Brainwave Entrainment: Binaural Beats & Isochronic Tones

What are Brain Waves?

Brain waves are electrical activity patterns caused by the neurons of the brain communicating with each other. Brain waves can be detected using sensitive medical equipment such as an electroencephalogram (EEG) monitor. Brain waves provide an indication of the mental state of an individual. In other words, the appearance of brain waves is directly connected to what a person is doing, thinking or feeling. The different Brain states are: Gamma, Beta, Alpha, Theta, Delta. You have your own unique brain wave patterns that function habitually. Some of these brain wave habits are useful, and others need some fine-tuning. When your brain is functioning efficiently, your brain waves are “in sync” with your activity, but stress or lack of sleep can interfere with this natural harmonious relationship. To restore this harmony, at Gaia Meditation, we have developed a wide range of free audio programs, including meditation musicrelaxation musicsleep music and plenty other Sound Healing programs.

Brain states, brainwave frequencies

WaveFrequency RangeAssociated Mental StatesAssociated Sleep StatesAssociated meditation types
Gamma> 40 HzInspiration, Higher Learning, Focus –Compassion, Loving Kindness (Buddhist)
Beta13-40 HzAlertness, Concentration, Cognition –Ecstasy and Intense Concentration
Alpha7-13 HzRelaxation, Visualization, CreativityPre-sleep or pre-wake drowsinessZen and Transcendental
Theta4-7 HzMeditation, Intuition, Memory, HypnosisLight-sleep (somnolence)Deep state; Mindfulness, Reprogramming, Self-hypnosis
Delta< 4 HzHealing, Sleep, Detached AwarenessDeep-sleepDeepest state (Yoga Nidra); Healing

What is Brainwave Entrainment?

At Gaia Meditation, we use the technology of Brainwave Entrainment in our audio programs (relaxation music, sleep music, meditation music…) to help you coordinate your brain waves according to your desired objectives.

Brainwave entrainment is a method which utilizes frequencies of the brain in order to bring about specific desired thoughts and behavior. In other words, brainwave entrainment is used to induce different brainwave states related to: enhanced focus, relaxation, sleep induction, meditation, etc. With the help of a specific stimulus, aural (audio), photic (visual) or the combination of the two, we naturally induce the brain to respond by synchronizing with the stimulus frequency; this is called the “frequency following response”. The assumption is that the human brain has a tendency to change its dominant Electroencephalography frequency (recording of electrical activity along the scalp) towards the frequency of a dominant external stimulus. This is why we also talk about “brainwave synchronization”.

At Gaia Meditation, we favor aural stimuli with the utilization of specific frequencies embedded in audio tracks.

Entrainment is a principle of physics which appears in biology, chemistry, neurology, medicine, astronomy etc. It is defined as the synchronization of two or more rhythmic cycles. In the seventeenth century, Dutch scientist Christian Huygens found out that by placing two unsynchronized clocks side by side on a wall, they would slowly synchronize to each other in a very accurate way. The clocks were the first example of spontaneous synchronization, a phenomenon found throughout nature from cells to the Solar System.

A potential and generally desired result of brainwave entrainment is hemispheric synchronization. It refers to a state when the brainwave pattern of the right and left hemispheres become alike. It is said that a person with similar activity in both hemispheres tend to be happier, more optimistic and more emotionally stable and less prone to mental illness. Studies found that increased levels of synchronization are found naturally in people who meditate regularly and people who are very happy with their lives in general.

Brainwave entrainment effectively pushes the entire brain into a certain state. It is a great way to lead your mind into states that you might usually have difficulty reaching, allowing you to experience what those states feel like.

At Gaia Meditation, most of audio programs including free relaxation music, free sleep music, free meditation music etc. use the technology of brainwave entrainment (or “brainwave synchronization”) with powerful binaural beats and isochronic tones. Our audio tracks utilize pure and precisely tuned sound frequencies which will drive your brain activity (consciousness) into your desired state: Gamma, Beta, Alpha, Theta or Delta.

Comparison between binaural beats and isochronic tones

Binaural beats Isochronic Tones
Discovered in 1839 by Heinrich Wilhelm Dove
Newer brainwave entrainment technology
Two different tones delivered separately in each ear
Separate pulses of a single tone
Lower entrainment effect? (Thalamus not stimulated)
Stronger entrainment effect? (Thalamus stimulated)
More effective in lower frequency zones (Alpha, Theta, Delta) -> good for hypnotic & relaxing effect, meditation…
More effective in higher frequency zones (Gamma, Beta) -> good for memory training and IQ improvement
Headphones required
No headphones required but recommended

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