The science behind the Music used in Hypnobabies
Music has long been known to help create various states of mind, affect emotions and even create healing. We chose a special piece of music by Dr. Harry Henshaw called Enlightenment, for our Edition 7 Hypnobabies audio tracks’ background music and relaxation music that has within it “Theta binaural beats”, which allow our Hypnobabies students to enter hypnosis easier and flow deeper into a hypnotic state. Binaural beats are created when signals of two different frequencies are played separately (one in each ear using stereo headphones) and our brain detects the phase variation between the frequencies and tries to balance and harmonize that difference. In doing so, as the two frequencies mesh in and out of phase, the brain creates its own third signal called a binaural beat which is equal to the difference between those two frequencies.
For example, if a frequency of 100 Hz is presented to your left ear, and a frequency of 105 Hz is presented to your right ear, your brain “hears” a third frequency pulsing at 5 Hz, the exact difference between the two frequencies.
Research has proven that introducing a binaural beat will cause the brain to begin resonating in tune with that beat. By creating a binaural beat at 10 Hz — an Alpha frequency — you can trigger your brain to resonate at that same 10 Hz frequency, automatically inducing brain activity in the Alpha range and a state of relaxation. This same technique in different frequencies can be used to quickly and easily guide your mind into any state, and since our Hypnobabies hypnosis techniques involve a very deep state, our binaural beats produce “Theta”. The “Theta” state is a very deep state of mind used in hypnosis and during REM Sleep. The brain waves are slowed down at a frequency of 4-7 cycles per second where brain activity slows almost to the point of sleep, but not quite. This state brings forward heightened receptivity, flashes of dreamlike imagery and sometimes inspiration. Theta is an ideal state for super-learning and self-hypnosis, and our Hypnobabies ‘binaural beats’ music makes it much easier to achieve this state.
Binaural beats can also produce and added benefit: Hemispheric synchronization. This is a potential and generally desired result of brainwave entrainment and refers to a state when the brainwave pattern of the right and left hemispheres synchronize. When the various parts of the brain begin resonating at the same frequencies it can cause neural pathways to fire more rapidly. Electrical activity and energy patterns in the brain become more widespread throughout the brain instead of remaining confined to certain areas. This can allow for more easy learning and deeper hypnosis sessions.
Hypnotic Entrainment
Our music is also part of Hypnobabies “entrainment” process: Entrainment is defined as “a synchronization of two or more rhythmic cycles”. In Hypnobabies, entrainment happens when two things synch up, such as brain waves in response to our music or the cadence of the voices on our hypnotic recordings, etc.
According to Dr. Frank Lipman, “Your body contains an autonomic mechanism that synchs you up with strong, external rhythms, pulses or beats, a phenomenon known as entrainment. We actually entrain to the rhythms around us all the time, although we are not aware of it most of the time. We know that our internal rhythms will speed up or slow down to match a stronger external rhythm. This can be demonstrated by counting your heart beat or breathing rate when you’re stuck in traffic, around noisy machinery, or listening to loud rock music. Then count your heart rate or breathing rate when you’re sitting quietly on a beach or listening to peaceful music in a quiet surrounding. Your heartbeat and breathing will entrain to the sounds and situations around you.
Other examples of entrainment include:
- When a musician has the audience spellbound, he or she has entrained them into the rhythm.
- A charismatic preacher can do the same with his congregation.
- When you meditate in a group, you feel the increased “strength” of the experience.
- Participating in an exercise class doing aerobics to up tempo music.
- When young women become roommates, they often start getting their periods at the same time.
We know that heart rate changes slowly or speed up in response to tempo. Normally, your heart rate at rest should be about 70 beats per minute for men and about 75 for women. Music pulsed at about 60 beats per minute is ideal for helping to induce alpha states, the same relaxed state induced by meditation. A lot of reggae music is pulsed at around 60 beats per minute and in my experience, it is particularly relaxing for many people.”
Our Hypnobabies music is heard in the background of all of our audio tracks (except for Joyful Pregnancy Affirmations) and while the Birth Partner is reading our Hypno-mom her hypnosis scripts. After hearing this music many times, which in itself produces a deeper state of hypnosis, there is an additional effect that our Hypno-Moms and Birth Partners enjoy – our music becomes an immediate and powerful part of the hypnotic entrainment process. As soon as the music begins, even without hypnotic cues for relaxation or deepening yet, our Hypno-Moms and Birth Partners begin to enter hypnosis and relax deeply. The music has become an “anchor”, a post-hypnotic suggestion for instant hypnosis!
