Binaural Beats & Brainwaves: How Music Can Heal The Brain

Written by Michelle Manis

You might just think that music is healing because playing your favorite song can lift your spirits when you’re feeling down. However, did you know that music’s healing power extends much further, and can impact your brain state?! Yes, it’s true, an auditory illusion generated by binaural beats can influence the state of your brain waves, and induce feelings of calm, focus, and even creativity, whenever, wherever you desire! Let’s explore the power of music and binaural beats, the science behind them, and later, how you can put binaural beats in your healing toolbox, experience their positive effects, and achieve your desired emotional state.

What are Binaural Beats?

The power of binaural beats lie in frequencies, or the rate of vibration that determines the pitch of sound, and the effect that is achieved when frequencies are layered. The auditory illusion of a binaural beat is explained by Psychology Today as, “when two tones of slightly different frequencies are played in separate ears simultaneously (usually through headphones), the human brain perceives the creation of a new, third tone, whose frequency is equivalent to the difference between the two tones being played.” For instance, if someone hears a tone of 405 Hz in one ear and 415 Hz in the other, they’ll hear a binaural beat and phantom tone with a frequency of 10 Hz. The science behind sounds and frequencies are truly fascinating and if you’d like to learn more, I’d invite you to research overtones and the Fletcher Munson Curve.

Binaural Beats and The Brain

The brain is truly so fascinating and far more complex than we scientifically know and understand. It is said that binaural beats affect your brain waves through entrainment, a process in which one’s brain waves align themself with an outside frequency/ external stimuli (Psychology Today). So what are our natural brainwaves? The brain naturally cycles through different brain waves, or oscillating electrical currents and states throughout the day. Our most common brain waves are Gamma, Beta, Alpha, Theta, and Delta waves. When we are in deep sleep, our brains oscillate on delta waves (0.5-3.99 Hz). When we’re either just waking up or right about to hit the hay, our brains are in a theta state (light sleep) (4-8 Hz). This is when our subconscious is the most active and can be the most influenced. In the theta state, positive affirmations have the most impact on the subconscious- so if you’re looking to reprogram thought patterns and the subconscious mind, theta state will be most optimal.

Alpha waves (8-12Hz) are experienced when we are in a state of conscious relaxation and passive attention, for instance, a meditative state. Beta waves (12-35 Hz) are our awake brain’s default state. While it’s an active state when we are the most conscious, it’s also the state we’re in when we can experience the most anxiety.

Lastly, Gamma waves (> 30 Hz) occur when we are focusing, concentrating, and learning. Because different wave patterns elicit different states of mind, binaural beats are theorized to impact mood, focus, and sleep by altering the electrical patterns in our brain through this process of psychologically responding to external stimuli, or entrainment. Listening to binaural beats can be a shortcut/hack to jumpstart experiencing your desired reality and emotional state. When you listen to the binaural beats that corresponds with the brain wave state or feeling you want to achieve, binaural beats can be a powerful aid in evoking feelings of relaxation, creativity, happiness, concentration and more for your healing benefit!

Beat Cheat Sheet:

Experience the healing properties of binaural beats for yourself!

Delta (Sleep Inducing, Anti-Insomnia, REM Sleep): The DEEPEST Healing Sleep | 3.2Hz Delta Brain Waves | REM Sleep Music - Binaural Beats 

Theta (Meditative/Relaxed, Anti-Anxiety): Binaural Beat - Theta Wave | 100% Pure Theta Frequency |

Beta (Awake, Attentive, Happy): Super Intelligence: 14 Hz Binaural Beats Beta Waves Music for Focus, Memory and Concentration 

Alpha (Passive Attention, Relaxation): Binaural Beat - Alpha Wave Frequency |90minute| 100% Pure 

Gamma (Focus/Learning/Studying): [ 40Hz ] GAMMA Binaural Beats, Ambient Study Music for Focus and Concentration  

More on Sound Healing, Pure Frequencies:

In addition to binaural beats, it is said that pure frequencies itself can do wonders for healing the mind, body and soul. Instead of an auditory illusion of 2 frequencies, these frequencies are pure tones, singular frequencies with healing properties. Here’s a little list of  pure frequency healing tones and their spiritual/physical properties:

​​174 Hz relieves pain and stress

285 Hz heals tissues and organs

396 Hz liberates the listener from fear and guilt

417 Hz facilitates change

528 Hz for transformation and DNA repair (known as the ‘miracle frequency’)

639 Hz reconnects relationships

741 Hz helps provide solutions and self-expression

852 Hz brings the listener back to a ‘spiritual order’

963 Hz encourages a sense of oneness and unity

Compilation Courtesy of Ekhart Yoga 

So next time someone says “let me play you my new beat,” it might just have the power to change your brain!

Be Well,

Michelle

Sources:

“Binaural Beats.” Psychology Today, 2019, www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/binaural-beats. Accessed 15 Nov. 2023.

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Newlyn, Emma. “A Guide to Sound Healing.” Ekhart Yoga, 30 June 2022, www.ekhartyoga.com/articles/wellbeing/a-guide-to-sound-healing. Accessed 15 Nov. 2023.