Meditation is one of, if not the very best, ways of dealing with stress. I am talking about inducing a brain state of low Alpha wavelengths or even a Theta state. If you are not familiar with these ideas, let me summarise what you need to know to make sense of what I’m writing about. The brain operates as an electrochemical organ. The electrical activity of the brain is generally described as brainwaves. There are four general demarcations of these brainwaves, ranging from the highest frequency to the lowest. When the brain is actively engaged or aroused it generates waves in a frequency of 15 – 40 cycles per second, but of a relatively low amplitude. This range is typical of someone teaching, debating, giving a speech or deep in conversation. This range is classified as the ‘Beta’ wavelength range, or as a ‘Beta brain state.’
Slower than the Beta range is the Alpha frequency range. An Alpha brain state has a frequency ranges of 9 to 14 cycles per second, but with a higher amplitude. A person taking a break from work, stares at the clouds for a moment or takes a leisurely walk in a garden, is typically in an Alpha state. This is the normal range for most people’s meditation, at least until they have achieved a degree of mastery.
Theta brainwaves, are of slower frequency but much greater amplitude. This frequency range is classified as being between 5 and 8 cycles a second. This is the state that deeper hypnosis will generally aim to induce. I should mention that Self-hypnosis, from a clinically verifiable perspective, is essentially identical to meditation, they are effectively the same brain state. Those moments when you are unfocussed and just staring out of the window, when someone asks you what you are thinking about and you realise that you were actually thinking of nothing, you were in Theta. When you are driving on a motorway and realise you can’t remember the last 5 miles, you were in Theta. What I find most fascinating about this state, is that you will often get a fabulous flow of great ideas. It is as if your unconscious mind is more open, or better able to function without critical interruption because your more conscious mind has quietened and stopped its constant chatter. People often say that they feel their intuition is more active in this state and this may be associated with the relatively high amplitude of the brain waves, though this is essentially difficult to quantifiably verify. Repetitious prayers or mantras, those that you know so well they require no conscious or active attention are often used to induce a Theta brain state. Arguably an even better way to induce a Theta brain state is guided meditation, because it requires, by design, less use of the active conscious brain. With practice, you will find that it takes only a moment to deliberately lower yourself into a Theta brain state, much like lowering yourself into a warm bath. This is similar to using a pulse monitor or blood pressure monitor as a biofeedback device. These are systems controlled by your central nervous system and normally entirely unconscious, but by observing the monitor it is possible to learn how to deliberately have some quantifiable effect.
For the sake of completion, I will mention Delta waves. These are generally in the range of 1.5 – 4 cycles per second and, unless something is really very wrong, you will be asleep. At the lower end of this range, you are in deep dreamless sleep. If your brain waves ever get down to 0 cycles, doctors will be considering the viability of harvesting your other organs.
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