March 13, 2016
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Embered Waves of Brain
March 12, 2016, Prescott- I have often wondered why my mildly autistic brain will start crackling and popping, often at the worst of times. It is usually when I figure myself to be alone, and not accountable to anyone else. I never am alone, in such circumstances. There is always an outlier, or two, around, to observe, and shake their heads. Because of them, I have a better awareness of my surroundings, and control over my thoughts and attendant behaviour.
Baha'u'llah teaches to not be the cause of sorrow to any soul, nor to be the plaything of the foolish. We are, essentially, to be good in groups, and seek the unity of the human race. The basis for all this is scientific, as well as social. So, when reading, today, of the types of brain waves that human beings experience, a lot more made sense to me- about my own behaviour, and that of anyone else. My thanks to Dr. Joe Dispenza, (Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself) for the refresher on this topic, which I first learned, in 1974, from Dr. Saul Balagura, at the University of Massachusetts.
It goes like this:
Delta waves-These are the lowest frequency brain waves, occurring in infants and those in deep sleep. They are also the default waves of one who is in deep meditation. I've had a few people in my life who would swear, on a stack of Holy Books, that I am in permanent Delta mode.
Theta waves- These are found in toddlers and people who are in a hypnotic state. When one is drowsy, neither totally awake nor asleep, Theta waves are in control.
Alpha waves- Children between ages 5-8 experience these waves. So do adults and youth who are in a light meditative state. One is concerned primarily, in this state, with the inner reality. I often lose track of where my car is, in a large parking lot, if I go into Alpha mode, when headed for the building without making note of my location.
Beta waves- These are the waves that are most commonly experienced by "tweens", teens and adults. You guessed it, there are three levels of Beta. People with high level Beta waves are spring-loaded, tense, in a hair-trigger mode. There is intense analysis of even the most mundane of events. It is exhausting to be in constant High Beta mode.
Gamma waves- These are the highest frequency brain waves, limited to Scarlett Johansson's character, in the film, Lucy, Jim Carrey's character, in Bruce Almighty, and those who use hallucinogenic substances. Gamma people are at the highest level of sensory awareness, which is likely not maintainable for any appreciable length of time.
My interest in this area stems from both a desire to better understand my own occasional lapses and to use brain waves to formulate deeper behavioural change, which I am told is possible, with proper meditation.
Comments (6)
Bio-feedback does work and can really help you become aware of and develop control over your brain waves. I have used it in times of stress and it works wonderfully thus I've never had to rely on pills to keep myself on an even keel!
Your post had me reading up on Gamma waves last night, but it was after 1am and it was a bit too much for that time of night. The one sentence that stuck out to me however was "One of the earliest reports on them was in 1964 using recordings of the electrical activity of electrodes implanted in the visual cortex of awake monkeys."
If that is the case, that even monkeys have them, then perhaps your claim that gamma waves are reserved for those high, and the elite few, is erroneous. I cannot picture most monkeys toking up, However that does bring back a memory of GirlScout camp, when a jr. counselor told a sad tale of trying to get her pet monkey high, and it died. I often wondered if that story was made up. Not many people have pet monkeys.
@Crystalinne: Many people in India and some African countries keep pet monkeys. Animals do tend to die, when given gamma radiation, and, truth be known, people don't handle it all that well, from what Dr. Dispenza said, in the book I referenced.
@murisopsis: As this is perhaps something you encounter, in your work, I'd be interested in your thoughts on the other commentary by Crystalline.
@RighteousBruin: Yes, I know people in other countries have pet monkeys, but we were in Massachussets at the time, and this girl was American. I don't think her family ever lived elsewhere, though I could be wrong.
The research I quoted said nothing of giving radiation to the monkeys, they just attached electrodes via the eye to guage what range of waves were detected already present in the animals, and they found some in the gamma scale, which would imply that they exist not only in the highest functioning brains.
You are probably right that giving people and/or animals radiation is bad. I was not trying to oppose that, and I am far from an expert on the subject, but I also was taught to not just take everything I read as fact, so I was checking up on several different sources and it seems there are opposing points of view about gamma waves. But it does seem that they are more prevelent than your post seemed to imply.
I understand you like Dr. Dispenza and his book, and I am sorry if my reply has caused you consternation.
Perhaps you only wish me to comment when I agree with everything you say, or am praising your writing and photographs? If so, I can do that, but I was just trying to add imput, and continue on with an intelligent discussion about an interesting topic, not cut you down personally. Sorry.
@Crystalinne: No, one cannot expect readers to be "Yes" people. Your opinions are valid here, unless someone proves to the contrary. I take no offense, and Dr. Dispenza could well be proven wrong, by subsequent research. Keep learning!