Binaural Beats are a scientifically proven brain entrainment process that slowly started to gain recognition after an article called, Auditory Beats in the Brain, by Dr Gerald Oster, was published in the October 1973 edition of Scientific America.Binaural beats work by sending two different Hz frequencies, to each ear via stereo headphones causing the left and right Brain hemispheres to work in unison to hear a phantom frequency or third tone, the centred Hz difference between the two tones.
The Hz separations create a constant gentle beat and its timing and pulse match the Hz separation per second. The binaural beat process can be used to stimulate altered states of consciousness by selecting binaural beat patterns to match a desired brainwave. After a few minuets of listening and calculating, the brain starts to match this binaural beat; because of a process called frequency follow response.
In reality a binaural beat is not heard as true sound in the headphone environment, it is more like a neurological signal perceived within the brain by both brain hemispheres working in unison.The neural synchrony stimulated by binaural beats is a major aspect that assists the brain to function at a higher level. The brain continually forms new connections following new experiences. The quality and strength of neuronal connections can vary according to the input received by the brain. Binaural beats in the Alpha, Theta and Delta range provide a continuous relaxed input and promote healthy rewiring through its audio neurological signal calculation.
These new audio experiences in the brain trigger a burst of new connections between neurons, and with repetition these new neural pathways become fit, just like going to a gym, and it is the fittest connections in our brains that survive. The binaural beat process is faster, easer and more than just meditation. After several weeks of repeated listening, the brain becomes more lateral and starts to form permanent relaxed memories in both hemispheres.
The brain doesnt become dependant on binaural beats for relaxation, over time, it actually becomes more resilient to stress and this process continues to develop further, when more binaural stimuli is received by the brain. Furthermore, as the synchronised hemispheres and neurons develop, greater personal awareness and insight follows, combined with greater stress resilience; makes binaural beat therapy a valuable tool in counselling and other therapeutic settings.
Binaural beats are excellent for developing higher states of consciousness and going beyond meditation.