Brainwaves and your State of Mind

When I started learning about sound healing, I got to experience how it affects our brain activity frequencies. Brain waves are very relevant to our mental health, as abnormalities in brain functioning can influence the development of certain conditions. If brain rhythms are unstable, we may experience obsessive compulsions, develop epilepsy, or have panic attacks.

When certain areas of the brain are over-aroused, various issues such as anxiety, nightmares or other sleep problems, impulsivity, and aggression may arise. However, too little arousal in the brain will also cause problems with depression, chronic pain, and insomnia.

I would recommend everyone understand how certain activities (such as yoga and meditation) influence our brainwaves, and therefore, affect our state of mental wellbeing,

What are brainwaves?

Brainwaves by definition are small electrical currents that can be measured by the number of vibrations or waves per second. They are expressed in Herz (Hz) and are measured by an EEG, which can be divided into five different categories based on the number of Hz.

The raw EEG has usually been described in terms of frequency bands: 

  • Gamma (greater than 30Hz)
  • BETA (13-30Hz)
  • ALPHA (8-12 Hz)
  • THETA (4-8 Hz)
  • DELTA (less than 4 Hz)

* Note: different organisations may have categorised the waves with slight differences in the wave range. Some may have defined Gamma frequencies from above 40Hz, and others for Delta under 3.5Hz.

(Image credits to Jefferson Health Organisation)

Gamma rays

Gamma rays are the fastest of brain waves. It can be described as a high-pitched wave which sounds like a flute. It relates to the simultaneous processing of information from different brain areas. It passes information rapidly, and as its most subtle of the frequencies, the mind has to be quiet to access it. It is highly active when in states of universal love, altruism, and the ‘higher virtues’. Gamma rhythms modulate perception and consciousness, disappearing under anaesthesia.

Beta brainwaves

Beta brainwaves dominate our normal waking state of consciousness when attention is directed towards cognitive tasks and the outside world. It is a ‘fast’ activity, present when we are alert, attentive, engaged in problem-solving, judgment, decision-making, or focused mental activity.

Three bands of Beta brainwaves are further divided: Lo-Beta (Beta1, 12-15Hz) can be thought of as a ‘fast idle’, or musing. Beta (Beta2, 15-22Hz) is high engagement or actively figuring something out. Hi-Beta (Beta3, 22-38Hz) is highly complex thought, integrating new experiences, high anxiety, or excitement. Continual high frequency processing is not a very efficient way to run the brain, as it takes a tremendous amount of energy.

Alpha brainwaves

During quietly flowing thoughts and in some meditative states, Alpha brainwaves are dominant. It is ‘the power of now’, being here, in the present. Alpha is the resting state for the brain. Alpha waves aid overall mental coordination, calmness, alertness, mind/body integration and learning.

Theta brainwaves

In sleep but are also dominant in deep meditation, Theta brainwaves occur most often. Theta is our gateway to learning, memory, and intuition. In theta, our senses are withdrawn from the external world and focused on signals originating from within. It is that twilight state which we normally only experience fleetingly as we wake or drift off to sleep. In theta we are in a dream; vivid imagery, intuition and information beyond our normal conscious awareness. It’s where we hold our ‘stuff’, our fears, troubled history, and nightmares.

Delta brainwaves

Delta brainwaves are slow, loud brainwaves (low frequency and deeply penetrating, like a drum beat). They are generated in deepest meditation and dreamless sleep. Delta waves suspend external awareness and are the source of empathy. Healing and regeneration are stimulated in this state, and that is why deep restorative sleep is so essential to the healing process.

What brainwaves mean to us?

Our brainwave profile and our daily experience of the world are inseparable. When our brainwaves are out of balance, there will be corresponding problems in our emotional or neuro-physical health.

Regular practices of traditional Eastern methods such as meditation and yoga are great for training our brainwaves into balance. Applying mindfulness practices in our daily lives helps us to better keep our brain frequency under control.

Meanwhile, Hypnosis therapy is also a very effective tool to directly access our subconscious minds. As it is mostly working under the deeper states such as Alpha, Theta and Delta, participants are much more open to suggestions that will modify their emotions and behaviours.

(Image credits to Ally Boothroyd who promotes Yoga Nidra for mental wellbeing)

MengjiaMindfulness logo

Inspired by the brainwaves, I designed my logo to represent different states of our minds.

In a buoyant wellbeing journey, your mind always fluctuates and moves according to various life situations. I imagine sometimes we reach a Gamma state with spiky waves that shape like a mountain. However, it could also be calming Alpha waves that shape like the ocean.

In mindfulness principle, it is not about controlling how it moves, but simply recognising and observing it. With effective methods, we will learn how to stay in some comfortable states for a longer time. So our body and mind can receive more relaxation from it.