Do Binaural Beats Work? UPDATED 2020
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic” – Arthur C. Clarke
A Confession
I’ve been using Binaural Beats on and off for the last 10 years. They’ve been my trusty comrade for all sorts of explorations such as;
- Lucid Dreaming
- Out of Body Experiences
- Long Meditations (1-4+ Hours)
- Energy Work
- Energy Healing
- Mindfulness Practices
But also for more everyday activities such as studying, working, training, sleeping etc.
As much as I’ve enjoyed having this simple but powerful aid by my side, I’ve never really used any of the researched “high quality” Binaural Beats.
Yes, you read that right, I’ve been a YouTube Binaural Beats junkie!
Binaural Beats are all over YouTube. You’ll find hour-long free videos of them for all sorts of frequencies and for all sorts of emotions and disorders.
Like this one:
https://youtu.be/AaXcMirqcrU
The problem is, sound engineers seem to agree that YouTube’s compression lowers the quality of the Binaural Beats to such a degree that they are on the verge of useless—and at best, of low quality.
With 10 years of experience behind me—what’s the answer? Do binaural beats work?
I’ve decided to purchase what’s currently considered the best available Binaural Beats to see how they differ from all my years in the “YouTube zone”.
Then I’ll be able to answer the question.
But before we venture into that territory, if you’re still puzzled by the odd words of Binaural Beats and can’t stop visualising some sort of strange bongo drum—read on!
Binaural Beats Explained
Binaural Beats are audio recordings that contain two different frequencies on each side of your headphones.
The idea is that the brain will “make up” for the difference between the two, which makes your brain produce certain desired brainwaves.
For example:
If you have one side of your headphones playing a frequency of 30 Hz, and the other plays 44 Hz—your brain will “make up” for the missing 14 Hz and generate it itself.
This results in your brain producing 14 Hz brainwaves, also known as Alpha Waves.
There are a few different brainwaves with different functions that people seek out.
Gamma Waves
Gamma Waves are generally produced at 40 Hz.
They’re our fastest brainwaves and are often naturally produced during high performance and concentration.
We sometimes refer to this as “being in the zone”.
They are generally desired during times that requires high performances, learning, focus etc—since the Gamma Waves are what helps the brain link information together.
Beta Waves
Beta Waves are generally produced at 14-38 Hz.
This tends to be our “default mode” that we stay in during days at work and activity.
People producing high amounts of these Beta Waves tend to be said to have “monkey minds”, where thoughts come and go in high paces uncontrollably.
Since it tends to be our default mode and we often use Binaural Beats to change our default mode, it’s rarely a desired state to be in.
Alpha Waves
Alpha Waves are generally produced at 8-14 Hz.
This is where our mind starts to slow down, and we enter a state of increased calm and contemplation.
Their relaxing nature makes them great for creative and focus-demanding tasks.
It’s a highly desired state and often the reason people turn to meditation.
Theta Waves
Theta Waves are generally produced at 3-8 Hz.
This is a state of deep relaxation and creativity, accessible to most people only moments before they drift to sleep.
Experienced meditators are able to meditate themselves into this state. In my experience, it takes at least an hour by meditation alone.
Hallucinations are common in this state, which can be both a beautiful and/or scary ride of enough time in spent in it.
Delta Waves
Delta Waves are generally produced at any levels below 3 Hz.
This is the slowest state of brainwave activity and are generally produced when we are in non-dreaming sleep.
Very few people are able to stay conscious in this state, which makes its experiences hard to describe. But the few accounts heard of often describe it as being in a void.
Yoga Nidra is based on accessing this state consciously.
For most people (me included) it’s a hard state to access. At the very least to come out of with any recall.
Exploring the High End Binaural Beats
Alright! That was exciting wasn’t it?
Let’s take this to the next level and check out some high level Binaural Beats.
While there’s a lot of different companies offering high quality Binaural Beats, the ones that I saw most frequently and highly recommended were from binauralbeatsmeditation.com
(These are affiliate links, which means that a small percentage of the possible purchase goes to the maintenance of this site)
I bought the following tracks to begin with:
Why 2 Alpha Binaural Beats and one Theta?
If you’ve been reading this blog, you’ll know that I’m a big fan of The Wonder Method which allows you to unfold self-perpetuated drama and do effective energy healing. Once practiced diligently, it also helps you sense energy.
These 3 tracks had the most impact that I could feel energetically. Since Alpha is also a state of increased awareness and presence, this goes hand-in-hand with the with the more yin type of energy healing that I have a strong preference for.
So… Do Binaural Beats Work?
That’d have to be a big and sound YES!
While there’s a ton of confirming research here, I have to say that experientially they’re even more impressive.
The energy flow increases from the very second of putting them on and awareness is heightened not only for the duration, but across the span of the entire following day.
This allows for constantly unfolding of emotions, healing of others and/or allowing the quality of life to rise together with the present awareness.
While I’ve only been using them for a week, they’ve been with me diligently during morning meditations and focus-required efforts while working.
Do I sense a difference in these Binaural Beats in comparison to the YouTube Binaural Beats? You bet!
Don’t take my word for it though, I recommend that you experience it and come to your own conclusions.
How to Compare Binaural Beats
Grab a pair of headphones or earphones (Binaural Beats do not work well with speakers).
Close your eyes and feel your feelings. Very subtly. Don’t hold on to any certain feeling, just be aware of the flow that is, and allow it to stay dynamic and change as it wishes. Nothing needs to be accomplished here.
Now put on the YouTube Binaural Beats example while continuing to stay relaxed and feeling your feelings.
What do you feel? Does it feel more? Less? Don’t achieve, just be aware.
Subtlety is the name of the game.
Now put on either Zen Focus or Flow State. They’ve got samples you can use directly on the website.
They’re roughly the same frequencies and will give you a solid comparison.
What do you feel? No need to reach for any certain feeling, just be aware of the sensations.
Was there a difference between the two? Was there any preference for one over the other?
Not only is this a fascinating way to reveal the effects of Binaural Beats, but also an amazing way of unfolding our emotions and becoming present. This is also a way to become increasingly energy-sensitive.
Let’s Summarize
Do Binaural Beats work?
My experience most definitely confirms that— yes, they indeed do. And wonderfully so!
I’ll continue experimenting with Binaural Beats and if it’s of interest, will continue updating what I find.
In the meantime, here’s some additional high-end Binaural Beats that I’ve read are supposedly good. I haven’t tried them out though.
Enjoy!
Update 2020
I’ve now been using the binaural beats for over a month, while also adding in 1 more to my collection:
Here’s a summary of how I prefer to use them:
Zen Focus: This is my choice for creative endeavours or just mid-day energy recharging. I also tend to listen to it whenever I’m doing any form of writing or problem solving.
Flow State: I use this one interchangeably with Zen Focus, though I tend to prefer this earlier on in the day—during my morning meditation for example—as the included gamma beats mixed with alpha gets me creative and also awake.
Deep Meditation: This one is reserved for long travels (when I’m not driving) and day/evening meditations. I use it sparingly since the Theta state gets me tired but also very relaxed and creative. Perfect for winding down—especially after work.
Kundalini Awakening: My favorite morning-meditation binaural beats. The gamma waves tend to get me very awake and alert. It’s the perfect combination whenever you need to wake up your body and mind. Combines very well with a morning workout routine.
Regardless of binaural beats though, I prefer not to use them later on in the evening—as all of them tend to keep me awake. Yes, even the theta waves.
While binaural beats aren’t mandatory for any form of progression, I definitely find that they make a big and highly enjoyable difference in my life.
While you can get away with the free YouTube ones as well, you may have already noticed from your own test what a difference in results they produce.
Even if you feel very little from any of them, I find that at “worst”, they seem to anchor and prime the idea that I’ve attached to them.
Alpha waves for writing, Gamma for morning workouts etc.
While I’ve heard of people who get very little to no benefits from binaural beats, they tend to be the exception.
I recommend that you experiment with them and feel what they may or may not do for you—and make a decision from there.
In the meantime, I’ll stick with these 4 for a foreseeable future!
