How Does Audio/Visual Entrainment Work?
Entrainment is the act of synchronizing 2 individual sources. For example, if you start tapping your feet to match the beat of your favorite song, you are in essence doing entrainment. Often times you will start tapping your foot without even knowing it. This is the power on entrainment on the subconscious.
Why does entrainment matter?
Audio Visual Entrainment (A.V.E.) is the tool we use for entrainment of the mind. By helping guide the brain out of negative patterns and into more normal ranges, certain neurological conditions may be reduced.
Think of A.V.E. as the pied piper, using light and sound therapy to help the mind play “follow the leader”. As the mind moves out of elevated, negative states, the user may start to feel calmer or more relaxed. Ot it can help stimulate those who need a boost. Entrainment can benefit many different mental, emotional, and physical states, from stress to mood, sleep, memory and much more.
What Are Brainwaves?
The human brain has 5 known brainwave types, each of which performs a different function. Here is an explanation of each:
DELTA BRAINWAVES
These are the slowest brainwaves and are associated with the deepest levels of relaxation and restorative, healing sleep. Adequate production of delta waves helps us feel completely rejuvenated after we wake up from a good night’s sleep.
Benefits of Delta entrainment:
Good for ache relief, reduced stress, improved sleep, cycles, fatigue and mood issues.
THETA BRAINWAVES
Theta is associated with daydreaming and sleep. They are connected to experiencing and feeling deep and raw emotions. Too much theta activity may cause depression and make people highly suggestible because they are in a deeply relaxed, semi-hypnotic state. Theta can improve intuition, creativity, and makes us feel more natural. It is also involved in restorative sleep.
Benefits of Theta entrainment:
Good for reduced stress. Theta is the state of deep meditation. Entraining to theta can decrease the need for sleep.
ALPHA BRAINWAVES
Alpha bridges the gap between our conscious thinking and subconscious mind. It helps us calm down when necessary and promotes feelings of deep relaxation. If we become stressed, a phenomenon called alpha blocking may occur which involves the beta waves blocking the production of alpha waves. People with addictions often produce too little Alpha, which is why they seek out relaxation-inducing substances.
Benefits of Alpha entrainment:
Good for relieving aches, reduced stress and improved memory. It is the brainwave state of light meditation.
BETA BRAINWAVES
Beta is dominant while we are awake and are involved in conscious thought, logical thinking, writing, reading and stimulation. Proper beta wave speed allows us to focus and complete tasks easily. Having too much beta may lead to an overload of stimuli, which may lead to excessive stress and/or anxiety.
Benefits of Beta entrainment:
Good for stimulation, increased verbal and reading skills, increased academic performance and increased attention and focus. Beta entrainment may also reduce fatigue.
GAMMA BRAINWAVES
Gamma waves are involved in processing more complex tasks in addition to healthy cognitive function. Gamma waves are found to be important for learning, memory and processing and they are used as a binding tool for our senses to process new information. In people with mental disabilities, much lower levels of Gamma activity is recorded. More recently, people have found a strong link between meditation and Gamma waves, a link attributed to the heightened state of being or ‘completeness’ experienced when in a meditative state.
Benefits of Beta entrainment:
Good for cognitive enhancement and nonverbal skills such as mathematics. It may also help severe mind aches. Too much gamma can cause sleep disruption, mood swings and irritability.