Riding the brain waves

Have you noticed how sometimes your thoughts flow freely, you feel smart and creative, and other times, your thinking feels strained and your mind is distracted?  Imagine that your thoughts are riding the waves – the brain waves, that is.  The nerve cells in your brain emit electrical impulses that can be measured by a device called an electroencephalograph (EEG).  The brain wave frequencies, measured in hertz or cycles per second (Hz), fall into four categories:  beta, alpha, theta and delta.  These brain wave patterns are associated with specific states of mind. 

Beta waves (15-30 Hz).  You ride beta waves in your normal wakeful state when you think, read, concentrate on a task or solve problems.  Your mind is fully engaged. 

Alpha waves (9-14 Hz).  You ride alpha waves when you are calm and relaxed.  Alpha waves are associated with creativity, sense of peace and well-being.  When you start meditating, you slow your brain wave pattern to alpha.

Theta waves (4-8 Hz).  You ride theta waves when you drift off to sleep or you are just about to wake up.  Theta waves indicate deep relaxation.  They often bring about vivid imagery, memories from the past, creative insights, inspiration.  Meditation that reaches the theta state opens the doors to heightened perception and intuitive breakthroughs. 

Delta waves (1-3 Hz).  You ride delta waves in your dreamless sleep.  It is the slowest of the brain wave patterns. 

Learning to influence your wave brain patterns through creative visualizations, meditation, music or hypnosis may allow you to achieve the desired state of mind whenever you need it for a specific task.  For example, if you are looking for creative inspiration or want to access memories from your subconscious, you may decide to go for a run to get into the "zone" and induce the slower alpha brain wave pattern.  To learn more about brain waves and various techniques to work on your brain, check out quide-to-self-help-techniques.com. 

Comments

[Pauline H]

These brain waves or binaural beats are really amazing at helping your achieve the desired state in meditation very quickly. I recommend them to use with meditation and visualization.