Sound that alters your brain? Dive into the science of binaural beats and discover if these auditory illusions can really change your mental state. The truth may surprise you.
You're sitting in a comfy chair in your living room and you put your favorite headphones on. You hit play on the track that you've carefully chosen for those specific and magical frequencies. You close your eyes, and the rhythmic but strangely disorienting beats start to fill your head, overwhelming your conscious mind, crowding out rational thought. You begin to drift, knowing that soon you'll be transported to another dimension, the beats guiding you seamlessly into an astral plane where you will soon communicate with non-physical entities.
Yes, that sounds far fetched, I know. But this is what some site authors claim when hawking their binaural beats CDs, MP3s and apps. Can an audio track using a specific set of frequencies actually transport you to another dimension? Well, probably not, but there is research that suggests at least some effect on brain activity. Also, an exploration of this topic wouldn't be complete if I didn't mention the Gateway Process, a meditation technique, studied by the US military, which some believe can result in altered states and is based in part on binaural beats.
With this two part series, I'll start at the beginning with what binaural beats are, discuss the supporting research and then share how you can create your own custom binaural beats mp3s for free.
First the definition. Fundamentally binaural beats are a type of auditory illusion - like an optical illusion for your ears. It's experienced when two different tones of specific frequencies are presented to each ear at the same time. Wikipedia has a good summary of how this works:
"For example, if a 530 Hz pure tone is presented to a subject's right ear, while a 520 Hz pure tone is presented to the subject's left ear, the listener will perceive the illusion of a third tone. The third sound is called a binaural beat, and in this example would have a perceived pitch correlating to a frequency of 10 Hz, that being the difference between the 530 Hz and 520 Hz pure tones presented to each ear."
I've listened to binaural beats tracks and I find that it works best when wearing headphones - especially noise cancelling. You really can hear a pulsing third tone and it does have a weird disorienting effect.
Here's an example track from YouTube.
So how do we go from experiencing a simple auditory illusion to the hyperbolic claims of astral projection when listening to these tracks?
Well at the root it has to do with the similar concepts of brainwave entrainment or frequency following response. This is the idea that brainwaves (electrical oscillations in the brain) will naturally synchronize to the rhythm of external stimuli like flickering lights, speech or music. The functional role of these oscillations are not entirely understood, but there is evidence that they correlate to cognitive functions or emotional state.
This is a topic that I'm particularly interested in and I've written a few articles about devices that are believed to support brainwave entrainment - such as Brion Gysin's Dreammachine and the similarly named Brain Machine.
Brainwaves can be identified by their distinct frequencies and are deeply intertwined with our states of consciousness, mental processes, and emotional well-being. There are four primary types: alpha, theta, delta, and beta. Here's a description of each and how they relate to mental state:
Alpha waves, ranging from 8 to 12 Hz, are often associated with a state of relaxed alertness. When you close your eyes and take a few deep breaths, your brain naturally shifts into this frequency. Alpha waves are dominant during periods of light meditation, daydreaming, and creative visualization. They play a crucial role in:
Theta waves, oscillating between 4 and 8 Hz, are associated with deep relaxation and meditation. This frequency is often linked to the subconscious mind, where memories, emotions, and sensations reside. Theta waves are prominent during:
Delta waves, the slowest brainwaves ranging from 0.5 to 4 Hz, are dominant during the deepest stages of sleep. These waves are crucial for physical and psychological restoration. Delta waves are significant for:
Although not initially mentioned, beta waves are also a key part of our brainwave spectrum. Ranging from 12 to 30 Hz, beta waves are linked to active thinking, problem-solving, and heightened alertness. These waves are predominant during:
What if just by listening to something you could alter your conscious state? That's the promise of binaural beats. The band of brainwave frequencies described above fall outside of human hearing, but it's possible with binaural beats to perceive an illusion of a tone within that band by presenting specific frequencies to the left and right ear. For example, if you wanted to generate a phantom 7Hz tone (theta range) you might present a frequency of 400Hz to the right ear and 393Hz to the left.
Some believe that if you listen to binaural beats for a long enough time, your brainwaves will naturally begin to oscillate at the same frequency. For example, if the theta band (4 Hz - 8 Hz) is associated with deep mediation, then binaural beats could potentially be a catalyst to achieving a meditative state.
But is this true? Well, a systematic review was done in 2023 of 14 previous studies that included healthy adults, with EEG to measure brain activity including control conditions, and the results were inconsistent:
Ultimately, the study did not provide a definitive answer.
The authors called for a more rigorous and standardized research to establish a clearer understanding of the effects of binaural beats on brain activity.
What about the claims that binaural beats can lead to out-of-body states and astral projection?
I believe the origin story probably dates back to work done by Robert Monroe of the Monroe Institute and their Hemi-Sync technology.
Robert Monroe, originally a radio broadcasting executive, became a pioneer in exploring altered states of consciousness and out-of-body experiences (OBEs). He founded The Monroe Institute in the 1970s to further research and educate about these phenomena. Monroe developed Hemi-Sync technology, which uses binaural beats to synchronize the brain's hemispheres, and which some believe creates specific brainwave patterns that facilitate deep relaxation, meditation, and altered states conducive to OBEs. His work popularized the concept of OBEs through his books, such as "Journeys Out of the Body," and his institute continues to offer programs and research on consciousness exploration and human potential.
The Monroe Institute created the Gateway Process which reportedly facilitates OBEs using their Hemi-Sync technology and achieved a certain amount of notoriety due to the US Army assessment of the technique back in 1983. It's an interesting theory and you can read a full transcript of the assessment here.
If you're intrigued about binaural beats and want to experiment yourself, check out my next member only article in this series where I'll show you how to create your own custom binaural beats tracks for free using open source software.
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