The mechanism behind the design of these digital stress relievers is the science of binaural beats.

What are binaural beats?

Experiments in audio stimulation and reaction have determined that when two different sounds of similar frequencies are sent one to each ear, the brain initiates a process called entrainment.

Entrainment is a phenomenon that occurs when the brain automatically adjusts itself to the two different frequencies being piped in, and essentially filters out the difference between the two frequencies to create a new differential frequency or “beat”.

more via Stress Relief Music: Entrain Your Brain | Music Production Info.

Here’s his well written summary of a recent study:

Study author Ulman Lindenberger of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin and his co-investigators looked at electrical activity in the brains of eight pairs of guitarists. They monitored patterns of brain waves as the musicians played a short jazz-fusion melody together up to 60 times, and published their findings in the journal BMC Neuroscience.

The study reported that the frontal and central regions of the guitarists’ brains synchronized to a high degree. But, more surprisingly, the temporal and parietal regions also showed significant synchronization in more than half of the pairs. These regions may be involved in simply enjoying the music, researchers suggested.

via Music Therapy: Brain Wave Entrainment.

This is one of my favorite types of self improvement CDs. They are meant to make meditation easy, and they sure do that. Using “binaural beats,” they slow your brainwaves and relax you. All you have to do is put on your headphones and listen. Beats embedded in the background music (or rain, waves, or other sounds) slow your brainwaves into an alpha state or deeper (beta brainwaves, at 14 hertz or above, are the usual in a wide awake state).

They claim to raise your threshold for stress with regular use, and many people say they do just that. They may also help you increase your self awareness. I certainly find them to be a pleasant experience. They clear my mind and take away stress quickly. I also use them to put me to sleep when I need a “power nap.” There is no question that they powerfully affect your brain, and I have experienced and heard of only positive results.

via The Coach and Ideas For You: Five Kinds of Self Improvement CDs.

Brainwave entrainment is the use of some external stimulus, usually different sounds that a person will hear with stereo headphones, to induce a certain level of brain wave activity. When a person’s brainwave activity is artificially altered by these means, it will subtly shift their awareness and perception.

Using binaural beats is a common and effective method of brainwave entrainment. In order for the binaural beats to be effective, a person must be using stereo headphones so that they can hear a different sound in each ear.

Most of the time, the binaural beats will be embedded underneath the layers of tracks on a song, usually soothing ambient music or soundscapes, so that the person listening can focus on the music and not on the frequencies they are hearing. If you either find or create effective binaural beat audios to listen to in stereo heaphones, the frequencies should blend perfectly into the background, and you should not be able to consciously notice them unless you really try to isolate them.

via Self Improvement And Motivation: Increase Creativity and Redce Stess Using Alpha Meditation.

There thousands of different types of relaxation music available today, so many in fact, that perhaps some of us are a bit overwhelmed at times trying to figure out where to start as far as selecting the relaxation music style that fits our current need the most. One thing to take into consideration when trying to choose among the many different styles of relaxation music is that some types of relaxation may be more effective and more relaxing than others.

Both science and the experience of many people point to the usefulness of relaxation music that is embedded with either binaural beats or isochronic tones. Binaural beats and isochronic tones are specially generated sounds that alter your brainwave frequencies.

Simply by listening to relaxation music embedded with either isochronic tones or binaural beats your brainwaves can be changed in such a way that you actually experience the benefits of the accompanying brainwave state that the binaural beats or isochronic tones help induce in you.

via All About Music and Jazz » Blog Archive » Twenty-First Century Relaxation Music For Meditation.

Music is commonly used to help induce certain states and feelings. Some music can make us feel more aggressive, or completely relaxed, and still other types of music can induce feelings of nostalgia.

We also know that music and exercise has been going hand in hand since long before Jane Fonda’s aerobic videos hit the scene. The right music can help produce energy in the body and in the mind simultaneously. Through actual scientific studies researchers have discovered that the frequencies in some music can actually optimize the flow of energy in the body and brain.

Through their studies researchers have been able to demonstrate how most people live their daily lives in a weakened state and not able reach their full potential as a result of several external reasons. They believed that ov

via Your Music May Be Destroying Your Performance | Guitar Lessons For Beginners.

These incorporate what has been found by scientists and called entrainment which is when different sounds of similar frequencies are sent to each ear. This happens when the brain adjusts to the difference between the two frequencies and attempts to match that different frequency. This is known as a binaural beat and the brain adjusts its wave output to that frequency.

For instance, if the difference in frequencies between the two ears is 15 cycles per second then the brain will match its wave output to that frequency. It has been found that brain waves affect mood, level of relaxation and focus.

via Practical tips to manage and relief your stress.

One of the pioneers of accelerated learning, Dr. Georgi Lozanov, determined through his research that music played at 60 beats per minute resulted in the type of brainwave activity needed for learning. Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major K 448, for example, is written in this meter.

Dr. Alfred Tomatis, in his 1991 essay, “Pourquoi Mozart?”, coined the term “Mozart Effect” when he shared his research conclusion that Baroque music, particularly Mozart’s, was written in the perfect meter to stimulate the brainwave activity necessary to accelerate learning.

Additionally, though controversial, research by the University of California, Irvine, also concluded that specific pieces of music composed by Mozart, when played in a controlled learning environment, could enhance the student’s ability to absorb new information quickly, and eve

via masterwordsmith-unplugged: Music.

…The therapeutic benefits of music have been known and harnessed since ancient times. It has shown to improve motor skills, spiritual awareness and social skills. It also helps mood disorders and depression. In particular, it can improve a patient’s motivation and outlook on life by completely revitalizing a stagnant soul. Just as a great song can set your day right, successful music therapy can change a person’s life.

via Personal Development Blog.

My name is Gregg Luhring. I’ve been creating and using subliminal recordings and brainwave entrainment products since the 1980′s. I’ve noticed over the last few years that binaural beats and brainwave entrainment have grown immensely in popularity. I’ve also noticed that the quality of most of the products being sold today is sub-par. Even the big names in brainwave entrainment sell recordings that are low in quality yet they are still able to command top dollar for their products (names end in “sync”) ;)

My recordings aren’t the cheapest but are far from being most expensive. I’m kind of a perfectionist so I probably spend too much time in production. I’m sure you won’t find a better quality product of this kind on the market. My Binaural and Isochronal beat recordings are the best you’ll find. I’ve been taught by a master when it comes to subliminal recording techniques so if you’re looking for the best in any of these types of recordings, this is the place.

For myself; if I need to mellow out, pay close attention or get a good night’s sleep, I can throw a rough binaural session together and get the job done quickly. But for you, I give the extra touch. If I want to relieve your stress after a hard day’s work, I’ll mix in several of the best beat frequencies with the best tones for the job of taking the creases out of your brow and turning your shoulder blades to butter. I’ll have you sighing and smiling in minutes with the best formulas I can come up with.

I’ve been an entrepreneur in printing, graphics, web marketing and computer programming for 20 years. I’ve been a musician all of my life starting on piano, then to clarinet, bass guitar, and now use Reason & Tracktion for composing and mixing. (My mother says I sang before I talked) I also use Tracktion to mix my binaural beats into the background music and sounds used in our products. Much of the ambient music used by Brainwave Directions is written and produced by me.

I hope you enjoy the quality products produced here at Brainwave Directions. If you have suggestions for new products or are interested in custom work, please don’t hesitate to contact me at gregg @ brainwv.com.

Gregg