Everything about you would not be possible without billions of electro-chemical messages your brain and nervous system send throughout your body to help you do everything – from making a bowl of cereal in the morning, to abstract thoughts that help you understand things like who you are and where you fit into this world.
Through eons of evolution your body created its own communications network that allows this, eventually leading to your consciousness and ability to take random ideas out of your mind, and making them into reality. Think about it? Every single invention out there was at one point just a concept, a fleeting idea created by the rhythmical pulsation of billions of neurons, and now you’re reading this article on a computer screen that was at one point just a figment of someone’s imagination.
Today, in an odd twist of fate, we’re building amazing technologies, that in a many ways resemble ourselves. Like parents who pass on DNA to their offspring without thinking of all the complexities of chromosomes, we’ve inadvertently created machines that function on the same premise as we do: that of electrical impulses. With one of our most advanced “children” even landing on Mars in 2012…Good luck, little guy.
Certainly, the electrical signals inside a computer don’t function in the exact same way our brains do, but the similarities are profound. One such similarity is the ability of electric impulses to create electromagnetic waves – something our brains do just like any electrical device. And the presence of these waves can be measured in humans and machines with a great deal of accuracy.
In humans, the ramifications of brainwaves are still being studied, but the early implications of their ability to affect our sense of self and ability to achieve our goals are absolutely stunning. The most notable of these are the Alpha brain waves, which have been linked to higher overall task performance and better ability to deal with pain.
History of Alpha Brainwaves
In 1924, German neurologist Hans Berger discovered Alpha waves in the brain as he conducted experiments with his newly-invented electroencephalography (EEG) machine. This special device was one of the first inventions that began to show clues to the physical relationship between our bodies and our thoughts. No longer was the brain just a misunderstood, walnut-shaped collection of matter.
Now, it became apparent that it could be studied, measured and eventually stimulated with the use of that same electricity that powered Edison’s first light bulb in 1879. Through his observations, Hans Berger became fascinated by Alpha waves’ evolution during different phases of wakefulness and continued his studies until his death, in 1941.
As science progressed, it was eventually discovered that Alpha waves emanate from either pacemaker cells of the thalamus or from the occipital lobe. They are also the easiest brain waves to measure accurately. Therefore, they are the most studied and understood.
Primitive alpha activity begins to occur in early infancy, with mature Alpha waves developing in children at around age 3. These waves oscillate between 8 and 13 times per second, and typically occur when an alert person relaxes with closed eyes.
When the eyes open and normal wakeful activity resumes, the waves increase to a rate of 13 to 40 times per second. Because of their occurrence during relaxation, the role of Alpha waves has become of great interest to those studying meditation.
Alpha activity also has a little-understood role in REM sleep, with some suggesting that it only surfaces during a semi-wakeful dream state. This could correlate with the experiences of the lucid dreaming community, where voluntary activity within dreams is achieved.
Alpha Brain Waves and the Body
The actual physical sensation of Alpha states is controversial. The key seems to be the ability to prolong something that many mediation practitioners refer to as “alert mindlessness.” This is a relaxed state, but one that is very different from sleep and pure relaxation…The meditator should not fall asleep, nor should she actively form words or images in her mind. Instead, it is a state of thinking of absolutely nothing.
In states like these, practitioners report feelings of grogginess and far-away peacefulness. Studies at Brown even seem to indicate the increased Alpha Wave activity diminishes irrelevant brain stimulation. Attention improves and chronic discomfort decreases.
The mind becomes more “centred,” with no extraneous thoughts to cause stress, worry or anxiety. This state is probably the most comparable to living in the present; not the past or the future.
Because people can learn to achieve Alpha states at will, the mechanism and results of this practice have been researched deeply. Most deep meditators who are able to achieve alpha brain waves at will, experience heightened emotional sensitivities, compassionate feelings, and increased positive mental sensations.
Successful athletes have also been shown to produce alpha waves before achieving peak performance. It is believed that this association exists because in an alpha brain wave state, there are no extraneous thoughts or emotions: just a singular focus on your goal, without the distraction of emotions commonly associated with the risk-reduction effects of a fight or flight response – commonly known as “chocking.”
When Alpha waves begin to slow markedly, a subject is approaching deep sleep. Physical and mental rejuvenation occurs here. All animals seem to need this level of sleep consciousness for survival; even animals like dolphins that must maintain a constant level of alertness for survival are thought to reach an alpha brain wave state. Dolphins’ brain hemispheres sleep one at a time so that they can enter this state without compromising necessary vigilance. Because…you know…Sharks!
Training Alpha Brain Waves
People can train themselves to enter and remain in Alpha wave states using the biofeedback method. With an EEG machine, a subject’s brain wave states become visible and physical actions can be linked to brain wave changes. By noting her own fluctuations in brain activity, the subject may learn to control this subtle neural behavior.
Because Alpha waves occur during periods when thought is suppressed, the biofeedback can make the Alpha wave state initially difficult to achieve. But through practice, by referencing a monitor and adjusting internal behaviours, a relaxed mental state can become as simple to achieve as flicking on a light switch.
Other Brain Waves
There are other brain waves states of interest to scientists and spiritualists. For example, Theta waves states occur when the brain produces wave cycles between 4 and 7 times per second. This is the brain state associated with dreams. Meditators who cultivate this brain activity are able to pursue waking and lucid dreams. They report all sorts of unusual sensory activity yet to be understood in the scientific community.
Gamma waves oscillate in the 40 Hz to 100 Hz range, and are thought to be associated with learning, while Beta waves are involved in logical thinking, and tend to appear in the 12 Hz to 40 Hz range.
Delta Waves are the slowest of all, cycling only ½ to 4 times per second. This is the brain state associated with deep sleep. There are some who claim to experience a kind of consciousness within this state, through practice. Any active participation in the Delta state is still little understood by science.
Benefits of Alpha Brain Waves
It is important to note that changes that occur with Alpha brain waves are not simply “mental” or “emotional.” Those with vast meditative experience demonstrate greater density in the grey matter within their brains, and their brains also show greater resilience to the effects of aging. This is a great encouragement for those hoping to avoid the deleterious effects of aging, like dementia.
Such findings also offer encouragement to those suffering from chronic pain, as the effects of focused Alpha wave activity seem to correlate with a much higher tolerance for pain.
For these individuals, pain seems to fade into the background. Worrisome and distracting thoughts seem to withdraw similarly. What is left over is a profound involvement in the present moment. Memories of the past and worries about the future recede from the foreground.
Because some Alpha wave activity is part of every healthy adult’s experience, some of the benefit will be experienced by everyone. However, it would seem that no one can get enough. Alpha wave meditation is a practice that will yield dividends for those hoping to increase their satisfaction with life, health, and attention.
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