A phenomena was discovered by Dr. Gerald Oster in 1973, at the Mount Sinai school of Medicine in New York. Dr. Oster had been investigating the effects of sound waves on the brain. He discovered that when he introduced, through headphones, two different tones separately to each ear that the brain would resonate at a frequency that was the difference of the two tones, ie. 400Hz introduced to the left ear and 406Hz introduced to the right ear would result in the a solid EEG (electroencephalagram) reading of 6Hz. He dubbed this phenomena binaural beats.

Before the binaural beat phenomena was discovered, there was no way to entrain or synchronize brain waves. Studies of brain waves were limited to the mental state of the test subject, and the waves that were produced as a result of that state rather than what states could be produced as a result of altering brain wave frequencies.

Robert Monroe, founder of the Monroe Institute of Applied Sciences in Virginia, conducted further studies of the binaural beat phenomena and discovered particular combinations of tones and frequencies that produce particular effects in humans. Out of the thousands of possible combinations of frequencies that could be produced, Monroe and his team settled on fifty three that had positive strong effects on the brain. Monroe patented this process in 1975, calling it Frequency Following Response or FFR. Monroe also developed a tape series designed to utilize the frequency combinations that he and his team discovered. He called the series HemiSync, short for Hemisphere Synchronization.

Scientist have generalized the different brain wave frequencies to indicate what sort of activity the brain is engaged in. The generalized frequencies are:

Beta(13-30Hz);

Alpha(8-13Hz);

Theta(4-7Hz);

Delta(0.5-4Hz).

Beta waves are associated with a "normal" level of arousal with attention directed externally. High Beta waves are associated with heavy stress.

Alpha waves are associated with relaxation. Theta waves are associated with deep reverie, mental imagery, and access to deep rooted memories. Delta is associated with deep sleep.

Many products have entered the market place utilizing not only audio FFR, but combining the photic driving response with audio FFR,(photic driving entails lights flashing at a particular frequency in the eyes to produce the FFR) to achieve particular brain states. The majority of the products now on the market have been approved by the Food and Drug administration (FDA), but what are the benefits of using one of these devices.

Scientist have discovered that at certain frequencies (particularly in Alpha and Theta range), the majority of the devices have been found to:

• alleviate stress
• promote long lasting and substantial reductions in subjects experiencing anxiety
• facilitate deep physical relaxation and mental clarity
• increase verbal ability and verbal performance IQ
• synchronize both hemispheres of the brain
• invoke vivid spontaneous mental imagery and imaginative creative thinking
• reduce pain, promote euphoria, and stimulate endorphine release

Some of the devices that have been tested are:

• DAVID (Digital Audiovisual Integration Device), invented by David Siever
• The Synchro Energizer, invented by Dennis Gorges
• The Relaxman
• Inner Quest and Inner Quest Pro I
• MCı

It is obvious that this technology is in it's fledgling stage of development and has the propensity to aid many, but where is this technology going? Will these machines become an industry to parallel or even surpass the effects that the personal computer has had on our lives or will future, more powerful advances be put on hold by the FDA? Only time will tell.

Sources:
Hutchinson, Michael. Mega Brain, 1986, Balentine Books.
Oster, Gerald. "Auditory Beats in the Brain." Scientific American, September 1973.
Davis, Joel. Endorphines: New waves in Brain Chemistry. Garden City, N.Y.: dial Press, 1984.
Warner, R.D. "Build A Synergy Card For Your PC, Parts l,ll,lll." Radio Electronics, September 1988, October 1988, November 1988