He had his subject stand in a room and placed a tuning fork on one side connected to a tube leading to the subject's ear. The discovery of how binaural beats work was made in 1839 by Heinrich Wilhelm Dove, a Prussian physicist and meteorologist.ĭove was an enthusiastic experimenter and his experiments paved the way for exploration in brainwave entrainment.Īt the time, headphones were not available, so Dove conducted an experiment to make his discovery. The Discovery of Binaural Beats Heinrich Willhelm Dove In much the same way, binaural beats provide numerous benefits, including deeper meditation, stress relief, reduced anxiety, improved focus, better sleep, and more. Tibetan monks, Native American shamans, Hindu healers, and master yogis, for example, have utilized repetitive drumming and chanting to induce specific states of being for meditation, transcendence of consciousness, and healing. Indeed, repetitive beat formats have played a crucial role in the well-being and prosperity of nearly every ancient culture.
This research supports the theories that suggest that the use of the drum by indigenous cultures in ritual and ceremony has specific neurophysiological effects and the ability to elicit temporary changes in brain wave activity, and thereby facilitates imagery and possible entry into an ASC (altered state of consciousness) ( 2). The pattern of the drumbeat as it relates to beats per second can be correlated with resulting temporary changes in brain wave frequency (cycles per second) and/or subjective experience, provided the drumming pattern is sustained for at least 13 – 15 minutes. This consistent rhythm induced a trance-like state in the tribe, as the brain followed along with the 4.5 beats-per-second brainwave frequency, which corresponds to a low Theta brainwave state, as you'll learn about later. Interestingly, scientist Melinda Maxfield, PhD, conducted research on the drumbeats used in ancient cultural rituals and found that they generally had a steady beat of 4.5 beats per second. But what they did know was that sound had powerful healing properties. Of course, in times past, societies didn't refer to music therapy, binaural beats, or brainwave entrainment of any kind. For example, the Chinese character for medicine includes the character for music ( 1).
Sound Therapy Through History: Rhythm & Repetition In this article, we'll explore the primitive forms of brainwave entrainment and music therapy, and then look at how binaural beats were discovered, how they work, and the scientific evidence for their effectiveness. While binaural beats is a fairly modern technology, sound and music therapy has been part of human societies for centuries. This theory is known as ‘Frequency Following Response' (FFR) The brain then follows along at the new perceived frequency and produces brainwaves of the same frequency. The effect is caused by the brain combining the two sounds and producing a third perceived frequency that is the difference between the two. The brain perceives the difference between the frequencies as a rhythmic beat. Binaural beats are an auditory illusion that occur when two different frequency sounds are played in each ear through headphones.
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