Is brainwave entrainment safe long-term?
This article was generated from a conversation between brainwave entrainment developer Michael Kelley and a BrainEv user.
Original question:
A question has arisen in my mind - although the program has obviously given many people good and positive results, and was made with positive intentions, it still deals with artificially altering brainwave patterns.
How can we be sure that, although we feel good when listening to BrainEv, and FEEL apparent positive results, that in the long run, the effects of this technology are for the GLOBAL highest good of the listener?
(The following analogy, illustrates the point - our nearsighted, human intelligence creates all kinds of medical drugs, which apparently help, but have been shown to have negative side effects down the road.)
Are you sure this won't happen with BrainEv? And how do you know that the technology is truly for the long-term, global, highest good of the listener and his brain?
Response:
Brainwave entrainment technology has been around for a long time, which has rendered vast amounts of information to support its use safely.
In truth, some form of brainwave entrainment happens to you at several points throughout the each normal day. The brain can entrain to any periodic stimulus that you might come across. For example, the brain will entrain to the frame rates in television sets or computer monitors; the steady rhythm of highway lines pulsing past your windshield when driving; the continuous crash of waves at an ocean, the steady crackling of a fire.
Consider this, and brainwave entrainment technology may not be as artificial as one might think.
When my children were babies, I developed a great trick for helping them sleep (as well as us parents). I would rub their backs in soft rhythmic strokes, slowing the rhythm over time. This would help them fall asleep by entraining their brainwaves to my touch. Curious as I am, I would record their little brainwaves with an EEG to see how this functioned. Today they are 4 and 10 years old, healthy, with nimble minds and great attitudes. Through music, dance and other tactile experimentation, brainwave entrainment has been literally been a part of my family's experience since the late 90's. Countless experiences like those carry into my work and the safety and integrity of the system has been carefully engineered to reflect the cumulation of that accumulated knowledge.
That said, I’ve been testing and developing the technology behind the BrainEv for over a decade and I've seen great results in people from all walks of life. Couple that, with the roughly 75 years of scientific research in brainwave entrainment itself, and we have a broad framework to administer this technology safely. I find contrast in comparing brainwave entrainment to more more invasive technologies, such as medications (which cause a direct effect of the chemical make up and physiology of the body), or surgeries (which cut open and manipulate the body itself).
Of course, this is not to diminish the potential dangers of the technology, nor is the Brain Evolution System considered a substitute for appropriate medical and psychological therapies - be they medicated, operated on or professionally counselled!
We are very open about any potential danger in using brainwave entrainment technology. For example, there are risks for those with mental disorders, or those who carry a pre-disposition for epilepsy. We do not offer medical advice. Yet we encourage discussing any possible concerns with a doctor for matters of a more medical or psychological nature..
Additional information may be found in our disclaimer, which covers some key safety considerations when using the Brain Evolution System.