Brainwave entrainment is the practice of using a stimulus such as an audio recording in order to cause a person's brainwaves to synchronize at a particular frequency. Given that various states of mind and body give off different brainwaves, it follows that we can use brainwave entrainment to recreate the brain conditions found when relaxed, asleep or in any other state.

What Are Brainwaves?

Brainwaves are nothing more than the electrical activity measured in your brain. If you've ever seen a TV show or movie where a person is rigged up to an oscilloscope with suction cups and electrodes all over their head (often as part of a sleep study) then you will know what I am talking about.

There are various types of brainwaves and they are associated with different states of mind.

For example, beta waves are associated with being alert and working. Delta waves are associated with sleep and dreaming. Theta waves are associated with being in a state of relaxation. Many people find that they have lots of ideas while in theta mode such as, for example, while taking a drive out in the country.

How To Entrain The Brain?

The brain can be encouraged to enter these different states by using a stimulus, usually an audio device. However, there are also some methods that involve visual methods too.

The way in which the brain is trained differs depending on the method used.

The most popular method used today is known as binaural beats. This requires the use of a set of headphones with each ear playing sounds of different frequencies. Your brain calculates the difference between the two different frequencies and interprets this as a totally new frequency, a "beat frequency". This beat frequency induces the brain to synchronize with it at the same frequency e.g. two tones at 90 Hz (Hertz, or cycles per second) and 95 Hz will give a beat frequency of 5 Hz and induce a 5 Hz brainwave.

Does It Work?

Although there is an obvious scientific basis for brainwave entrainment, some people are still skeptical that one can really influence the brain in this manner. Data showing clear cut cases of synchronization of the brain when a stimulus is introduced is generally widely accepted. However, the experience of the person is subjective and there is no reliable way to measure or test this.

It is worth knowing that brainwave entrainment is not a modern phenomenon. It has been used for hundreds and thousands of years. For example, rhythmic drum beats have long been used to help put people into a trance, long before we knew about the science behind brainwave entrainment.