Binaural Beats: What are they and can they help you?

Beginners in meditation may wonder: I wish there was an effortless way to get deeper into my meditation. There may be a way for this wish to come true through binaural beats. Binaural beats are sounds played through stereo headphones. They are actually at two different frequencies, but the brain perceives them as one sound. It is actually very interesting stuff. If you click on the youtube video below, you can hear a sample of a binaural beat.

Sounds weird right? What exactly does it do? Binaural alter your brain waves in a way to relax your body and mind. They can bring your brain to the alpha level and the theta level (some even the delta level). People have reported getting high and achieving astral projection through certain types of binaural beats. There are also binaural beats made specifically for meditation. So can they help the meditator go deep in meditation? Yes, to put it shortly.

Binaural beats and meditation

I personally have tried binaural beats during meditation. Here is my advice for using them:

If you are a person who can not get their mind to relax, and always gets distracted from whatever you are focusing on, binaural beats can help. The correct binaural beat can get your mind to finally relax. You will love using binaural beats. When I first started out, they helped relax my out of control 14 year old mind. They are, however, training wheels.

There is nothing wrong with using them for training your mind for meditation, but there will come a time where you must get off of binaural beats. You will notice that the beats seem to not enable you to go deeper into your meditation; they lock you in place. You may notice that you may be able to relax quicker than the rate the binaural beats try to relax you by.

So my advice is this: If you are new and your mind can not relax, try a few sessions with binaural beats to get your mind under control, then try a few sessions without and see how it goes. You may notice your mind will not be as noisy.

AWESOME! Where can I get some?

Good question. If you Bing or Google "Binaural beats meditation" you will find A LOT of things. Even youtube has stuff. You will notice that some binaural beats cost money. I advise you not spend a lot, as you may not use them very long to get your moneys worth (learned that one the hard way). There are free ones out there to try, but if you decide on buying a few, read reviews first, and make sure you're not getting ripped off. You can find a whole bunch of MP3s for your ipod or Zune and Amazon for prices that won't break your bank.

Other Uses?

I've stated before that binaural beats could get you high and have out of body experiences. Although all over the internet, you hear people saying "IT WORKS!" for me it does not. I've yet to have an "out of body experience" from a binaural beat (and I have not tried any of the ones that are supposed to get you high. I meditate, there's no need). They do relax the body and mind, which is what the meditation binaural beats do. So if you buy one, but have no effects with leaving your body, you can use it for meditation instead for similar results.

I don't know, I may be immune to those other uses, but I will say that the ones for meditation did work for me when I started out, and they may help you too.

So are these dangerous?

They can be dangerous if you suffer from seizures, have heart problems, or listen to them while driving or operating heavy machinery (wow, I sound like a commercial). I've never had a problem; of course I don't have any of the above conditions, so if you do, consult your doctor or listen at your own risk (disclaimers are scary aren't they?).

Conclusion

So in conclusion, if you need something that can relax your mind, try some binaural beats (unless you suffer from seizures) and see how it goes. They might be the thing that can finally get your mind to relax if you are just starting out. Just don't become dependent on using them-they are training wheels remember.

So have you ever tried binaural beats? How were they or did they help for you? Do you have any recommendations for good ones? Comments are welcome.

Happy Meditating!

-Seth