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FAQs
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Frequently Asked Questions
Great info on Mind Machines, Hemi-Sync, Hypnosis, Meditation, Lucid Dreaming, and Human Consciousness
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“Mind Machine” is a category of technologies that work on your “Mind” to change your “consciousness” or conscious experience. Mostly what is meant by “Mind Machines” is a group of devices which utilize LED lights in goggle-like eye wear and sometimes headphones which deliver tones or pulses. These are frequently known as Light and Sound Machines. “Mind Machines” can also be a broader category of devices that alter your consciousness like Tapes, CD’s, Deprivation tanks, Vibroacoustical equipment and other forms of technology designed to alter your sensations, perceptions, or actual mind state.
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These machines, made by various companies, usually consist of a pair of glasses with built-in LED’s that flash lights at specific frequencies while the users eyes are closed. A pair of headphones are worn by the user that play synchronized beeping or pulsing sounds. Some of these machines are compatible with stereo equipment so your favorite music can be turned into a personalized mind altering light show!
Mental states such as Focus, Relaxation, Meditation and Sleep are empirically associated with certain electrical frequencies in our brain, called brainwaves. When you use a light and sound machine, it is replicating the frequency of the state you desire, gently guiding your brain to respond, and follow the machine into that state. These devices are also used simply for entertainment - just lay back in reverie and enjoy the psychedelic visuals!
See our Light and Sound Details page for more info.
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Light and Sound machines work by “entraining” your “brain waves”. In the 1930’s and 40’s, researchers discovered that strobing lights repetitively while someone watches (photic driving) caused the brain waves to follow and eventually adapt to the same frequency. This is called the frequency following response or “entraining”. Today’s mind machines have LED’s in a pair of goggles that flash or pulse at predetermined frequencies you can select (from 1-40 Hz, or cycles per second, generally). The LED’s come in many different colors and each color is said to produce different experiences.
Pulsing, repetitive sounds also produce the frequency following response. So earphones play predetermined pulses, beats, or binaural beat frequencies. Some can be adapted for use with the music of your choice instead of just the pulses.
The flashing lights and beeping sounds start where you program them to; somewhere close to your current “dominant frequency”, usually in the higher frequency ranges like Beta. Then, as it slowly changes the “beat frequency”, it “entrains” your brain waves to the desired frequency with the idea you will then experience the benefits of that state. So if you have been active all day (in the Beta state) and want to relax you may program your machine for relaxation (in the Alpha range) to physically unwind and just turn your mind inward. However, if you wish to enter sleep, you may choose to target Theta or Delta frequencies. In contrast, if you are feeling sluggish or you need to study for a test, you would have it bring you into the higher Beta ranges.
You do not need to know the detailed terminology behind the workings of these machines. Rather, each machine sold by 3PoundUniverse.com comes with pre-programmed sessions and a description of what that session is designed to do (and its duration). Simply browse through the list of sessions, choose one that suits you, select it on the machine, and you're off on a fantastic voyage! It couldn't be easier.
In addition, most users of light and sound machines report profound visuals, sometimes detailed hallucinatory scenes, from the flashing lights. These can be very powerful experiences and may be one of the main reasons people love their mind machines so much.
See our Light and Sound Details page for more info.
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Electroencephalograms (EEG’s) show that the brain produces distinct “waves” (brain waves) in specific frequency ranges or Hz (‘cycles per second’ - pronounced Hertz). The classically described frequency ranges are Beta (greater than 13 Hz), Alpha (8-13 Hz), Theta (4-7 Hz), and Delta (less than 4 Hz). Each range of brain wave activity is associated with certain states or experiences. Very generally, the higher the frequency the more alert you feel.
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Beta is the state you are normally in while awake and active. It is the fastest and most active form of brainwave, and is associated with focus and concentration. When excessively present, Beta can contribute to anxiety.
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Alpha states happen as soon as you close your eyes and relax. Alpha is thought of as an idling rhythm and is associated with being calm, ‘paying attention to your thoughts', or meditation. Many people find this state refreshing and creative.
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Theta happens as you transition into sleep to what is called “stage 1and 2”. “Saw tooth waves”, which are indicative of the REM state (where most of the vivid dreaming takes place), are also in this range. Theta rhythms are often associated with twilight states such as that between sleep and wakefulness. Theta is much more complicated than this simple explanation, as it has also been shown to be important in memory consolidation.
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Delta waves happen when you are in “stage 3 and 4” sleep, otherwise known as delta sleep, and often it is the dominant brain wave activity after a seizure. This is a state of probable unconsciousness, but not always.
All sites of the brain show all frequencies of activity, however, the amount of a particular frequency that is desirable depends on where it is located in the brain. In general, concentrations of alpha are found at the back of the head, and faster waves are more prominent at the front of the head. Thus, no brain wave is good or bad. It is simply more or less adaptive, depending upon where it is concentrated in the brain. You experience these stages each and every day, transitioning effortlessly between them. With a mind machine, you can learn to control and experience them at will.
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This is a technology used in certain tapes and CDs such as Hemi-Sync. In essence, they are designed to play different things into each ear. In theory, this creates a “binaural beat frequency”. They work directly on your subconscious mind by confusing your conscious mind, therefore bypassing it. The idea is to play sounds that will “entrain” you to the frequency you want to entrain yourself to. So, lets say they were attempting to entrain you to the alpha range (8-13 Hz) by playing a 10 Hz sound. Humans can not perceive vibrations at 10 cycles per second as sound, we perceives them as clicks. So they play a 400 Hz pitch (for example) into one ear and a 410 Hz into the other. This creates a “beat frequency” of 10 Hz (the difference between the two frequencies). The listener will hear a faint “sweeping” back and forth at the frequency difference between the two signals. Hemi-Sync is the Monroe Institute’s trademark for this type of sound effect. Check out our Hemi-Sync page for more info, including pictures and an audio sample.
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Pink Sound is a background hissing or “tape noise” that Hemi-Sync intentionally uses to provide a bed for the signals. Pink sound contains all the tones the human ear can perceive. The entire range of sounds have been adjusted so you can hear the entire sound equally. Do not use noise reduction systems as they interfere with the sophisticated process of Hemi-Sync. More on our Hemi-Sync page.
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Hemi-Sync® is a scientifically based and clinically proven "audio-guidance" technology that uses sound to influence brain-wave activity. This patented, and highly sophisticated technology is backed by over 40 years of research.
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Robert Monroe is the inventor of Hemi-Sync and author of several books. He was a pioneer in the research of human consciousness since the 1950’s, and worked with numerous professionals from various fields to refine his discoveries. Accidentally, and without his willful intent, Robert Monroe found that he could spontaneously leave his physical body (otherwise known as an Out of Body Experience) and travel with a “second body” to locales and realms beyond his comprehension. These experiences prompted his lifelong work.
In 1974, an original research group formed The Monroe Institute based on Monroe’s discoveries, and began to conduct seminars and research in human consciousness. Since then, it has grown tremendously and now there is over four decades of extensive clinical research clearly demonstrating the value of Hemi-Sync technology. To learn more about Robert Monroe’s experiences, read his books: Journeys out of the Body, Far Journeys, and Ultimate Journey.
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For most people, these machines are perfectly safe and their use is highly enriching. However, some people should not uses mind machines. If you are prone to seizures, or even suspect you may have any sort of seizure disorder, you should not use mind machines. If you are not a photic-sensitive epileptic, and you can look at a strobe light without discomfort, you probably will not have a problem with the LEDs in these machines. Also, anyone who is prone to hallucinations or has issues grounding themselves in reality should only use this sort of “mind-altering” technology under the care of a physician or with your physician’s informed approval.
If you think you may have an illness or any medical condition, seek medical advice. If you wish to use the mind machines as an adjunct to your medical treatment, please consult your physician.
None of these technologies have been proven to be effective in the treatment of any disease or medical condition. Perhaps some day in the future they will, as research is currently being conducted on these devices, but for now seek medical advice and consider all the options offered by your physician.
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There is yet to evolve one universally accepted definition of hypnosis but the highly respected practitioner Dr. Milton Erickson, the founder of the Ericsonian Method of Hypnosis, suggested “Hypnosis is a particular altered state of selective suggestibility brought about in an individual by the use of a combination of relaxation, fixation of attention, and suggestion.”.
Hypnosis is NOT sleep, although the person may appear to be sleeping. It is a natural state of mind and induced normally in everyday living such as when you are deeply enjoying a good book, lost in your sweet memories, or when you are driving somewhere and do not remember how you arrived at your destination. It can also be induced with intention, like when you visit a Clinical Hypnotherapist or listen to a Hypnotic tape.
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Hypnosis has been shown in clinical and applied research to teach people methods to get the subconscious to accept their conscious decisions, especially in a clinical setting where hypnotherapy is facilitated by a professional trained in the art of hypnosis. Hypnosis can help you overcome ANY undesired habit such as smoking, or weight loss. It teaches you to totally relax and manage stress, enhance your performance on the job, increase your self-confidence and self-motivation, sports enhancement, reduce anxiety, enter peaceful sleep or totally eliminate fear. Hypnosis can help with recovering memories, personal exploration, forgiveness or grief, relationship issues, sexual concerns, or skin conditions. It can be used for more spiritual explorations such as “past life”, gestational regressions, or discovering your purpose in life. And, with the appropriate medical referral, hypnosis can teach you to block pain, have a painless childbirth, or have dental work without discomfort. Hypnosis is excellent for cancer or other chronic dis-eases, helping you understand the emotional aspects of your illness, teaching the proper mental attitude to help fight your illness, and helping you cope with any side effects of your primary treatment or the personal issues you may face.
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Biofeedback is a therapy in which you are trained to improve your health by using information from your own body. You can learn to control many of your body’s activities that most people think of as out of their control such as brain waves, heart rate, and muscle tension. Learning to control these body functions can be very helpful in treating or preventing many mental and medical health problems.
Part of the value of biofeedback is that it changes how you respond to the world around you. It can help you control cold hands or a racing heart due to anxiety, or inability to focus on the matter at hand - a presentation, a performance, or a job interview. Once you have learned to control such responses they stay with you, just like anything else you learn in life, and remain strong with practice and use. All this without consuming medicine and dealing with unwanted side effects.
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Very simply a lucid dream is a dream in which you know you are dreaming. It can happen to people spontaneously but they usually wake up. However, people have the ability to develop the SKILL of lucid dreaming. They can awaken in their dreams, maintain that awareness, maintain their physical sleep state, and have complete control of what happens in the dream. Lucid dreams are extremely vivid and can totally transform you and your perception of reality. The Nova Dreamer is an electronic device that helps to teach you to awaken in your dream by flashing a red LED light behind your closed eyes when it senses you are in REM (dreaming). This is your cue to realize you are in a dream and “wake-up” within that dream and take control. There are other ways of training yourself to become lucid without a Nova Dreamer. Check out the Lucidity Institute's website, started by Dr. Stephen LaBerge, a pre-eminent researcher and author on the subject.
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The first question people generally asked when told about lucid dreaming is, "Why would someone want to do that?" If you consider that once you know you are dreaming, you are restricted only by your ability to imagine and conceive, not by laws of physics or society, then the answer to what lucid dreaming is good for is either extremely simple (anything!) or extraordinarily complex (everything!). Generally, the reasons people seek lucidity in their dreams are for - but certainly not limited to - the following reasons: Adventure and fantasy, overcoming nightmares, rehearsal, creativity and problem-solving, healing through visual imagery and transcendence.
3PoundUniverse.com offers an excellent audio program and books for help attaining lucid dreams.
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Simply put, meditation is a state of relaxed focus. It doesn't have to be complex. It is a matter of getting comfortable, closing your eyes, and focusing inward.
What you choose to focus upon while in this relaxed state can vary according to what you desire at the time. Common focal points for meditators through the centuries are: repetition of a meaningful word or phrase; mindful awareness of the present moment (aka, Mindfulness); rhythm of one's breath; flow of peace or healing energy through one's body; cultivation of love, compassion, or forgiveness; objects; God, a holy being, or a saint; Nature; a loved one. The list is endless.
By narrowing your focus and being still for even 15 minutes, you limit the "clatter" of your busy mind. Calming Mind and Body is invaluable not only for your health, but for opening up to yourself and others. It is becoming mainstream for stress control and kicking addictions. Research studies have found that meditation can reduce depression and chronic pain, and increase the body's immune response. It increases your ability to focus and concentrate. While meditating, some people like to visualize the way they want their life to be, or picture a perfect performance. Some simply want to see how deep they can go!
Contrary to popular ideas of meditation, there is no specific physical position you must get into, and there is no specific spiritual sect you must be a part of. But you certainly may find that the lotus position really is best for you, or that you want to incorporate spiritual or religious aspects into your time. Meditation is a universal process and there is no ONE way to enjoy it. There are entire books written on meditation. And, of course, there are entire schools of thought on the subject. No matter the approach and aim of a specific type of meditation, they all - in our opinion - ultimately lead to the same place.
For more information about meditation see our clinical site, VAST Wellness Center.
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An altered state is one different from your waking state. We have all entered an "altered state" at one time or another. Whenever we sleep, daydream, or lose ourselves in work or sport, we are at conscious levels different from our waking, rational one. People come to VAST Mind Spa not only to achieve these levels, but to achieve them at will, and control them.
Neuroscience acknowledges 4 main mental states as measured by brainwaves via an EEG device:
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Beta state: Alert, vigilant. This is the dominant state while awake during daily functioning.
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Alpha state: Relaxed, tranquil, reverie, inner attention. Light meditative state.
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Theta state: Borderline sleep, deep meditation, hypnotic state, creativity, accelerated or "superlearning", inspiration. This state offers the best access to the unconscious mind and enhanced retrieval of memories. This is the target state for much of clinical hypnotherapy.
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Delta state: Deep sleep, deep restorative rest, trance state if lucidity is maintained.
Nontraditionally, there are other states of mind that are more difficult to measure, yet can be learned and returned to at will. Of course, measurement of something isn't necessary for it to exist! They have been reported by enough "everyday" people throughout history to be deemed worthy of further exploration. Now, actual training of such states is a reality. Lucid dreaming is one such state of consciousness. 3PoundUniverse.com offers an audio program and books for attaining lucid dreams. Back to Top
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Wellness tends to be the main reason to enter an altered state for most people. Much of this concept centers around relaxation and stress control. The value of being able to control anxiety is becoming apparent in the field of medicine for lowering blood pressure & reducing the risk of other cardiovascular problems, alleviating migraines, conquering insomnia, overcoming addictions, and ceasing to smoke. Meditating on your physical and mental health can have huge impacts on the way you treat your body and mind or the way you cope with disease.
Aside from the more immediate reasons such as these, the vantage point from an altered state is of the big picture. From there, you can see the scope of life issues much more clearly and for what they are - and are not. Then, from the same place, you may begin to make necessary changes or start the process of acceptance, forgiveness, love, etc.
Lucid dreaming can be an amazing tool for experiencing absolute freedom. You can do anything in a lucid dream - fly over the ocean, be someone else, or go anywhere. It can also be an effective tool for facing fears & phobias as well as rehearsing a public performance. You're only limited by your imagination!
Many pursue altered states to comprehend the nature of the universe and one's place within it. Trance states have been used for centuries by spiritual figures to understand the nature of God and Love. It can be a tool for praise and thankfulness.
The desire to simply explore drives others. They want to map the terrain of the subconscious like any other explorer before them who explored Earth, Sea, and Sky. They want to understand what it means to be able to enter these sates in the first place.
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DISCLAIMER:
While many of our products contribute to wellness, they are not intended to replace medical diagnosis and treatment. DO NOT listen to Hemi-Sync while driving or operating heavy equipment, or with other devices that may influence brain-wave activity. If you have a tendency towards seizures, auditory disorders, or adverse mental condition(s), DO NOT listen to Hemi-Sync without first consulting your physician. In the unlikely event that you experience any unusual physical or mental discomfort, immediately discontinue use. DO NOT reproduce Hemi-Sync products or use with Dolby® or other noise-reduction systems. Doing so will diminish the effectiveness of the Hemi-Sync signals. ALL WARRANTIES WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ARE DISCLAIMED.
The technology on this site is intended for educational purposes only. Light and sound machines are NOT intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment or cure of any physical or mental condition or dysfunction. They should NOT be used by persons with deep unresolved psychological issues, or brain / neurological disorders (e.g., epilepsy which may be triggered or aggravated by rapid light fluctuations). Due to the wide range of individual responses to light and sound stimulation, results will vary from user to user. Anyone with unusual sensitivity to light, especially flickering light, should consult their physician prior to using any light and sound machine.
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