The Neural Radio

Normally, the two hemispheres of the brain vibrate at different frequencies, but Monroe discovered that they could be easily synchronized. He also found that when both hemispheres were entrained to vibrate right around eight cps, creativity, intuition, and a tendency towards extrasensory perception all increased dramatically.

Research has shown that the human brain operates at a wide range of frequencies, but generally stays in four major levels of awareness known as beta (13 to 30 cps), alpha (8 to 12 cps), theta (5 to 7 cps), and delta (1 to 4 cps). The highest level is beta, and in this state the brain is active and very awake. This state is usually associated with intellectual thought and verbal expression. When you are talking up a storm, your brain is vibrating between 13 and 30 cps.

The alpha level is the next state down, and it is associated with a much more relaxed, calm, and creative waking state. A nice alpha level can be achieved with a simple meditation of slowing your breathing. As your breathing slows, other body functions including your brain frequencies will begin to relax and slow down. When you are completely relaxed but not yet asleep your brain hums at around 8 to 12 cycles per second. 8 or 9 cps is considered a very creative state, marked with contemplative thought and increased intuition.

Moving down the awareness scale we arrive at the theta frequencies, and a very interesting set of frequencies they are. This 5 to 7 cps range is where dreams, deep hypnosis, ESP, out-of-body projections, channeling, and other odd mind phenomena start to pop up. Somewhere in this range lies what is called the hypnagogic state that twilight-zone of consciousness on the border between being awake and being asleep. This is grey area where conscious and subconscious start to overlap. Most of us only get quick, half-remembered glimpses into this realm as we are going to sleep or waking up. However, with Monroe's techniques of brain entrainment, this theta state can be sonically induced allowing the entrainee to have extended periods of theta exploration.

The last level of brainwave activity is the delta range, and these frequencies are usually only associated with deep, dreamless sleep.