BINAURAL BEATS AS A TOOL IN RECOVERY

Tools for Addiction Recovery

When people enter recovery from an addiction they will be faced by many challenges. They will need to overcome these obstacles in order to find success in their new life. Luckily these challenges are never more than the individual can manage. There are also some wonderful tools that can help people get the most out of their sobriety. One such tool may be binaural beats.

Binaural Beats Explained

Binaural beats are a type of brain entertainment that is believed to produce certain physical, mental and spiritual benefits for those using this audio technology. The word _binaural__ means having or relating to two ears. The technology works by sending different tones to each ear. The brain then manages to merge these two different tones into a new tone that the brain would not be able to pick up by just interacting normally with the environment. The real purpose of this technology then is to create this new tone because it is this that will be able to change the brainwave patterns and produce the desired effects associated with binaural beats.

By using different combinations of sound it is possible to produce a number of different brainwave patterns. For example, it is possible to create a similar pattern to what people might experience when they are mediating.

Types of Binaural Beats

Binaural beats helps to produce a variety of different brainwave patterns and each of these will have different benefits associated with them. There are a number of different brainwave patterns that people can experience including:

• The gamma wave pattern occurs with heightened mental functioning. When the brain is following this pattern it is easier to reason and solve problems.
• The beta wave pattern is what people usually experience when they are active and busy. It means that the individual is mentally aroused and focused.
• The alpha wave pattern is what people experience when they are relaxing but still awake.
• The theta wave pattern is associated with deep states of meditation. It is also what people enter when they are in non-REM sleep.
• The delta wave pattern is what people enter when they lose their body awareness or enter deep dreamless sleep.

Benefits of Binaural Beat

The potential benefits of using binaural beats include:

• Listening to these beats can provide deep levels of relaxation. This is important because so many people lead such hectic lives that it is likely to be damaging their mental and physical health.
• This form of brain entertainment can lead to stress reduction. This is important because so much of the illness that people deal with in the modern world is stress related.
• They can help people sleep better at night. Listening to binaural beats before bed may even lead to a deeper sleep where the individual will not be tossing and turning all night.
• Binaural beats can lead the mind into meditative states. There are some important physical, mental, and spiritual benefits connected to regular meditation.
• It is suggested that this technology will help people achieve deep meditative states much faster than traditional meditation.
• Binaural beats can be combined with hypnotherapy to increase the effectiveness of both.
• Some people claim that listening to this type of music before bed helps them to lucid dream. The ability to lucid dream is beneficial because it means that the individual can make better use of the time when they are sleeping.
• It has been suggested that this type of brain entertainment can lead to improved mental functioning. It may even increase creativity and improve people’s ability to recall memories.
• Listening to these beats may help the individual reach higher states of consciousness. This may be of particular importance for those who are following a spiritual path in recovery.
• This form of brain entertainment may lead to increased positivity in life. This is important because those who hold a positive attitude tend to be more successful in life.
• Some people claim that certain beats can help them achieve an out of body experience.
• Listening to a binaural track may be beneficial for those who are dealing with pain.
• There are claims that these beats can help people stop smoking or stick to their diet.
• There are also claims that they may increase the ability to learn new things.

Potential Benefits of Binaural Beats for People in Recovery

There are a number of benefits connected to binaural beats that may be of particular important to those who are in recovery such as:

• Insomnia can be a real problem for people in early recovery, and listening to these tracks may improve their ability to sleep.
• It is now suggested that people in recovery to take up a meditation practice, but the problem is that many individuals find it difficult to concentrate – particularly in early recovery. Listening to these beats offers an easy way to fall into a meditative state.
• Early recovery is sometimes described as a rollercoaster ride – emotions can be all over the place, and it people may feel highly stressed.
• Listening to binaural beats may be of benefit to those who are going through withdrawal symptoms. At the very least it will act as a distraction so that the individual will be less focused on their discomforts.
• Negativity or stinking thinking can be a real danger for people in recovery so anything that may increase their positive outlook is to be welcomed.
• Some individuals suffer from post acute withdrawal symptoms (PAWS) that can last anywhere up to 2 years. These symptoms can include body discomfort that may be reduced by listening to binaural beats.
• One of the most annoying symptoms of post acute withdrawal symptoms is mental fogginess. It may be that listening to this brain entertainment can improve mental clarity.

Efficacy of Binaural Beats

There seems to be little doubt that binaural beats can help people reach meditative states. There has not been enough research though, to verify many of the claims for this technology. There is a great deal of money to be made by marketing these products as digital drugs or by making exaggerated claims for how beneficial listening to this audio entertainment can be. Until further research is conducted it is best to treat the more outrageous claims with a large dose of skepticism.

Tips for Getting the Most from Binaural Beats

In order to benefit from binaural beats it is recommended that:

• Those individuals who are in recovery from addiction are advised to keep away from those binaural beats that claim to simulate the effects of recreational drugs. Not only are the claims for these beats exaggerated, but it is also worrying why any person in sobriety should be seeking such effects.
• Part of the addictive personality is that people can be highly cynical and suspicious of things they have never tried before. It is best to approach technologies such as binaural beats with an open mind because they really can be helpful.
• In order to get the best results from this audio entertainment it is best to use good quality headphones. It may be possible to get some benefit from listening to binaural beats without headphones, but the results will be diminished.
• It is best that people carefully consider what they wish to achieve by using this brain entertainment. That way they will be able to choose the products that are most suitable for them.
• It is possible to spend a good deal of money buying binaural beat mp3s or other audio files. If people wish to avoid this expenditure they will find that there are plenty of free audio files available online.
• YouTube is a good resource for people who are looking for free binaural beats. Most of these tracks also come with graphics that work to heighten the experience.
• It is not a good idea to listen to the lower frequency binaural beats when driving a car or operating machinery. This is because they can make the individual feel groggy and their responses are likely to be slowed down.
• It is best to listen to binaural beats when alone at a time when the individual is unlikely to be disturbed. It is possible to use these tracks when other people are in the room but not if they keep interrupting or making noise.
• Most people find that this brain entertainment is more effective when they close their eyes. This is because it allows them to withdraw from the world.
• It is best to leave some time for relaxation after listening to binaural beats. This is because people can feel a bit groggy afterwards, and they may not want to do much.
• If people are feeling particularly stressed it may take longer for the binaural tracks to have an effect.
• In order to get the most from this technology it will be necessary for people to develop a daily routine where they set aside some time for listening to binaural beats – 20 minutes will probably be enough. Those who only use this brain entertainment on an irregular basis are unlikely to get too much benefit.
• It may be a good idea to use this technology as an introduction to meditation. Once they become more comfortable with meditation they may then wish to let go of this tool.