4 Important Things to Know About Entrainment
As you start using your Nexus device, here are some important things to know about it and how it works:
1. Entrainment Does Not Target Specific Conditions
Many neurological conditions result from irregular brainwaves, which is the opposite of what most people think. For example, anxiety does not cause elevated frontal Beta, elevated frontal Beta may lead to anxiety. Therefore, by training down your frontal Beta, you may see a reduction in anxiety symptoms.
Entrainment simply guides the user into specific normalized brainwave frequencies. By doing this, the symptoms associated with elevated brainwaves may stop. The Nexus does this by leading the brain out of the elevated frequencies and into more normalized ones.
2. The Brain will Entrain To It’s Dominant Frequency
In a normal healthy brain, all frequencies operate equally. But with a dysfunctional brain, one or more frequencies operate too fast or too slow. This can negatively impact a wide variety of symptoms. This is very important, because it can affect the benefits of a session. Take a look at the diagram below.
This QEEG brain map section shows Alpha dominant, which means that Alpha will be the easiest to entrain. The further you get away from that dominant Alpha, the less effective the training. In this case, Alpha, Theta or SMR (Lo Beta) can be trained easier than Delta or Beta. This is also why getting a QEEG Brain map can be critical to successful A.V.E. training, as it will show what areas of the brain are dominant.
To give you an idea of the symptoms associated with dominant frequency issues, here is a helpful guide:
- DELTA SLOW: Memory issues, cognitive processing, brain injury
- THETA SLOW: Memory issues
- ALPHA SLOW: A tired brain, low energy, thyroid issues, low self esteem
- BETA SLOW: The brain processes slowly, metabolic issues from vitamin deficiency.
- DELTA FAST: Inflammation, sleep issues, memory
- THETA FAST: Low energy, thyroid, Low self-esteem (same as low Alpha)
- ALPHA FAST: Anxiety, high adrenal activity, blood sugar dysregulation. Recommended you reduce your intake of sugar/carbs
- BETA FAST: Worry, stress, chronic hyperarousal, over rationalization, lower self-awareness
3. Entrainment Affects the Whole Brain, Not Just Specific Areas
With some brain therapies like neurofeedback, you can put leads on the head and target specific areas of the brain. However, entrainment stimulates the visual and auditory cortex, which sends signals to the entire brain. Often with brain dysfunction, the whole brain is fast or slow in one or more frequencies. So training can still be beneficial. But in some cases where you have a fast frontal region and a slow posterior region, results may be mixed. That is why a QEEG brain map can be helpful. But also knowing your symptoms and what parts of the brain they relate to can help you choose the best sessions for your needs.
4. Direct Training of Elevated Frequencies May Have a Negative Effect.
This is very important and why a QEEG brain map can be very important. If someone has globally high Delta as the result of a concussion or brain injury, you don’t want to produce more Delta. Instead, we choose sessions that lead the brain out of Delta frequencies and into other ones. As the brain produces less Delta, it will normalize more and symptoms may be reduced.
If you have a QEEG brain map, It is beneficial to check both the magnitude and the dominant frequency when determining what session to use. Otherwise, let your care provider to help guide you on what sessions are best.
Below are listed common issues found in fast or slow magnitude frequencies:
- Slow frontal DELTA: Poor working memory, TBI, white matter damage, drug use
- Slow posterior DELTA: Short term/sequential memory issues, TBI, white matter damage
- Slow frontal THETA: Working memory deficits, low emotional self-awareness, executive deficits
- Slow posterior THETA: Short term/sequential memory, poor attention, tuned out
- Slow frontal ALPHA: Excess worry, adrenal fatigue, stress
- Slow posterior ALPHA: Confusion, slowed processing, reduced cognitive stamina
- Slow frontal BETA: Executive processing deficits, Reduced cognitive Efficiency, chronic arousal
- Slow posterior BETA: Focus & attention issues, Reduced cognitive Efficiency, dissociation
- Fast frontal DELTA: Cognitive deficits, focus, impulse control, inflammation, trauma, food sensitivity
- Fast posterior DELTA: Poor short term sequential memory, sensory deficits, impulse control, TBI
- Fast frontal THETA: Impulse control, attention & focus issues, executive deficits, daydreaming
- Fast posterior THETA: Sensory integration issues, confusion, attention and focus issues
- Fast frontal ALPHA: sleep deficit, rumination, Low motivation, depression, thyroid, inflammation
- Fast posterior ALPHA: Rumination, sleep deficit, bargaining, persistence, depression, inflammation
- Fast frontal BETA: Excess worry, stress, chronic hyperarousal, impulse issues, anger
- Fast posterior BETA: Emotional instability, negative rumination, impulsiveness, stress