possibly balance the acetylcholine or whatever neurotransmitter needs to be turned on . . . (29)"
I had a binaural beat tape about 20 years ago that was a Hemi-sync tape. I got it from my therapist. I liked it a lot, found it very relaxing and good for insight. So I bought another Hemi-sync tape recently, for relaxation. And it is. I just have to listen to it to start breathing more deeply, and I usually fall asleep before it's done. It's not quite like the other one I used to have though, so I thought I'd try this "Awakened Minds" version as recommended by Dr. Mercola http://www.mercola.com/forms/insight_focus.htm -- mostly because it has a 90 day money-back, no questions asked guarantee.
I'm intrigued by the possibility that it can actually boost neurotransmitters, and also if it can encourage your brain to work more "wholly", since depressives are known to have a problem with that.
Anyone else tried anything like this? (The last time I asked here, I got no takers, though Amie Sans Vie apparently had experimented with making his own.)
JL
poster:JLx
thread:398366
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20040928/msgs/398366.html