Light and Sound Technology (LST) is the cognitive revolution of the 21^st century.  Although the use of sound and/or light for healing, relaxation and ASC has been used for centuries, it’s only recently that the scientific community has reawakened to it’s phenomenal potential.

Somewhere around 200 AD, the flickering of sunlight through the spokes of a spinning wheel caught the attention of Ptolemy. He noticed that as he stared at this flickering light a sense of euphoria filled him.  A few centuries later, French psychologist Pierre Janet noticed that flickering lights seemed to calm hysterical patients.

How is it that:

Flickering light can affect the brain?

Shamanic drumming & and the chanting of Tibetan monks tend to induce trance?

Rock, dance and salsa music energize?

Speed mental can produce feelings of power or anxiety?

How does the beat of music affect the brain and why?

A brainwave is measured on the surface of the scalp where all the bioelectrical activity occurs. A brainwave is measured cortical arousal and as such, you could say that  a brainwave is a measurement of a state of mind.

This biochemical electricity is produced in the brain through frequencies measured in hertz. (Beats per minute).

These frequencies correspond to 4 measurable groups of frequencies – Beta, Alpha, Theta and Delta.

Even though all four frequencies are found in the brain at all times, there will always be one or two dominant frequencies. Through entrainment, our goal is to make the desired frequency a dominant frequency at the desired time.

(and up, though the results are measured up to 40 and higher frequencies, if achieved are not held for very long).

Your brain usually operates at about 13 Hertz when you are relatively calm.

The dominant frequency is Beta when we are awake, alert and high Beta when anxious.

The benefits of Beta training is improved concentration, cognitive ability and focus.

People who have ADD are deficient in the Beta frequency – and that is why they cannot concentrate or remain focused. In fact, their brains tend to have Theta as the dominant frequency and you’d think that this would make them calmer people, not so. Things tend to work opposite with them, stimulants calm them – which is why doctors prescribe Ritalin (which is a stimulant). They respond very well to Sound and Light therapy!

Alpha is the first bridge between the conscious and unconscious mind.

Alpha is necessary for creativity and positive thinking.

Research has found that people with addiction problems tend to lack Alpha. "When we are able to add alpha to our brainwave patterns, we often find the explanation for certain actions and attitudes we’ve exhibited." (High Performance Mind, pg. 17)

A person low on Alpha tends to feel frustration. With no alpha, we lack the conscious ability to express ourselves because the information from the unconscious to conscious realization is blocked.

The frequencies of Alpha are associated with harmonization with the Shuman Resonance – the frequency of the earth’s electro-magnetic field. This is where that feeling of being connected to the universe comes from because you are in synch with the universe (at least the earth) at that moment.

Theta is an essential state for processing information. It is in this state where information is allowed to enter the long term memory.

Alpha/Theta is associated with learning, creativity and memory.

In Theta, the doorway to the unconscious is open and one is capable of achieving deep spiritual insight.

The unconscious governs memories, sensations and emotions. Theta is the best state to do work in these areas.

Theta is a useful state to use in working with people with PTSD.

"…the mind has an innate ability to release only the amount of information that can be handled and doesn’t pour everything out all at once and overwhelm the person. And because they are in a quiet state, people don’t have a flashback or re-experience the trauma, they become emotional, and they’ll cry but they won’t re-experience. They process it cortically. Once the memory is reprocessed cortically, in the conscious mind, the shock to the brain seems to be largely over." (A symphony in the Brain, pg. 171).

In this state, the conscious mind is able to be re-scripted.

It’s the best state for hypnotic work.

This frequency is restorative. It is where the pituitary releases growth hormone and where the production of natural opiates are released.

The light and sound machine stimulates specific patterns of activity in the brain.

The machine is able to coax the brain into the desired state by synchronizing the brainwaves with the pulsing beats and lights.

With continued use of the machine, the brain learns how to achieve and remain in desired states at will.

What happens is that with the stress of everyday life, the brain gets locked in survival mode. Our bodies can only cope with "survival mode" for short periods of time before negative effects begin to manifest. It’s like the autopilot switch gets stuck in one mode and it’s like the body forgets how to relax. Sleep becomes more difficult as the brain races, irritability and fatigue set in as the body continues to pump adrenalin into the system all to readily.

Stress is a mind killer – and eventually body killer.

Our sound and light machines use binaural beat technology.

A binaural beat occurs when a slightly different frequency is played in the right and left ear. The third frequency is created by the difference between the frequency heard by the right and left ears. It’s an important state because it causes hemispheric synchronization between the right and left hemisphere of the brain. This makes the brain operate more efficiently.

"Binaural beats occur when two sine (pure) waves of slightly differing frequency are presented to the left and right sound channels:  the difference between the left and right is synthesized by the brain and  perceived as a slowly modulated frequency. This is known as a binaural beat frequency. This beat frequency is typically modulated at the same frequency as the lights." (From the Mindplace Site)