Generating Theta Brainwaves for Healing

Of the 5 frequencies (beta, alpha, theta, delta & gamma) that our brain experiences, the theta brainwave range is the one in which the body and mind’s natural self healing processes are activated and optimised. 

Theta brainwaves are present during deep relaxation, dreaming, meditation and hypnosis. Theta brainwaves can be a source of creativity, intuition, increased memory and enhanced concentration. When theta brainwaves are induced by certain mental practices,  they lower stress and anxiety levels, as well as facilitate healing and growth.

Theta is an important wave, not only because it facilitates the ideal mental/physiological state for healing, it also enables us to access the power and wisdom of our unconscious mind, that is normally inaccessible in more alert states.

Benefits of stimulating our brain with theta brainwaves:

Mind and body healing
During theta brainwave activity, both the body and mind experience enhanced rejuvenation, growth, and healing. Due to the deep levels of relaxation that theta brainwaves facilitate, the body and mind are easily able to restore themselves during and after illness, as well as after mental burnout and physical exertion.

Boosted immune system
Increasing your theta brainwaves helps to optimise your immune system’s function due to the fact that theta brainwaves are associated with vitality and the elimination of stress. Stress and anxiety can do harm to the immune system by releasing a surplus of harmful chemicals such as adrenaline, including the hormone cortisol, which in oversupply are damaging to the immune system. Theta brainwaves activate the release of pleasant chemicals and neurotransmitters to help keep your immune system at its peak.

Deep levels of relaxationTheta brainwaves are most common during sleep, deep meditation, self hypnosis and amongst young children. Through entraining your brain to theta rhythm, you can access pleasantly relaxed states that are rare amongst adults during daily routines.

Stress and anxiety reduction
Theta brainwave entrainment causes deep mental and physical relaxation, which in turn reduces stress and anxiety levels.

Intuition increase
Through accessing theta brainwaves, your intuition will increase as well as your ability to identify “gut” feelings. In other words, your ability to ‘see’ and ‘hear’ outside the borders of the physical senses expands, and therefore your perception of reality expands too. Through training your brain with meditation, self hypnosis or brain entrainment, you awaken your deeper intelligence, also known as the ‘inner genius’.

Subconscious connection
Theta brainwaves allow you to connect deeply with your unconscious mind (subconscious). Your unconscious mind is the collective intelligence of all cells in your body. It regulates all your autonomic body functions. It houses your emotions, imagination, memory, habits, intuition, and is your personal pathway to even more subtle levels of consciousness.

Ability to program your unconscious mind (subconscious)
Meaningful personal transformation results from a shift in the unconscious mind. The only way to reach and change major set beliefs and emotional responses of the unconscious mind is through hypnosis or theta brainwave entrainment.
Through self hypnosis or theta brain entrainment, you can access the unconscious mind for the purpose of facilitating core healing and change. Therefore theta brainwave entrainment is a great resource for both Hypnotherapists as well as those using self hypnosis.

The use of affirmations, mental imagery and hypnotic suggestion is far more effective when your brain is in theta rhythm. In this state you bypass your conscious mind that often acts as a “filter” and prevents you from changing your unwanted thought and behaviour patterns. Through being deeply relaxed, your unconscious mind accepts any healing related statements or mental pictures that you give it, without question, and begins to act on it immediately. Therefore it’s easier to clear any thought and behaviour patterns that you may want to change, and to install new, desirable thinking and attitudes as part of your personal development and growth.

High levels of creativity
Theta brainwave dominance is often found in highly creative individuals. Many talented musicians, inventors, and artists are found to have extremely higher than average amounts of theta brainwaves. Through entraining theta brainwaves your creativity will be enhanced.

Advanced problem solving skills
Theta brain waves help you to overcome “mental blocks” and enable you to access the FLOW state. The inability to solve problems is related to your inability to change your mental state. Inducing theta brainwaves changes your mental state and thereby offers new levels of thought and perception that enable you to approach any problem with greater resourcefulness. Theta brainwaves have also been associated with the ability to “hyperfocus” which means staying intensely focused and motivated with one idea.

Increase of the learning ability
It has been said that as your brain enters the frequencies of the theta range, you will be able to retain over 300% more information than you can while in your normal daily (beta brainwave) state. Theta brainwaves allow people to learn large amounts of information in a much quicker time than beta brainwave state.

Research has been done on language learning and development, claiming that the reason why children are able to pick up new languages so quickly is because of their increased amount of theta brainwaves. Adults and students of a new foreign language may greatly benefit from shifting their brainwaves to the theta range.

Improve long-term memory
As theta brainwaves increase, the ability of the brain to recall and store long-term memories increases. The hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in storing and processing memories, normally has a theta brainwave rhythm. With increasing levels of stress, beta brainwaves ‘disrupt’ the hippocampus. This is why stressed people often have a poor ability to recall long-term memories. One of the reasons why Hypnotherapy is effective is because clients, through having theta brainwaves induced, are able to recall “forgotten memories” as part of certain healing processes.

Emotional connection
Theta brainwaves are associated with your ability to feel emotions. Blocked or suppressed emotions can be experienced when theta brainwaves are stimulated. In this way you can learn to feel and understand your emotions better.

Bridges the spiritual connection
Many consider the peaceful and blissful state associated with theta brainwaves to be the bridge between the physical body and the spiritual realms. In the theta brainwave rhythm people sense a deep spiritual connection. According to some, the theta brainwave range provides enhanced spiritual awareness and profound insight. Many spiritual experiences and phenomena are commonly experienced in the theta brainwave state.

Paranormal experiences
For those who are open to it, theta brainwaves are also associated with psychic experiences, such as Out Of Body Experiences, remote vision, ESP, and other phenomena. Even though most paranormal and psychic experiences can be argued to be real or fake, there is evidence that most people tend to have them when their mind has theta brainwave dominance. Some psychics are apparently able to access theta brainwaves in order to connect with non-physical beings and subtle realms of consciousness.

Technically, theta brainwaves are patterns of electrical activity of the brain ranging from 4 to 8 Hz. Here are the typical qualities of the entire theta range:

4.5 Hz – Brings about Shamanic/Tibetan state of consciousness, Tibetan chants.
4.9 Hz – Induce relaxation and deeper sleep
4.9 Hz – Introspection. Relaxation, meditation
5 Hz – Reduces sleep required. Theta replaces need for extensive dreaming
5.35 Hz – Allows relaxing breathing, free and efficient
5.5 Hz – Inner guidance, intuition
6.5 Hz – Centre of Theta frequency. Activates creative frontal lobe
7.5 Hz – Activates creative thought for art, invention, music. Problem solving
7.5 Hz – Ease of overcoming troublesome issues
7.83 Hz – Schumann earth resonance. Grounding, meditative, Leaves you revitalized
3 – 8 Hz – Deep relaxation, meditation. Lucid dreaming
3 – 8 Hz – Increased memory, focus, creativity
4 – 7 Hz – Profound inner peace, emotional healing. Lowers mental fatigue
4 – 7 Hz – Deep meditation, near-sleep brainwaves.

Interestingly, the planet Earth resonates at a Theta frequency of 7.83 Hz, a frequency known as Schumann Resonance.

Certain Healing Trance-Formations recording entrains your brainwaves to 7Hz, for almost the full duration of the one hour track, and increases to 12Hz in the final 6 minutes, to leave you in alpha state (relaxed body and alert mind) at the end of the track.

Important Medical Warning
If you are using a pacemaker, or if you have had or are prone to seizures, or are epileptic, then brain entrainment technologies, should only be used with permission from your Medical Doctor.

Theta brainwaves are typically more predominant amongst those with ADD, therefore using products that stimulate theta brainwaves is not recommended for people with ADD. If you have been diagnosed with ADD or think that you may have this disposition, please only use theta brainwave producing recordings with the permission and care of your Medical Doctor.

Of the 5 frequencies (beta, alpha, theta, delta & gamma) that our brain experiences, the theta brainwave range is the one in which the body and mind’s natural self healing processes are activated and optimised.

Theta brainwaves are present during deep relaxation, dreaming, meditation and hypnosis. Theta brainwaves can be a source of creativity, intuition, increased memory and enhanced concentration. When theta brainwaves are induced by certain mental practices, they lower stress and anxiety levels, as well as facilitate healing and growth.

This article is by Jevon Dangeli hypnotherapist, NLP trainer http://jevondangeli.com

 

Gong bath for Stress

Gong meditation is a powerful sonic practice that enables one to experience how it feels to step out of the reality we are all taught since day 1. The first Gong was accidentally made over 4000 years ago. Although Gong meditation could be thought as merely just another fad activity, it really is not.

Gongs have been used as shamanic tools and celebratory instruments for thousands of years, and are truly part of the tradition that is sound healing, which uses techniques such as chanting, drums, and Tibetan bowls to name few. 

The benefits one can get from being exposed to the tones of the gongs are numerous, yet vary considerably. Most people when they are around gongs have been noticing a major improvement in the quality of their sleep, a better ability to cope with stress, and a sense of familiarity with stillness and contentment.

I have been practising Yoga and Meditation for decades so would like to write about how Gongs can alter the state of consciousness.

Our normal waking consciousness corresponds to the Beta state, which is our brain emitting waves between 13-30Hertz. The feeling of relaxation and concentration is linked to the Alpha state, which sends waves between 8-13Hertz. Then we can go into Theta state (5-7Hertz), associated with Rapid Eye Movement and release of muscular spasms and energetic blockages. Last but not least, Delta state (0.5-4Hertz), emitting extremely low vibrations associated with deep sleep and other unconscious states.

To illustrate this frequency state, a lot of us tend to be on a full on Beta state with a little dash of Alpha during the day, and if fortunate enough, a decent amount of hours spent emitting Delta waves at night. We do not necessarily want 10 hours of Theta waving nevertheless, we all need considerably more time spent in Theta state, so that we are able to concentrate and relax on demand through Alpha waves.

Talking about switching from one state to another, most Yogis excel at the task. Some of them even can alter their heart beat, production of body heat as well as sweat production!

Gong symbolises G Force, Generating, Organising and Destroying Force. It puts the mind in a deep meditative state. It is extremely powerful. Gong played well is a gift of God, putting Heaven right on Earth. Bad gong playing can actually damage you. It can disrupt the flow of energy in the body. 

The Gong sound brings the mind to its most positive point where it can be at its most productive and efficient. It will tell the body to go to its optimum strength where healing and vitality can be released.

The Gong sound is associated with the Universe and with Ancient cultures. You feel the sound vibration right in your core, in your gut. It is an incredible experience. Listen and enjoy the Gong bath experience! If you ever have the chance to participate in a live gong bath, don't miss it! Recording will never replace live music experience and I mean no amplification either! Real, live, natural sound!

That 8 glasses of water a day revisited

This article came in the Newsletter by email from my Physio where I do Pilates every week:

DO WE NEED TO DRINK 8 GLASSES OF WATER A DAY? 

We’ve heard it for years: "you need to drink at least eight glasses of water a day". But is this actually true – do we need this much water every day? You only need to walk down the street and see the number of people carrying water bottles to know that water (particularly bottled water – but that’s another story) has become a big part of our lives. Many people have become “aquaholics” and it has almost become part of our daily checklist to ensure we have a full bottle of water to take out of the house with us.

In reality, 8 glasses of water equates to approximately 2 litres of fluid per day. Water is present in many other forms and foods than just tap or bottle water. Water is in fruit and vegetables and many of the other foods we eat. It’s in tea and coffee, alcohol, juices. 

So the reality is – you do not have to consume all the water you need through drinks.

It is possible that the “8 glasses of water a day” advice stems back to 1945, when the US Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council wrote: "A suitable allowance for adults is 2.5 litres daily in most instances. Most of this quantity is contained in prepared foods". So, as mentioned above, most of the water you need is already there in the food you eat. It seems that this last important sentence: "Most of this quantity is contained in prepared foods" just got ignored.

In reality, we get approximately 1 litre of water a day from our foods (4 cups worth). Your body produces another 250 mls (1 cup) of water a day as it metabolises fats, proteins and starches within the body. So using the above recommendation, you would really only need an additional 4 cups of water a day to satisfy the above recommendation. Even tea, coffee, milk and juices have fluid content that counts in this additional 4 cups worth – it doesn’t have to be solely plain water!

So it seems that there is no magic threshold of water consumption that we need to strive for each day. So the question really becomes “Are we healthier if we drink more water”. There is no doubt that replacing carbonated, sugar filled soft drinks with water would be a much healthier option, but unfortunately scientific studies have failed to find any evidence that simply drinking more water results in better health outcomes.

What about drinking water to stave off dehydration? Do we need a recommendation to ensure we don’t drink too little water? The human body is an amazing structure, and it is finely tuned to signal you to drink long before you’re actually dehydrated. So listen to those little signals from your body – that feeling of thirst will tell you when fluid is required. This doesn’t mean you should wait until you are thirsty to drink – it just means that if you really require fluids because of low intake, your body will signal you before you enter the real dehydration phases.

And don’t forget that besides thirst, the body has another inbuilt mechanism by which you can detect if you require extra fluid – your urine colour! Ideally your urine will be a very pale yellow, but if it is showing a stronger yellow tinge, you are probably best to increase your fluid intake in the short term. And if you are over-hydrating (which is just as big a problem, as you will learn below) your urine will be almost clear and you should slow down your fluid intake.

CAN YOU DRINK TOO MUCH WATER? 

Unfortunately the answer is yes, and there are quite a few cases of this in the literature. It is common in endurance events, hot conditions, or for conditions such as cramping, to recommend the intake of high volumes of water. However science now suggests that the effect of over-hydration is quite possibly more dangerous than dehydration!

Hyponatremia occurs when someone consumes so much water that his or her body can’t rid itself of the excess via the usual means of sweating or urination. As a result, water levels rise in the bloodstream and sodium and electrolyte levels become diluted and fall as a consequence. This electrolyte imbalance can cause irregular heartbeat, brain malfunction, seizures and even death. The process of osmosis tries to balance this inequality by drawing water out of the blood and into the surrounding body tissues, causing the cells of these tissues to swell significantly. In effect, this process drowns the cells of the body in fresh water. If this process occurs in the brain, the response can be lethal. Think of it like “water intoxication”.

Hyponatremia has long been associated with endurance events like the marathon but is becoming increasingly common in sports such as triathlon. Thankfully hyponatremia is rare in the general population – it is more these endurance sporting events or hard climatic conditions that pose the risk.

What is fascinating (from a medical perspective) is that many of the deaths that happen with trekkers on the famous Kokoda track occur in young, healthy, and fit individuals. And even more interesting is that the majority of the deaths and evacuations happen in the first few days of the trek (not the last few torturous days as you would expect). In 2009 alone, four previously well hikers died of supposed hyponatremia. The thought process here is that on arriving at Kokoda, trekkers are hit immediately with the harsh and humid conditions, and knowing that the first few days of the trek are amongst the toughest climbs, try to “get ahead” by hydrating excessively. In an environment where your electrolyte balance is critical, drinking too much can have devastating effect!

There are however cases in the literature of people drinking themselves to death – there are a variety of reasons: dares, mental illness, and the attempt to overcome heat illnesses being a few. In one such example in 2007, a mother-of-three entered a contest run in California by a radio station. The person who could drink the most water without going to the toilet would win a Nintendo Wii game console. She drank about 7.5 litres of water, suffered severe swelling of the brain and died. She drank in a few hours three times as much as she normally took in over a whole day.

Consider even these thoughts related to excessive fluid intake:

• Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) sufferers often drink excessive fluid to replace the large amount of fluid they lose through sweating. However research suggests that it may be the excessive fluid intake that causes the excessive sweating: a self-reinforcing cycle that begins with the fluid intake, not the fluid loss!
• Excessive fluid intake in the evening can disrupt sleep. Overnight, the body releases an anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) to slow kidney function and make the urge to urinate weaker. Larger volume fluids in the evening can over-ride the ADH, fill the bladder, and wake you with the urge to urinate.

In summary, there is no evidence based recommendation for a specific amount of water people require daily. Amounts can vary greatly depending on what people eat, where they live, their body size, physical activities etc. What we can take from the evidence is that obsessing about reaching some water goal every day is unproductive. In fact obsessing about water intake can potentially result in the severe consequences of over-hydration. Most of us are going to get in three to four cups without doing anything out of the ordinary, and that’s likely to deliver nearly all of the benefits of water intake that we require.

For more interesting articles on health and exercise visit Southern Suburbs Physio Centre's website at http://www.sspc.com.au/blog.html