Tuned in to Enlightenment (Through Hemi-Sync)

“Most of us believe that the path to enlightenment is an entirely spiritual journey, without a biological component. However, study into the neurophysiology of the enlightened state shows that there are not only certain physical characteristics common to all who claim a higher state of being, but also certain physical means of attaining it.

The common state of all altered states of consciousness is what the US-based Monroe Institute characterizes as ‘body asleep, mind awake'. The brain slows to the point where the cortex is not aroused and the parasympathetic nervous system dominates, yet the mind is still aware-a state that is often termed ‘restful alertness'.

The Transcendental Meditation organization characterizes this ‘transcendental', or ‘fourth' state of consciousness- after waking, sleeping and dreaming-as consciousness ‘unbounded', aware of itself, beyond the division of subject and object.1

TM researchers have demonstrated that during TM, the brainwaves show a more regular pattern of slow frequencies- an average of 8.5 Hz-which are closer to the extremely slow delta waves typical of stage 3 and 4 sleep, rather than the mixed frequencies of stage 1 sleep.

Others who have studied altered states of consciousness have found that a greater proportion of lower- frequency brainwaves are produced. Likewise, researchers have recorded circulatory and metabolic changes-increased central nervous activity and cerebral blood flow, reduced or ceased carbon dioxide production by the muscles, and a fivefold elevation of arginine vasopressin (a hormone thought to play a role in memory and learning) in the blood-features consistent with the idea that, at this stage of higher consciousness, the body is extraordinarily relaxed with a heightened state of awareness.2

Another key physiological change during the altered state appears to be an enhanced synchrony between the two hemispheres of the brain.

Ordinarily, the two sides of the brain process information independently and ‘communicate' only when strictly necessary. However, in the altered state, or even during sessions of ESP (extrasensory perception), the two hemispheres work much more coherently.2 There are also more low-frequency cortical brainwaves.

After repeated out-of-body experiences, gifted American sensitive Robert Monroe and colleagues at his Institute began to experiment with using sound to produce an altered state of consciousness. The result of these studies was the development of Hemi-Sync, a way to produce ‘binaural beats' (see box, page 184). The Monroe Institute has available a number of CDs and tapes that use binaural beats to produce particular states of consciousness.

Other studies carried out at the Monroe Institute have also shown that binaural beats can lead to profound alterations in consciousness, depending upon the speed of the frequency. For instance, binaural beats in the alpha range (8-12 Hz) can lead to an increased percentage of alpha waves in the brain, similar to the state of light dreaming or meditation,3, 4 or slower ones in the theta-wave (4-8 Hz) or even delta-wave (1-4 Hz) ranges, which have reportedly aided meditation and even creativity.4

Binaural beats in the beta-wave range (16-24 Hz), the frequency of ordinary waking consciousness, have been used to improve concentration and general brain function.

The Department of Psychology at West Georgia College has even successfully experimented with binaural beats as a method of improving memory.

F. Holmes Atwater, the director of the Monroe Institute, cautions that the effectiveness of binaural beats depends upon the willingness of the listener to relax and focus, as well as other types of meditative practices, such as biofeedback or breathing exercises. Nevertheless, the Institute is one of the first to show that modern technology, as well as ancient practices, can provide a map to enlightenment.Lynne McTaggart

You've got the (binaural) beat

When a pair of human ears hears a sound, each ear hears the sound's frequency at a different phase. This is because the waves, on approaching the ears, have to curve around the head, so each ear hears the sound at a different point of the wave's peak or trough.

German researcher H.W. Dove discovered the concept of ‘binaural' beats: when a different frequency is played in each ear via headphones or speakers, the brain distinguishes the phase differences of each sound and integrates the two waves. The brain senses this ‘third frequency' as the frequency between the two being played in each ear. As the two signals move in and out of phase, the brain perceives an increasing and decreasing difference of phase, thus creating a ‘standing wave'.

As the Monroe Institute (www.monroeinstitute.org) has found, when these are played continually in the ear, brainwaves are entrained to speed up or slow down, depending on the frequency of the binaural beat.

This is largely because each hemisphere of the brain receives signals from each ear. But when a binaural beat is produced, two separate standing waves (one in each ear) are ‘heard' at the same frequency and sent to each hemisphere. It is this unique situation that helps the two brain hemispheres to become synchronous.”

Excerpt from the Living the Field course.