Brainwave Manipulation

Artwork by Aytuguluturk Electroenephalography (EEG) is the measurement, in real-time, of brain waves. It requires the use of electrodes that are placed on the scalp. An amplifier and a visualization software are then used to graph the brain’s electrical activity. EEG graphing hit the mainstream recently, with several consumer-grade sensors becoming available, some for as little as $100. The non-invasive sensors are placed on the scalp and forehead. Clinical-grade caps include far more sensors than their cheap counterparts and pick up electrical activity from the 8 major brain regions, which are: the frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal lobes, as well as the limbic system, the brain stem, the cerebrum and cerebellum. Together, these eaves-dropping sensors give us a picture of what’s going on in someone’s head in real time. Cliniciams have learned not just to measure but to also manipulate brainwaves in non-invasive ways. In Neuropsychology, therapists use methodologies like LENS , Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation , or learning-based neurofeedback , to alter undesirable brain states. These methods can help people with a myriad of issues like chronic pain, anxiety, depression or PTSD. The Monroe Institute , founded more than 30 years ago by Robert Monroe, pioneered an auditory method for alternate brainwaves, using Bianaural Beat technology. Monroe and his students claim that by using binaural beats in controlled conditions, we can learn to access higher states of consciousness, leave our bodies and engage in boundless astral travel . While this claim is quite radical, the therapeutic power of brain entrainment using binaural technology is not. If you’re interested in any form of mental or physical self-mastery, you’ll want to know about brain waves and what they have to teach us about cognition. And you’ll be interested to know that manipulating the electromagnetic activity of our brains does in fact […]

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