Brainwave Entrainment Using Binaural and Isochronic Beats
You have probably heard or read somewhere where the term brainwave entrainment was mentioned. If it was vague to you then, and still is now, then this article is perfect for you, as all efforts were taken to make this as layman-friendly as possible. Remember, a basic understanding on this subject will go a long way when you attempt to make your own brainwave entrainment files or decide to avail of brainwave related products.
Brainwave States
Scientists and expert researchers have agreed to categorize brainwave states into four (4) normal levels and identified them as follows:
Beta state (13 – 40 cps): This is the level of mind that we have during most of the day when we are awake and doing the usual things we do. 
Alpha state(8 – 13 cps): This occurs when you begin to relax physically and mentally, daydreaming/fantasizing, including the levels where you drift down to very relaxed states like that which happens during meditation or light trance.
Theta state(4 – 8 cps): One is within this level beginning at the border between drowsiness and sleep down to deep sleep. Experts claim that this is the portal to our subconscious. 
Delta state(0.5 – 4 cps): The deepest level of mind, occurring during deep sleep.
At any particular moment, there are several different frequencies produced by the brain, as seen through an EEG equipment. The current state of the brain (or the person for that matter), however, is determined by the most dominant frequency in the EEG pattern, or the frequency with the highest amplitude.
Beyond Beta, there are other not-so-normal levels like Gamma and High Gamma.
The cps you see above means ‘cycles per second’, a unit also commonly known as ‘hertz’. A propeller that rotates 200 times every second is said to have 200 rpm (rotation per second) or 200 cps. A light source flashing 20 times per second is flashing at 20 hertz. Brainwaves are graphically represented in the outputs of EEG machines in hospitals and specialist neuro-clinics as wiggly or zigzag lines.
Various brainwave entrainment products have targeted these states, both individually and in combination, for generally practical purposes.
Binaural Tones/Beats
If you play a guitar, you’ve probably tried tuning the guitar strings until they sound perfectly at their right pitch. The open pitch for the 5th string should exactly be like that of the 6th string when the 6th string is pressed at the 5th fret. Now when you try to sound them both while the 5th is not yet at the right pitch, you’ll notice a waving, undulating sound, the wave or undulation of which gets slower as the 2 strings approach the same pitch. That is the ‘beat’ in the phrase ‘Binaural Beat’.
You will notice the same thing when you play 2 tones together, say 200 hertz, in one speaker, and 208 hertz in the other. There should be a noticeable wave or beat of 8 hertz - the algebraic difference between the two tones.
The use of binaural beats is normally exemplified in the following scenario: A user puts on a headphone where one speaker is continuously playing a specific tone, say, 150 hertz, and the other speaker is playing 158 hertz. As the difference, 8 hertz is way below normal hearing range, it is not actually heard but it is nevertheless there.
Isochronic Beats
An Isochronic Beat is similar to the beat we have described above except that is not produced out of 2 different tones. It is just a simple beat. A drum beat of 10 beats per second is an isochronic beat. You don’t need stereo when we talk of isochronic beats.
By the way, the use of these beats which is discussed below is not limited to audio type beats. A drum beat of 10 beats per second (bps) can be replaced appropriately with a visual type, say, a light source that flashes regularly at 10 flashes per second.
Brainwave Entrainment
Brainwave entrainment refers to the process of entraining a person’s brainwave so that it pulses out at a particular intended beat. In other words, an awake person, who is most probably in a Beta level of mind, would eventually find himself relaxing and become sort of daydream-drowsy, after a few minutes of listening to a binaural tone or isochronic tone that is outputting 10 hertz. At this point, the person who is previously in a Beta state is now functioning at the Alpha state. His brainwave has synchronized itself to the beat he is listening to. Thus, brainwave entrainment is also popularly called brainwave synchronization. Experts attribute this synchronization to a process or phenomena they call 'frequency following response' or ffr.
Application
A general use for brainwave entrainment is for meditative purposes. The beneficial effects of immersing oneself for an appropriately effective period on the Alpha state, which previously is only enjoyed by yogis or meditators who have practiced meditation for years, can now therefore be enjoyed by any regular folk who aspires for it, in a much shorter period of time.
Specialized applications of this technology are found in laboratories and institutions that specialize in the neurological field of study. Some therapists have found this technology useful for their patients ranging from anxiety sufferers to ADHD. Even now, researches all over the world are undergoing to fine tune this science even further for safe practical purposes.
Further information
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Keywords: brainwave entrainment or synchronization, binaural beat, isochronic beat, meditation.
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