adminThis article will document the process used to construct ‘The Bliss Code‘, a brainwave entrainment session with visual elements designed to induce the ultimate state of relaxation, for the purpose of either meditation, pain relief, or pre-sleep.
Entrainment will be administered through the use of binaural beats. To further enhance the effect, we will be incorporating relaxing imagery and chromatherapy, specifically those hues which have been shown to have relaxing/pacifying effects.
BINAURAL BEATS
We will be focusing on the lower end of the brainwave spectrum, from low alpha, through to Theta and finally at Delta. Why these frequencies?
Theta
Research on sleep and meditation have all demonstrated links to theta brainwave activity. In the case of meditation, theta brainwaves have been shown to be present in those practicing transcendental and zen meditation (Cahn, 2006). These meditative theta states are also associated with the generation of vivid mental imagery and general feelings of peacefullness and well-being.
Delta
Slow, high amplitude delta waves form the main signature of sleep within the EEG (electroencephalogram). Studies have shown how listening to delta brainwaves every night before bed can lead to a dramatic improvement in sleep quality, and as a result, a reduction in general fatigue. (Siever, D. 2002)
Alpha
Alpha brainwaves are generally associated with a state of relaxed awareness and appear immediately when you close your eyes, which is part of the process leading to sleep. Like Theta waves, extensive research has shown alpha waves to be dominant in those who are meditating or experiencing deep, blissful mental states.
CHROMOTHERAPY
Phototherapy and chromotherapyhave been in use for several thousand years but these practices have only recently started gaining momentum as valid science, with researchers now able to study how color affects psychological, and in some cases, physiological behavior.
One example is the use of full spectrum white light to treat the symptoms of SAD, which occur as a result of a lack of sun exposure.
Within the field of chromatherapy, ‘cooler’ colors with a shorter wave length are considered to have a relaxing effect, which can in turn lower blood blessure, while colours on the opposite end of the spectrum with longer wavelengths such as red and orange may have a more stimulatory effect.
The use of colour as a relaxant and pacifier was demonstrated at San Bernardino County Probation Department in California, where children under detention were placed in a cell decorated in bubble-gum-pink at the first signs of misbehaviour. The children would relax, stop shouting and often fall asleep within ten minutes. Around 1,500 hospitals and correctional facilities within America have also implemented this colour scheme within at least one room to great success.
French company Mycoocoon have developed a ‘colour therapy pod’ which Londoners can use to improve their well-being on a stressful commute – with a cool blue used to induce calm and relaxation.
In one study, when 98 university students were asked about the associations they have regarding different colours, blue elicited the most positive emotional responses, i.e. calm, peace and comfort, and a low number of negative emotions such as sadness, anger and depression. Nancy Stone, PhD, from the Missouro University of Scence & Technology observed how people engaged in challenging activies were a lot less anxious after being exposed to this hue.
In my opinion, the effects of colour can be largely subjective depending on culture and personal psychology, but within the context of a relaxation session, I feel that for the majority of people, the cooler hues such as blue, turquoise, and purple are more likely to help achieve the desired effect.
RELAXING IMAGERY
The images used are divided into 3 categories and have been chosen based on research by psychologists and neuroscientists; green spaces, seascapes and fractals, both natural and man made.
Green Spaces
Research has shown that those living near green spaces experience less mental distress. However, photographs of greenery also have the same effect on quelling stress, as demonstrated by a 2012 study in which patients who were exposed to real plants or posters of plants experienced significantly less stress than those who viewed neither.
Seascapes
We realise instinctively that being near water makes us happier, reduces stress, and brings us a feeling of peace, but researchers like Dr. Wallace J Nichols have combined water science and neuroscience to show how the sight and sound of water can physically alter the connections in our brain and reduce the body’s natural fight-or-flight response. This is achieved through the use of brain scanning equipment, heart rate monitoring, and other behavioral experiments to demonstrate physiological cause for these positive emotional responses.
Fractals
Natural fractals are repeating patterns which recur on increasingly smaller scales, and are abundant in nature, for example in flowers, leaves, shells, tree trunks, rivers, seas etc. The calming effect of viewing these fractals may be related to how our brains evolved to interpret them, says Richard Taylor from the University of Oregon. “The idea is that, through evolution, our visual system has developed to efficiently process the visual patterns of fractals that are prevalent in nature. This increased efficiency results in the observer becoming relaxed.”
Taylor went as far as measuring people’s nervous system activity (via skin conductance) and found that recovery from stress increased while viewing fractal geometries.
Man made fractal designs, including those which are computer generated, seem to have a similar calming, yet mesmerising effect on us. Examples of architectural fractals include the Pha Thuat Luang, the Shikhara and Humayun’s Mausoleum.