In this post, I will describe four types of brainwave patterns and how they influence our thoughts, emotions, memories, feelings, actions, and the overall quality of our lives.
What are Brainwaves?
Brainwaves are essentially the communication between the billions of neurons in the human brain. They trigger our states of being, and I believe it helps to be aware of them so that you have the choice and control of the thoughts, emotions, and feelings that percolate to the surface throughout the day. By this, I mean intentionally getting into empowering states that will serve you with the benefits and feelings that I will describe below. We experience different categories of consciousness throughout the day from slow, loud, and functional to fast, subtle and complex.
Beta Waves
They are the fastest pattern and occur during concentration, arousal, alertness, and cognition. Beta waves tend to occupy most of our day when we are working, solving problems, making decisions, and managing responsibilities and obligations. This pattern is our primary energy drainer. As higher frequencies of Beta occur, it equates to anxiety, disharmony, and even disease. To combat this we need greater levels of awareness to remind ourselves to stop and take deep breaths to calm the circuits. Doing this with intent several times a day is the key to more control of our thoughts, emotions, and feelings.
Alpha Waves
The Alpha pattern of waves is slower and a good example is when you find yourself being in a state of flow. Meditative states of focused relaxation give us the ability to learn and process information faster. Alpha is a perfect state to get yourself into very early as you wake up in the morning. It can carry on through your morning, allowing you to get fully absorbed in your work or reading, learning, and blocking out surrounding distractions. It is truly the state of being present in the moment for more extended periods. These waves help with your ability to be calm and alert and express feelings of joy and happiness.
Theta Waves
Theta is even a slower wave category and the key to our learning, memory, vivid imagery, and intuition. Theta is associated with vision, creativity, and those “ah-ha” moments you experience every now and then. Theta waves occur primarily in dreaming sleep and in more deep meditative states. Being in a deep meditative state while visualizing positive change to beliefs and habits that you may be working on is the easiest way to make progress. It is also a stress reliever as the brain produces feel-good endorphin hormones.
Delta waves
Delta waves are the slowest patterns generated in dreamless sleep and the deepest levels of meditation that only a few advanced spiritual meditators can access. The state of Delta is disconnected from external awareness. Getting deep restorative sleep is essential to recovering the mind and body through a healing process. The average person accesses 2 hours of deep restorative sleep each night.
We move through each category of brain waves, and they change depending on our activity and feelings. The higher the frequencies, the more dominant, alert, and empowered we will feel. The slower, the more tired, sluggish, and sleepy we are.
Out of Balance?
When brainwaves are out of balance, people experience challenges with their emotional, mental, and physical health. Finding a good balance is the key to mind-body health. If our brains are operating at high frequencies for long periods, it can cause anxiety, sleep disorders, impulsive behavior, irritation, and aggression. On the contrary, if our brain is under-stimulated, it may lead to some levels of depression, attention deficit, and insomnia.
Many people turn to medication, alcohol, and recreational drugs to combat the imbalance and alter their states. It is common and easy and we all find our ways. Traditional meditation can certainly help get us into balance however it is difficult for most people to learn and stick to as the benefits are experienced very slowly which causes people to quit too soon. Several brainwave training methods out on the market can help with experiencing breakthroughs much earlier. They are audio tracks that allow you to experience all the benefits of meditation without spending years mastering it.
If this resonates and you are interested in exploring further, I highly recommend the Holosync product by Centerpointe. This audio brain training program has been around for years and produces various benefits such as resilience to stress, improved focus and concentration, greater intuition, and creativity. Have a look at the link and join the 2.2 million users that experienced this training dating back to 1989.
If you found this content to be helpful, please leave a comment with your thoughts or questions below. You can access a free guide to the 3 Pillars to upgrade your health here. Take care for now and be well.
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LINECOWLEY
MAY 1, 2021 AT 12:16 PM
This is a very informative post on the different brain waves and the different patterns of waves that they generate. I am just slightly confused in that you discussed four types of brain waves, Beta, Alpha, Theta and Delta. But on the image that you have, there is also a fifth one, Gamma. So where would Gamma then fit in? Even more active than Beta?
MICHAEL
MAY 24, 2021 AT 11:57 AM
Yes, I reviewed 4 basic brainwave patterns in this post. Thanks for asking the question. Gamma is the fastest measurable brainwave associated with heightened perceptions that are more regularly observed in very-long term meditators such as Buddhist Monks.
GEOFF
MAY 1,2021 AT 2:03 PM
Thank you for this very interesting and informative post.
I was totally unaware that there all those different types of brain waves going on inside my head.
Unfortunately, I don’t know how to control them and as a result, I am stuck in a state of anxiety and depression for the last few months with absolutely no sign it of it changing. I have stayed away from medication, alcohol and drugs. The latter two would only add to my problems that’s for sure.
I must now investigate the meditation side of things, although it can’t undo the things that has caused my depression, it might help me to process them and come to terms with it.
MICHAEL
MAY 2, 2021 AT 8:22 PM
Thanks for sharing Geoff. I can understand your position and we’ve all been there at some point or another. Have a look at the Holosync website as they explain the benefits in great detail. In addition, I suggest you follow the work of Dr John Demartini who goes deep into the causes. Here is a link. Dr John Demartinin. Be well.
MEG
SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 AT 4:16 PM
Hey Michael, what a great post!
I had no idea about brain waves at all, I am big into spirituality and meditation but I never knew what the physiological link was, but I must say having read your post it’s made things a lot clearer!
I’ll definitely be looking into some of the resources you suggested to improve my mental health further. Is there any evidence that these methods can replace medication? As I am currently taking joint anxiety and depression medication but I would like to be able to move away from this in the future.
Thanks!
Michael
OCTOBER 3, 2021 AT 3:54 PM
Hey Meg, I’m glad you found this post to be helpful and I appreciate your willingness to comment openly. I will kindly request that you direct this question to your MD. In my personal experience, the answer is yes and Meditation has become a daily practice for me. If you can instill it as a daily habit, it trains the brain to achieve sustained focus, and to return to that focus when negative thinking and emotions permeate particularly when you feel stressed and anxious. Ultimately you begin to raise your level of awareness.
“Awareness gives us choice, and choice gives us freedom” – John Assaraf
CALEB UTRERA
MARCH 26, 2022 AT 6:48 PM
I didn’t even know there were 4 types of brain waves alpha, beta, delta, and Theta waves. I know they all play a crucial role in the way we move and think.
Does one of the brain waves like alpha play a role in spirituality?
this was a great article on brain waves I’ve heard of it before but mainly because of learning about spirituality and how they play a role in it you’ve covered a lot on this and I thank you for the time you took to create this article I’ve learned more than what a YouTube video can explain!!
MICHAEL
MARCH 29, 2022 AT 12:50 AM
Thanks for your comments and kind words. Theta is the ideal brain wave state to get into while meditating to have the best experience of restful alertness and connect with the source (Spirituality). I highly recommend that you take a look at the Centerpointe website featuring the Holosync products which can help you get to this state faster than practicing on your own. Good luck.
JOSHSWORLD
DECEMBER 3, 2022 AT 6:01 PM
I’m curious to know if one type of brain wave is more important than the other. I mean of course they are all important but is there a way to focus on each one individually… in my case, I feel that I don’t get very deep sleep and would love the improve that specifically would this be something that meditation would be able to help?
MICHAEL
DECEMBER 18, 2022 AT 6:12 PM
Thanks for your comments. Yes, the practice of meditation could certainly help. The use of Holosync can get you down to levels of Theta much faster than practicing on your own as a beginner so I highly recommend it. This could help with your quality of sleep along with good sleep hygiene and eliminating blue light a couple of hours before retiring at night.
LIAM TREMBLAY
DECEMBER 7, 2022 AT 8:27 AM
What’s going on inside my head is amazing. There are five different waves in my head that can easily control all my actions in my life. Be careful, to balance your mind when you experience physical, emotional, or mental challenges in your life, especially in hard situations. I totally recommend reading this to improve your personal information. Such an interesting essay.
MICHAEL
DECEMBER 18, 2022 AT 2:52 PM
Thanks for the comments, Liam