July 31, 2005

• How do you like my new banner?  JadedFey
  made it for me and posted a link to it in my guestbook over a week
  ago.  I just saw it today.  I lost all my routines, such as
  checking email and my Xanga feedback log daily, while we were waiting
  for our new comp.  I suppose eventually I’ll get back into
  the swing of things and maybe even start surfing Xanga again
  someday.  That should properly wait until I can spare the time
  from the neglected and delayed work I have to do, both around the
  homestead and online, but the temptation to catch up on events in your
  lives might overcome my shaky work ethic.

  Back to that banner:  Sarah knows me, knew better than to suggest
  I do a big makeover of my site.  That’s not my style.  I only
  rearrange the furniture when I get something new I need to make room
  for, or when something old disintegrates and has to be gotten
  out.  I like the new banner, not because it is new but because the
  title is even more eccentric than the old one, it includes my moniker,
  and has that 3D shaded effect.  Thank you, Anam Cara.

  
  Mind Stuff

  Several of you left provocative comments to the blog a few days ago, about Theta brainwave state.  I was in Beta, not Theta when I read the comments, or this one probably wouldn’t have provoked me:

  …the curse of genius and the bane of modesty
  Posted 7/27/2005 at 3:53 PM by dingus6

  Ever the master of ambiguity, dingus leaves me unsure whether he is
  implying that modesty is a bane, or if he means that having a
  well-functioning brain is a bane and modesty a virtue.  After
  prolonged semantic observation, I’ve concluded that in general usage,
  “modesty” tends to refer to feigned humility.   In case my
  meaning is obscure, I mean that in my experience most people whose
  speech and behavior is said to display modesty are in fact displaying
  false humility because they don’t want to risk social disapproval for
  boasting or incur God’s wrath for their hubris.

  Whatever was meant by dingus’s comment, it did get me to thinking about
  humility.  I won’t pretend to be stupid, nor conceal the
  intelligence of other members of my family, even though we all know
  that talking about a high IQ is inviting hostility from those who
  didn’t score as highly on their tests.  Nor will I try to hide the
  fact that I often do stupid things, and that my ability to learn new
  skills, languages, etc., is slowing down with age.  Maybe nobody
  but God knows how truly humble I am.  If I take any pride in my
  mental abilities, it’s a pathetic form of compensation for my physical
  disabilities.  In general, my attitude toward my mental talents
  and skills is one of gratitude.

  The “genius” to which I referred in that post is the jargon of
  psychometrics, a label generally applied to those of us who score in
  the top one or two percent on IQ tests.  It doesn’t imply anything
  other than a certain IQ score.  It’s a simple documented fact that
  both Greyfox and I have earned the label.  Both of us are past
  members of Mensa (top 2 percent) and Intertel (1%).  I took the
  so-called “World’s Hardest IQ Test” to see if I qualified for the Four
  Sigma Society (top one-hundredth of one percent) and failed with a
  score of 99.94.  See, even though I’m called a “genius” by those
  who make and administer IQ tests, I’m not so smart.  Out of every
  10,000 people, theoretically, according to that one test, there are 5
  who are smarter than I am.

  I don’t think I quite understand the whole meditation thing. I’m not sure why, but I don’t get it at all.

  *sigh* I feel like I’m missing something mainly because everyone keeps telling me how wonderful it is.

  Maybe it is. Maybe it isn’t.
  Posted 7/27/2005 at 2:47 PM by craftygirl

  Not “getting it” is perfectly normal for someone reared and educated in
  Western society.  Our culture values and rewards the kinds of
  thinking that are done in Beta brainwave state:  logical
  problem-solving for example.  Public schools don’t train people to
  slow down their brainwaves.  To the contrary, they work at making
  children maintain the Beta state, focused on language and logical
  thought.  The brains of young children tend to produce many more
  Alpha and Theta wave patterns than adult brains do.  This might
  account for children’s facility with daydreaming and their superior
  ability to communicate with “lesser” animals compared to adults. 
  It also can account for the phenomenon of “adolescent amnesia”, which
  causes most people to have difficulty recalling childhood experiences
  after they reach biological maturity.

  That last phenomenon is related to state-bound memory.  Memories
  recorded in one state are difficult to recall in a different
  state.  Drug users among my readers may be familiar with this
  phenomenon.  It also might ring a bell with those who have had a
  flood of forgotten traumatic memories emerge in the wake of a new
  trauma.  Many people who read my memoirs comment on the detailed
  recall I have of very early childhood events.  I didn’t have that
  detailed recall until after I began tinkering with my brainwave
  states.  I use psychoactive sound to induce Theta state when I’m
  writing my memoirs.

  i’m not sure precisely what theta is … but i wonder if sometimes i go
  there when i’m writing poetry because it just seems to happen … like
  i’m taking dictation or something
  Posted 7/27/2005 at 8:17 PM by pyramidtermite

  Neuroscientists have been recording the brainwaves of various people
  for several decades.  In addition to what I mentioned in the
  earlier blog about the finding that experienced meditators produce
  Theta waves, it has also been found that “creative” thought, the state
  described by pyramidtermite above, in which “inspiration” (whatever
  that is) just flows, involves Theta waves.  The brains of shamans
  in the “shamanic trance”, where they do their prophetic, divinatory,
  and healing work, produce a predominately Theta pattern.  Another
  interesting finding from some research done on war veterans with PTSD
  in VA hospitals, showed that the Theta state was therapeutic. 
  When those men had Theta waves induced by sound-and-light technology,
  they became able to discuss and process their traumatic experiences,
  and their conditions improved.

  Several of you suggested you’d like to know more about the subject:

  i would love for you to explain to me about the
  brainwaves and how you can control them. i’ve just started to meditate
  and it’s a frustrating process at the moment, but i know i will stick
  to it. What has been your experience with meditation and what kind of
  meditation do u do?
  Posted 7/27/2005 at 8:47 PM by Nala

  i’d like to learn more about brain waves. suggest a good starting point?
  Posted 7/28/2005 at 4:12 PM by TheCrimsonNinja

  perhaps the reason i’ve never been able to clear my thoughts enough to
  meditate can best be demonstrated in my reading this and thinking in
  the back of my head that it sounded like some odd fraternity/sorority
  was being discussed…Alpha Beta Theta Mu.
  like the others
  mentioned, i’d love to learn more.  i’d love to be able to train myself
  to sit and clear my thoughts.  grr.  self control would be a good start
  no doubt.
  and?
  Posted 7/29/2005 at 9:15 PM by LuckyStars

  The following is from Intelegen, Inc., a website that sells brainwave entrainment tools.

  Electrical
  activity emanating from the brain is displayed in the form of
  brainwaves. There are four categories of these brainwaves, ranging from
  the most activity to the least activity. When the brain is aroused and
  actively engaged in mental activities, it generates beta waves. These
  beta waves are of relatively low amplitude, and are the fastest of the
  four different brainwaves. The frequency of beta waves ranges from 15
  to 40 cycles a second. Beta waves are characteristics of a strongly
  engaged mind. A person in active conversation would be in beta. A
  debater would be in high beta. A person making a speech, or a teacher,
  or a talk show host would all be in beta when they are engaged in their
  work.
  
  
  
  The next
  brainwave category in order of frequency is alpha. Where beta
  represented arousal, alpha represents non-arousal. Alpha brainwaves are
  slower, and higher in amplitude. Their frequency ranges from 9 to 14
  cycles per second. A person who has completed a task and sits down to
  rest is often in an alpha state. A person who takes time out to reflect
  or meditate is usually in an alpha state. A person who takes a break
  from a conference and walks in the garden is often in an alpha state.
  
  
  
  The next
  state, theta brainwaves, are typically of even greater amplitude and
  slower frequency. This frequency range is normally between 5 and 8
  cycles a second. A person who has taken time off from a task and begins
  to daydream is often in a theta brainwave state. A person who is
  driving on a freeway, and discovers that they can’t recall the last
  five miles, is often in a theta state–induced by the process of
  freeway driving. The repetitious nature of that form of driving
  compared to a country road would differentiate a theta state and a beta
  state in order to perform the driving task safely.
  
  
  
  Individuals
  who do a lot of freeway driving often get good ideas during those
  periods when they are in theta. Individuals who run outdoors often are
  in the state of mental relaxation that is slower than alpha and when in
  theta, they are prone to a flow of ideas. This can also occur in the
  shower or tub or even while shaving or brushing your hair. It is a
  state where tasks become so automatic that you can mentally disengage
  from them. The ideation that can take place during the theta state is
  often free flow and occurs without censorship or guilt. It is typically
  a very positive mental state.
  
  
  
  The final
  brainwave state is delta. Here the brainwaves are of the greatest
  amplitude and slowest frequency. They typically center around a range
  of 1.5 to 4 cycles per second. They never go down to zero because that
  would mean that you were brain dead. But, deep dreamless sleep would
  take you down to the lowest frequency. Typically, 2 to 3 cycles a
  second.
  
  
  
  When we go
  to bed and read for a few minutes before attempting sleep, we are
  likely to be in low beta. When we put the book down, turn off the
  lights and close our eyes, our brainwaves will descend from beta, to
  alpha, to theta and finally, when we fall asleep, to delta.
  
  
  
  It is a well
  known fact that humans dream in 90 minute cycles. When the delta
  brainwave frequencies increase into the frequency of theta brainwaves,
  active dreaming takes place and often becomes more experiential to the
  person. Typically, when this occurs there is rapid eye movement, which
  is characteristic of active dreaming. This is called REM, and is a well
  known phenomenon.
  
  
  
  When an
  individual awakes from a deep sleep in preparation for getting up,
  their brainwave frequencies will increase through the different
  specific stages of brainwave activity. That is, they will increase from
  delta to theta and then to alpha and finally, when the alarm goes off,
  into beta. If that individual hits the snooze alarm button they will
  drop in frequency to a non-aroused state, or even into theta, or
  sometimes fall back to sleep in delta. During this awakening cycle it
  is possible for individuals to stay in the theta state for an extended
  period of say, five to 15 minutes–which would allow them to have a
  free flow of ideas about yesterday’s events or to contemplate the
  activities of the forthcoming day. This time can be an extremely
  productive and can be a period of very meaningful and creative mental
  activity.
  
  
  
  In summary,
  there are four brainwave states that range from the high amplitude, low
  frequency delta to the low amplitude, high frequency beta. These
  brainwave states range from deep dreamless sleep to high arousal. The
  same four brainwave states are common to the human species. Men, women
  and children of all ages experience the same characteristic brainwaves.
  They are consistent across cultures and country boundaries.
  
  
  
  Research has
  shown that although one brainwave state may predominate at any given
  time, depending on the activity level of the individual, the remaining
  three brain states are present in the mix of brainwaves at all times.
  In other words, while somebody is an aroused state and exhibiting a
  beta brainwave pattern, there also exists in that person’s brain a
  component of alpha, theta and delta, even though these may be present
  only at the trace level.

  

  Like Nala, LuckyStars and craftygirl, I just didn’t
  “get” meditation during my early adulthood.  All I got out of my
  earliest efforts at meditation was frustration.  It wasn’t until I
  was in prison that I had the necessary combination of seclusion, slack
  time, and motivation to actually achieve the altered state of
  consciousness.  It wasn’t easy.  I don’t recommend either
  prison or the “traditional” Eastern meditative techniques of stilling
  the mind.  We clever Westerners have come up with an easier
  way.  I had been out of prison for over a decade, years during
  which I “hadn’t had time” to meditate, before I found that easier way.

  It started with a little device I think was called the Alpha
  something-or-other.  In 1980, a lot of us in the weirdo New Age
  crowd were playing with these things.  Battery-powered, hand-held,
  with a metal strip one placed in the palm of the hand, the thing buzzed
  when you managed to relax and slow your brainwaves down to Alpha
  range.  It measured GSR, galvanic skin response, like lie
  detectors do.  It worked to train one to maintain the Alpha state
  through biofeedback:  at first, the buzzer would startle you back
  into Beta, but eventually you’d get conditioned to keep it buzzing by
  keeping yourself relaxed into Alpha.

  The next generation of popular consumer devices for training brainwaves
  was the Alpha-Pacer and its clones.  They were cumbersome things
  that worked with pulsed sound through headphones, flashing lights
  inside a modified scuba mask, and pulsed electrical fields through
  electrodes clamped to your earlobes.  I kid you not.  I still
  have my Alpha-Pacer, but somewhere I lost the next generation device
  that eliminated the ear clamps, reduced the size and weight of both
  the goggles and the signal generator, and provided a Theta option along with the Alpha.  But by the time I lost that
  thing, which I’d been given by the manufacturer as a test model because
  I was writing reviews of such devices for our shamanism newsletter, I
  had already quit using the flashing lights.  All I needed then or need now is the
  pulsed sound at the desired frequency.  It’s all anyone needs.

  In his book, Drumming at the Edge of Magic,
  Grateful Dead percussionist Mickey Hart wrote of observing how
  audiences and the band would “get into the groove” of his rhythm when
  they played.  That’s brainwave entrainment, the same thing that’s
  happening when a shaman shakes his rattle or beats his drum.  Jose
  and Lena Stevens, in Secrets of Shamanism:  Tapping the Spirit Power within you, suggested using an oatmeal box and pencil eraser.  Robert Monroe
  learned how to induce out-of-body experiences using “binaural beats”,
  auditory interference patterns, and popularized the method with many
  books and sound recordings.  I have written jillions of words about all of this, both for our old newsletter and on KaiOaty.  Here is one page,
  filled with general info and links to sources and resources.  One or two of those
  links no longer go anywhere useful.  I’ll get around to fixing it
  someday.  Meanwhile, here is the best link of all to sources of psychoactive sound recordings.

  

   

  • 10:13 pm
  • 15 Comments