Brain Entrainment Research

The history of brain entrainment research goes well beyond modern day brainwave entrainment software and electroencephalography (EEG). While modern entrainment programs, including isochronic tones and MP3 audio, have introduced users to a whole new way of synchronizing brainwave frequencies to desired states of mind to achieve more productivity and deeper states of relaxation, the research into how the mind responds to specific stimuli is an ongoing process.

The practice of brain entrainment, or brainwave entrainment, is really a more advanced form of meditation, and in that respect the history of brain synchronization can be traced back to tribal times when shamanistic rituals used drum beats to perform sacred rituals. The use of percussion in brain entrainment has been developed through the years to include binaural beats and now isochronic tones to help guide the brain in to frequencies that can help stimulate or calm the human mind. With the aid of computer generated rhythmic beats, it's now easier than ever to dial in to the exact frequency a user wants and synchronize their brain waves to the desired pulse.

Even as early as 200 AD when Ptolemy recorded the effects of flickering sunlight on a person's behavior, the groundwork was laid for future forays into brainwave entrainment using strobe lights and EEG machines. The combination of light and sound has had a profound impact on the research into brainwave entrainment as many tests have been conducted using both visual and auditory stimulus to find out how the brain reacts to specific pulses and whether or not those reactions lead to better brain synchronization.

Though light has been used throughout the brain entrainment research process, many users have found auditory stimulus to be better suited for synchronizing brain waves to desired frequencies. Research has been done using three types of sound pulses: binaural beats, monaural beats and isochronic tones. Binaural and monaural beats both had initial success, but were found to wear off quicker in terms of sustained results. Isochronic tones have been used more frequently in current brainwave entrainment practices since the results appear to last longer and the users ability to entrain to specific pulses is easier to achieve.

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