Will iMusic | Intelligence Suite improve my IQ even if I have above average intelligence?

What is iMusic PeakRead?

When do I listen to iMusic PeakRead?

What is IvyFocus?

• Activate quality studying & end the homework wars
• Learn and remember more in less time
• Increase grades and test scores
• Peak your focus and combat ADD
• Develop a masterful memory
• Study for hours with less effort
• Teach your brain to peak perform automatically without iMusic
• Trigger whole brain thinking
• Fight fatigue
• “Get it” faster
• Block distractions and attention stealers
• Galvanize your mind for success

What is ThinkFast?

iMusic ThinkFast delivers F1 thought speeds and time stopping concentration. Catapulting your mind into a high performance zone that makes demanding mental tasks easier than ever.

Just play this iMusic selection gently in the background to elevate your brain power for tasks such as; mathematical computations; complex lines of thought; competitive chess; or thinking through any brand of challenging material.

And because ThinkFast tunes your brainwaves and cognitive characteristics into a super performance state everytime, you'll be able to pull out your mental 'A' game on demand.

 Perfect for…

Tasks like: math, number crunching, programming

Games like: Chess, sudoku puzzles, brain teasers

Sleep, relax and recover

Is iMusic | DeepSleep Suite proven to work for me?

 Every release in the iMusic series is subjected to thorough testing and analysis. We use state of the art brain observation equipment such as EEG's, to monitor the effects of each iMusic Volume on a wide cross section of real people.

Click here for further details.

Study: Brainwave training and Sleep Improvements

Hone Your Brain Activity for Sleep Improvements

ScienceDaily (Oct. 5, 2008) — A study in the Oct. 1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that the successful manipulation of sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) amplitude by instrumental SMR conditioning (ISC) improved sleep quality as well as declarative learning. ISC might thus be considered a promising non-pharmacological treatment for primary insomnia.

"The aim of the study was to improve sleep quality and memory performance by 'rewarding' the existence of certain activities of the brain," said the study's workgroup leader, Dr. Manuel Schabus, researcher for the division of physiological psychology at the University of Salzburg in Austria.

Instrumental conditioning of different EEG parameters has long been used as a therapeutic tool to treat different kinds of disorders, including epilepsy and attention–deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Prior research has found that ISC can be effective in treating psychophysiological insomnia, a form of insomnia associated with worrying.

Twenty-seven healthy subjects were randomly assigned to either an ISC group or a randomized frequency group in order to examine the effects of ISC on sleep as well as declarative memory performance. Participants attended the laboratory on 13 occasions, during 10 of which they were connected to a feedback system that allowed them to keep track of their current brain activity by looking at a computer screen. Participants were encouraged to use physiological relaxation combined with positive mental activity in order to "shape their brainwaves"; all participants remained blind to their group assignment and were not debriefed until after the investigation had ended.

Participants trained the enhancement of the SMR over the course of two weeks and were rewarded with a pleasant image whenever they succeeded to enhance this specific type of brain activity. Subjective data about sleep quality and depression and objective data about memory and intelligence were also collected. Participants were asked to perform a declarative word-pair association task before and after a 90-minute nap periods in the laboratory; naps were taken before and after treatment sessions.

The researchers suggest that future studies focus on the effects of ISC on various cognitive tasks and address the potential clinical significance of this kind of training for the long-term treatment of insomnia.

We don't get enough sleep: Poll Shows

What is iMusic | DeepSleep Suite?

 With iMusic | DeepSleep Suite, a restful, deep sleep can be experienced on demand. With our breakthrough IMAGINCE digital audio technology, developed from over 30 years of clinical neural research, iMusic | DeepSleep Suite is proven to dial your mind into the deep sleep state and entrain your brainwaves for the ultimate rest experience; helping you achieve the “perfect sleep” night after night.

iMusic | DeepSleep Suite

When do I use iMusic | DeepSleep Suite?

  Play iMusic on any ordinary stereo or audio system (MP3, CD, etc.) to quickly enter the deep sleep state, an essential for successful and healthy living. The orchestral and symphonic digitally re-mastered iMusic masterpieces will dial your brainwaves into the perfect frequency, guiding your mind and body into a deep sleep within minutes.

The Research behind iMusic

BrainIgnite Grade School Survey

BrainIgnite Grade School Survey
Executed by the Volition Performance Agent Team, Volition Thought House Inc. Sept. 2004

With over 12 public schools taking part throughout North Eastern USA and South Western Canada, 110 teachers of grades 3 through 8 were requested to play BrainIgnite iMusic for their class over a 2 week period. After this 2 week period, the teachers were asked to complete a survey to help us better understand the effects of BrainIgnite on school aged children. The following summation presents the teachers responses regarding their experience with BrainIgnite.

Survey Results Overview:

- 98.2% of the teachers surveyed felt their class was better poised for learning while BrainIgnite iMusic was played.
- 89.1% of the teachers surveyed observed their classroom to be quieter and less noisy while BrainIgnite iMusic was played.
- 100% of the teachers surveyed observed their students to be more focused and attentive while BrainIgnite iMusic was played.
- 95.5% of the teachers surveyed felt their students were more productive and made better use of their time while BrainIgnite iMusic was played.

Conclusion:
The results point to a dramatic change in the behavior and dynamic of classrooms that play BrainIgnite iMusic—showing that BrainIgnite benefits students in a classroom environment. We hypothesize that continued use of BrainIgnite will lead to improved student performance.

Further research should be pursued to better document the the full extent of improvements BrainIgnite will have on student test scores and overall academic performance.

CNN Report: Brainwave training widens its role in medicine

Brainwave training widens its role in medicine


By Rita Baron-Faust

It looks like a scene from a 1950s science fiction flick: Patients with electrodes attached to their skulls sit deep in concentration, focusing their minds to control the beeps and squiggly lines produced by an electronic monitor.

Now these fantastic visions are unfolding with increasing frequency in real medical clinics around the country; people with epilepsy, attention deficit disorder and other forms of serious mental illness are treating these ailments by learning to control electrical patterns in their own brains. This therapy, known as neurofeedback, is emerging as the hottest new twist on biofeedback.

Though biofeedback was first developed by psychologists, its primary uses have been for illnesses below the neck. Standard biofeedback teaches you first to become conscious of normally unconscious functions such as pulse, digestion and body temperature, then teaches you to control them in response to sounds or other cues from monitoring devices. These techniques have allowed patients to lower their blood pressure, banish their headaches and control their incontinence without using drugs.

Now new insights into the biology of mental illness have made it possible to treat them in a similar fashion.

Aerobics for the brain

In neurofeedback (also known as neurotherapy), therapists attach electrodes to patient's unshaved scalps. Through these electrodes, a device measures electrical impulses in the brain, amplifies them and then records them. These impulses are divided into different types of brain waves.

For example, in order to concentrate on a task, parts of the brain must produce more high-frequency beta waves. To relax, the brain must produce more low-frequency theta waves.

Using a program similar to a computer game (only without a joystick), people learn to control the video display by achieving the mental state that produces increases in the desired brain wave. Some practitioners call it "aerobics for the brain."

In epilepsy, where once only medications and surgery could reduce seizures, neurofeedback is showing results. A German study published in the April 1999 journal Clinical Neurophysiology found that two-thirds of epilepsy patients could reduce their seizure rate by learning to control very low frequency brain waves in the cortex.

"In people with epilepsy, part of the brain has become unstable, and occasionally it triggers the rest of the brain into seizure," explains Siegfried Othmer, Ph.D., an Encino, California, physicist who trains biofeedback therapists. "Neurofeedback may help stabilize those circuits and reduce the probability of seizures."

New understanding

The use of neurofeedback for psychiatric problems depends on recent understanding about these diseases. In the 1960s, when biofeedback was developed as a therapy, schizophrenia and attention deficit were considered mainly the result of emotional trauma or poor upbringing.

Consequently, biofeedback practitioners first focused on obviously physical problems. Now scientists understand better the electrical and chemical components of mental illness, creating opportunities for neurofeedback.

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) use neurofeedback games to reduce theta waves and increase beta waves, increasing their attentiveness. Joel Lubar, Ph.D., a psychologist at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, who originated neurofeedback treatment for ADHD in the 1970s, says neurofeedback can produce some of the same brain wave changes as drugs used to treat the disorder.

In a 1998 study published in the December issue of Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, researchers in Ontario, Canada, taught ADHD patients biofeedback and learning strategies. They found a significant improvement in symptoms (such as impulsiveness and inattention) after 40 EEG biofeedback sessions, as well as a change in the ratio of beta to theta waves.

"Biofeedback can not only help a child use brain waves they don't usually employ, but it may also help increase blood flow to specific parts of the brain involved with ADHD," says Lubar. "Used with behavior therapies that incorporate classroom and homework skills, neurofeedback can help these children become less dependent on stimulants like Ritalin."

More than 700 groups nationwide are using EEG biofeedback for ADD/ADHD, according to the Association for Applied Psychotherapy and Biofeedback, an organization of biofeedback practitioners. The ADHD therapists have reported that patients experienced a 60 to 80 percent significant improvement in symptoms and much less need for medicine.

Dr. J. Alan Cook, a psychiatrist in Mt. Vernon, Washington, uses it for 25 to 35 percent of his patients, treating such problems as depression, addiction, bipolar disorder and ADHD. "Once the training has been completed, patients seem to retain the benefits long term," he says.

Crossing a new frontier in neurotherapy, researchers from London, England, reported in the December 1999 International Journal of Psychophysiology that a group of schizophrenic people had used neurofeedback to create some of the same electrical patterns that schizophrenia drugs produce in the brain. Though the investigators couldn't tell from this short experiment how the neurofeedback might affect the patient's symptoms, they considered it a successful first step toward developing a new treatment.

As scientists understand better how the brain works -- or fails to work -- they are finding more and more ways it can heal itself.

iMusic Increases Intelligence + IQ

A study conducted by Dr. Siegfried Othmer, an international leader in the field of neurofeedback and brainwave training, led to the conclusion that brainwave training has exceptional effects on IQ. On average, individuals experienced a 23% increase in IQ. Individuals that began brainwave training with IQ levels that were less than 100 have been shown to enjoy IQ gains of 33 points on average, in addition to significant improvements in reading comprehension, memory related tasks and logic handling abilities. A year later, a follow up with those involved in the study found major improvements in self concept, creativity and concentration to be rampant.

A similar study performed by Michael Taney found brainwave training to yield IQ gains of 19 points (on average) for those who used brainwave training technology similar to iMusic (but not as advanced). A study by Thomas Budzynski, Ph.D found that college students who used brainwave training technology drastically out performed those that did not in both academic tasks and by GPA.

A M.D. associated with Dr. Siegfried Othmer based in North Carolina used brainwave training to treat a boy with an IQ of 70 who was labeled as mildly retarded. A year later this boy was retested and the improvements were startling; he scored 60% higher with an IQ of 112. This specific case is consistent with a myriad of similar cases that have been documented with children with sub 90 IQ scores. Dr. Siegfried Othmer says that “brainwave training clearly facilitates the organization of mental functioning so that the child can exhibit his native intelligence. The results are so striking that they must compel us to revisit the whole issue of whom we are calling mentally retarded.”

RELATED STUDIES / FURTHER READING

"Academic Performance Enhancement with Photic Stimulation and EDR Feedback." Thomas Budzynski, Ph.D., John Jordy, M.Ed., Helen Kogan Budzynski, Ph.D., Hsin-Yi Tang, M.S., and Keith Claypoole, Ph.D.

"Exceptional Results with \'Exceptional Children" Lynda Thompson, Ph.D. and Michael Thompson, M.D., Journal Of NeuroTherapy

Electroencephalographic Biofeedback of SMR and Beta for Treatment of Attention Deficit Disorders in a Clinical Setting, Lubar, J. O., and J.F. Lubar. Biofeedback and Self Regulation 9, no. 1 (1984) 1-23

Righting the Rhythms of Reason: EEG Biofeedback Training as a Therapeutic Modality in a Clinical Office Setting. Tansey, M.A., Medical Psychotherapy 3 (1990): 57-68

"EEG Alpha Rhythm Frequency and Intelligence in Normal Individuals." Anoukhin, A., Intelligence, 23: 1-14

"EEG Average Frequency and Intelligence." Giannitrapani, D. (1969)., Electroencephalography & Clinical Neurophysiology, 27, 480-486.

"Differences in EEG Alpha Activity Related to Giftedness." Jausovec, N. (1996)., Intelligence, 23, 159-173.

Intelligence, Academic Achievement, and EEG Abnormalities in Hyperactive Children, Am J Psychiatry 131:4, April 1974, James H. Satterfield, M.D., Dennis P. Cantwell, M.D., Ronald E. Saul, M.D., Alvin Yusin, M.D.

Exceptional Results with 'Exceptional Children', Lynda Thompson, Ph.D. and Michael Thompson, M.D., Journal Of NeuroTherapy

New Visions School NeuroTechnology Replication Project 2000 - 2001, Michael Joyce

Electroencephalographic Biofeedback of SMR and Beta for Treatment of Attention Deficit Disorders in a Clinical Setting, Lubar, J. O., and J.F. Lubar. Biofeedback and Self Regulation 9, no. 1 (1984) 1-23

Righting the Rhythms of Reason: EEG Biofeedback Training as a Therapeutic Modality in a Clinical Office Setting. Tansey, M.A., Medical Psychotherapy 3 (1990): 57-68

EEG Training for ADHD and Learning Disorders, Othmer, S & Othmer, S.F., March, 1989

Attention deficit disorder. Othmer, S. (1998). EEG Spectrum Training Syllabus. Volume 3. Encino, CA: EEC Spectrum.

EEG and behavioral changes in a hyperactive child concurrent training of the sensorimotor rhythm (SMR). A preliminary report. Biofeedback and Self-Regulation, 1, 293-306. Lubar, J.F., Shabsin, H.S., Natelson, S.E., Holder, G.S., Whitsett, S.F., Pamplin, W.E., and Krulikowski, D.I. (1981).

The Physiological Response to "Beta Sweep" Entrainment, Gontgovsky, S., Montgomery, D., Proceedings AAPB Thirteenth Anniversary Annual Meeting (1999)

Discourse on the development of EEG diagnostics and biofeedback for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Lubar, J. F. (1991)., Biofeedback and Self-Regulation, 16, 201-225.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of EEG neurofeedback training for ADHD in a clinical setting as measured by changes in T.0.V.A. scores, behavioral ratings, and WISC-R performance. Lubar, J. F., Swartwood, M. 0., Swartwood, J. N., & O\'Donnell, P. FL (1995). Biofeedback and Self-Regulation, 20, 83-99.

Quantitative analysis of EEG in boys with attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder: Controlled study with clinical implications. Mann, C. A., Lubar, J. E, Zimmerman, A. W., Miller, C. A., & Muenchen, R. A. (1992). Pediatric Neurology, 8,30-36.

Intellectual, auditory and photic stimulation and changes in functioning in children and adults. Russell, H. L. (1997). Biofeedback, 25(1), 16-17, 23, 24.

A pilot study of the effect of 18 Hz audio visual stimulation (AVS) on attention and concentration symptoms and on quantitative EEG (QEEG) in long-term chronic fatigue (CFS).Trudeau, D. L., Moore, J., Stockley, H., & Rubin, Y. (1999). Journal of Neurotherapy 3~4), 76

A controlled study of the effects of neurofeedback training on IQ and EEG patterns for ADD subjects. Utter, C. P. (1996). Unpublished manuscript. College of Wooster.

Brain metabolism in teenagers with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Zametkin, A. I, Liebenauer, L. L., King, A. C., Minunkas, D. V., Herscovitch, P., Yamada, E. M., & Cohen, R. M. (1993). Archives of General Psychiatry, 50, 333-340.

iMusic Research Record

iMusic Research Record

References / Further Reading

Anoukhin, A. "EEG Alpha Rhythm Frequency and Intelligence in Normal Individuals." Intelligence, 23: 1-14

Barber, T. X. (1957). "Experiments in hypnosis." Scientific American, 196, 54-61.

Benson, H., Wallace, R.K. (1972). "The Physiology of Meditation." Scientific American, Vol 226, No 2, 84-90

Berg, K, Siever, D (1999). "Audio-Visual Entrainment as a Treatment Modality for Seasonal Affective Disorder." Presented at the Society for Neuronal Regulation.

Berg, K, Mueller, H., Siebael, D., Siever, D. (1999). "Outcome of Medical Methods, Audio-Visual Entrainment, and Nutritional Supplementation for the Treatment of Fibromyalgia Syndrome." Presented at the Society for Neuronal Regulation.

Bermer, F. (1958). "Cerebral and cerebellar potentials." Physiological Review, 38, 357-388.

Boersma, F., Gagnon, C. (1992). "The Use of Repetitive Audiovisual Entrainment in the Management of Chronic Pain." Medical Hypnosis Journal, Vol 7, No3: 80-97

Brackopp, G. W. (1984). Review of research on Multi-Modal sensory stimulation with clinical implications and research proposals. Unpublished manuscript--see Hutchison (1986).

Budzynski, T. H. (1977). "Tuning in on the twilight zone." Psychology Today, August.

Cade, C. M. & Coxhead, N. (1979) "The Awakened Mind: BiofeedBack and the Development of Higher States of Consciousness." New York: Delacorte Press.

Chatrian, G., Petersen, M., Lazarte, J. (1960). "Responses to Clicks from the Human Brain: Some Depth Electrographic Observation." Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 12: 479-487

Deikman, A. (1969). "De-automatization and the mystic experience." In C. T. Tart (Ed.), Altered States of Consciousness. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Dempsey, E., Morison, R. (1942). "The Interaction of Certain Spontaneous and Induce Cortical Potentials." American Journal of Physiology, 135: 301-307

Eppley, K.R., Abrams, A. (1989). "Differential Effects Of Relaxation Techniques on Trait Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis." Journal of Clinical Psychology, Vol 45, 6: 957-973

Evans, F. J., Gustafson, L. A., O 'Connell, D. N., Orne, M. T. & Shor, R. E. (1970). "Verbally-induced behavioral response during sleep." Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 1, 1-26.

Fox, P., Raichle, M. (1985). "Stimulus Rate Determines Regional Blood Flow in Striate Cortex." Annals of Neurology, Vol 17, No 3: 303-305.

Fredrick, J., Lubar, J., Rasey, H., Blackburn, J. (1999). \"Effects of 18.5 Hz Audiovisual Stimulation On EEG Amplitude at the Vertex." Proceedings AAPB Thirteenth Anniversary Annual Meeting, 42-45.

Foster, D. S. (1990) "EEG and subjective correlates of alpha frequency binaural beats stimulation combined with alpha biofeedBack." Ann Arbor, MI: UMI, Order No. 9025506.

Foulkes, D. & Vogel, G. (1964). "Mental activity at sleep-onset." Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 70, 231-243.

Giannitrapani, D. (1969). "EEG Average Frequency and Intelligence." Electroencephalography & Clinical Neurophysiology, 27, 480-486.

Gontgovsky, S., Montgomery, D. (1999). "The Physiological Response to "Beta Sweep" Entrainment." Proceedings AAPB Thirteenth Anniversary Annual Meeting, 62-65.

Hoovey, Z. B., Heinemann, U. & Creutzfeldt, O. D. (1972). "Inter-hemispheric 'synchrony' of alpha waves. " Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 32, 337-347.

Hutchison, M. (1986). Megabrain. New York: Beech Tree Books. William Morrow.

Hutchison, M. (1990). "Special issue on sound/light." Megabrain Report: Vol 1, No. 2.

Jausovec, N. (1996). "Differences in EEG Alpha Activity Related to Giftedness." Intelligence, 23, 159-173.

Joyce, M., Siever, D., Twittey, M. (2000). "Audio Visual Entrainment Program as a Treatment for Behavior Disorders in a School Setting." Journal of Neurotherapy, Vol 4, No 2, 9-25

Kooi, K. A. (1971). Fundamentals of Electroencephalography. New York: Harper & Row.

Manns, A., Mirralles, R., Adrian, H. (1981). "The Application of Audio Stimulation and Electromyographic Biofeedback to Bruxism and Myofascial Pain-Dysfunction Syndrome." Oral Surgery, Vol 52, No 3, 247-252.

Markland, O.N. (1990). "Alpha Rythms." Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology, 7, 163-189.

Mavromatis, A. (1987). "Hypnagogia: The Unique State of Consciousness Between Wakefulness and Sleep." New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

Miller, E. E. (1987). Software for the Mind: How to program Your Mind for Optimum Health and Performance. Berkeley, CA: Celestial Arts.

Oster, G. (1973). "Auditory beats in the brain." Scientific American, 229, 94-102.

Rosenzweig, M. R. "Auditory Localization." Perception: Mechanisms and Models, Readings from Scientific American, W. H. Freeman and Company, San Fransisco.

Rossi, E. L. (1986). The Psychobiology of Mind-Body Healing. New York: W. W. Norton.

Rubin, F. (1968). (Ed.), Current Research in Hypnopaedia. London: MacDonald.

Schacter, D. L. (1977). "EEG theta waves and psychological phenomena: A review and analysis." Psychology, 5, 47-82.

Shealy, N., Cady, R., Cox, R., Liss, S., Clossen, W., Veehoff, D. "A Comparison of Depths of Relaxation Produced by Various Techniques and Neurotransmitters by Brainwave Entrainment - Shealy and Forest Institute of Professional Psychology" A study done for Comprehensive Health Care, Unpublished.

Siever, D. "Isochronic Tones and Brainwave Entrainment." Unpublished.

Siever, D. (2002) "The Rediscovery of Audio-Visual Entrainment Technology." Self-published by mindalive.ca.

Siever, D., Twittey, M. "Light and Sound Stimulation as a Treatment for Chronic Pain." Unpublished.

Svyandoshch, A. (1968). "The assimilation and memorization of speech during natural sleep." In F. Rubin (Ed.), Current Research in Hypnopaedia. London: MacDonald.

Thomas, N., Siever, D. (1976). "The Effect of Repetitive Audio/Visual Stimulation on Skeletomotor and Vascular Activity." Hypnosis - The Fourth European Congress at Oxford.

Timmerman, D. L., Lubar, J. F., Rasey, H. W., Frederick, J. A. (1999). "Effects of 20-Min Audio-Visual Stimulation (AVS) at Dominant Alpha Frequency and Twice Dominant Alpha Frequency on the Cortical EEG." International Journal of Psychophysiology.

Toman, J (1941). "Flicker Potentials and the Alpha Rhythm in Man." Journal of Neurophysiology, Vol 4, 51-61.

Trudeau, D. (1999). "A Trial of 18 Hz Audio-Visual Stimulation (AVS) on Attention and Concentration in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)." Presented at the Society for Neuronal Regulation.

Van Dusen, W. (1975). The Presence of Other Worlds. London: Wildwood House.

Vernon D., T. Egner et al. in International Journal of Psychophysiology, Vol. 47, No.1, pages 75-85; January 2004 "The Effect of Training Distinct Neurofeedback Protocols on Aspects of Cognitive Performance"

Vogt, F., Klimesh, W., Dopelmayr, M. (1998). "High Frequency Components in the Alpha Band and Memory Performance." Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology, 15, 167-172.

Walter, V. J. & Walter, W. G. (1949). "The central effects of rhythmic sensory stimulation." Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 1, 57-86.

Wise, Anna. "The High Performance Mind." G.P. Putman's Sons, New York.

Melodic Therapy Changes Brain Activation and Promotes Language Recovery

Brain Damage Music therapies are in widespread use for a variety of behavioral and neurological problems. When positive effects are obtained on behavior, the brain mechanisms involved remain a mystery. Now comes evidence that a certain type of music therapy has behavioral benefits via measurable changes in brain function. Dr. Pascal Belin and his associates, working at the Service Hospitalier Frederic Joliot in Orsay and other institutions in France report that Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT) promotes recovery from aphasia, a severe language disorder subsequent to stroke. MIT involves speaking in a type of musical manner, characterized by strong melodic (two notes, high and low) and temporal (two durations, long and short) components.

Reporting in the December 1996 issue of Neurology (vol. 47, pgs. 1504-1511), Belin et al studied seven patients who had a lengthy absence of spontaneous recovery. They also evaluated the effects of MIT on the brain by measuring relative cerebral blood flow (CBF) and PET scanning during hearing and repetition of simple words and of "MIT-loaded" words. MIT produced recovery of speech capabilities. Of great interest, a critical regions of the brain was activated by "MIT-loaded" words but not regular words. This is Broca's Area in the left hemisphere, known for over 100 years to be critically implicated in language and speech.

The authors believe that the reactivation by MIT of Broca's Area was critical to recovery of speech. These findings provide enormous promise for both the treatment of aphasia and understanding the role of music in normal and abnormal brain function.

STUDY: Brainwave Training and Asperger's Syndrome

 CASE STUDY: TEN YEAR OLD MALE WITH ASPERGER\'S SYNDROME
Jolene Ross, PhD and James Caunt, BS
Advanced Neurotherapy, PC, Wellesley Hills, MA

Introduction
The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of neurotherapy in the treatment of Asperger\'s Syndrome. A comparison was performed using neurological and behavioral data of a 10-year-old boy with Asperger\'s Syndrome before and after 40 sessions of neurotherapy conducted over the course of a year.

Method
An electronic QEEG was recorded using a Lexicor 19 channel system with eyes closed, eyes open, and two tasks: reading and math. This was performed before and after 40 neurotherapy treatment sessions using Neurocybernetics training equipment. The QEEG data were analyzed using the SKIL Topometric analysis program. In addition, a modified version of the Australian Scale for Asperger\'s Syndrome was filled out by the child\'s mother before treatment and again after 40 sessions. A structured intake format with behavioral ratings was performed prior to treatment and an analogous form was filled out by the child\'s mother after 40 sessions. A comparison was made between the pre- and post-treatment analyzed QEEGs, modified Australian Scale for Asperger\'s Syndrome and behavioral ratings.

Results
After 40 sessions of neurotherapy the subject showed an approximate 2/3 improvement in behavioral ratings. The post-treatment QEEG showed significant reductions in elevated 6-9 Hz slow wave activity in the medial and central-parietal regions with eyes open. There was also a dramatic reduction in the magnitude of elevated 9-12 Hz activity in the parietal and occipital regions with eyes open while reading and while performing math.

Conclusion
The subject, who was 11 years old at the time of re-evaluation, experienced significant improvements in both neurological and behavioral functioning after 40 sessions of neurotherapy administered over the course of a year.

STUDY: Brainwave Training and Pain

 NEUROFEEDBACK TRAINING IN CHRONIC PAIN SYNDROME

Victoria L. Ibric, MD, PhD (1) and Liviu Dragomirescu, PhD (2)
(1)Therapy & Prevention Center, Pasadena, CA; (2) Institute of Biology, Bucharest

Introduction
Peripheral biofeedback was used for more than 40 years in the treatment of various pain conditions. Neurofeedback has proved beneficial in Epilepsy, Attention Deficit Disorder, and in other disorders. This paper brings new data about the use of neurofeedback in chronic pain.

Method
Since 1996, 147 patients were referred to us for biofeedback training for different chronic pain syndromes such as headaches, back pain, Fibromyalgia, and Complex Regional Pain Syndromes. Patients were previously treated with other modalities without complete resolution of pain. Stress tests and depression/ anxiety scales were taken periodically to monitor progress. Electrodes were set in varied positions according to 10/20 system, and based on the type or location of pain in each individual case. Sessions were 45 minutes long, and VAS pain scale was used pre- and post-training. The neurofeedback was done as “simple neurofeedback” (audio-visual NF), and/or as neurofeedback enhanced by light or electromagnetic closed loop EEG (CL-EEG) neurofeedback. For example, Myofascial Pain Syndrome responded well to “simple neurofeedback” versus Fibromyalgia that required CL-EEG-Neurofeedback. Patients with different pain syndromes required different numbers of neurofeedback sessions.

Results
Out of 147 patients, only 74 completed 20 or more neurofeedback sessions. Out of 74, 68 cases (92%) reported improvement in their pain perception that was sustained for more than five years. We previously reported other longitudinal studies.

Conclusion
Neurofeedback training can permanently modify pain perception and pain affect. The effects obtained through neurofeedback training are based on operant conditioning. Birbaumer, Flor, Lutzenberger and Elbert (1995 and Rainville, Duncan, Price, Carrier and Bushnell (1997) have shown that pain has cortical and sub-cortical representation. Neurofeedback training addresses directly those areas corresponding to pain perception, memory, and affect. Neurofeedback training was enhanced by light or electromagnetic stimulation CL-EEG and the effects obtained were faster, greater, and longer lasting than those obtained through “simple neurofeedback.” We hypothesize that the neuromodulation obtained through enhanced neurofeedback may produce deeper neurophysiological regulations. To confirm this, further investigations are warranted.

References

Birbaumer, N., Flor, H., Lutzenberger, W. & Elbert, T. (1995). The corticalization of pain. In B. Bromm & J. E. Desmendt (Eds.). Pain and the brain: From nociception to cognition. Advances in pain research and therapy: Vol. 22 (pp. 331-343). New York: Raven Press.

Rainville, P., Duncan, G. H., Price, D. D., Carrier, B., & Bushnell, C. M. (1997). Pain affect encoded in human anterior cingulate gyrus but not somato-sensory cortex. Science, 277, 968-971.

Study: Brainwave training and Sleep Improvements

Hone Your Brain Activity for Sleep Improvements

ScienceDaily (Oct. 5, 2008) — A study in the Oct. 1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that the successful manipulation of sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) amplitude by instrumental SMR conditioning (ISC) improved sleep quality as well as declarative learning. ISC might thus be considered a promising non-pharmacological treatment for primary insomnia.

"The aim of the study was to improve sleep quality and memory performance by 'rewarding' the existence of certain activities of the brain," said the study's workgroup leader, Dr. Manuel Schabus, researcher for the division of physiological psychology at the University of Salzburg in Austria.

Instrumental conditioning of different EEG parameters has long been used as a therapeutic tool to treat different kinds of disorders, including epilepsy and attention–deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Prior research has found that ISC can be effective in treating psychophysiological insomnia, a form of insomnia associated with worrying.

Twenty-seven healthy subjects were randomly assigned to either an ISC group or a randomized frequency group in order to examine the effects of ISC on sleep as well as declarative memory performance. Participants attended the laboratory on 13 occasions, during 10 of which they were connected to a feedback system that allowed them to keep track of their current brain activity by looking at a computer screen. Participants were encouraged to use physiological relaxation combined with positive mental activity in order to "shape their brainwaves"; all participants remained blind to their group assignment and were not debriefed until after the investigation had ended.

Participants trained the enhancement of the SMR over the course of two weeks and were rewarded with a pleasant image whenever they succeeded to enhance this specific type of brain activity. Subjective data about sleep quality and depression and objective data about memory and intelligence were also collected. Participants were asked to perform a declarative word-pair association task before and after a 90-minute nap periods in the laboratory; naps were taken before and after treatment sessions.

The researchers suggest that future studies focus on the effects of ISC on various cognitive tasks and address the potential clinical significance of this kind of training for the long-term treatment of insomnia.

STUDY: Brainwave Training with Elementary Students

 THE EFFECTS OF EEG NEUROFEEDBACK AND NEURO-COGNITIVE PROCESSING IN THE EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT OF AN ARTS-BASED PRIVATE ELEMENTARY/MIDDLE SCHOOL
Lise\' DeLong, PhD candidate, The Union Institute and University, Greenwood, Indiana

Introduction.
This is a randomized, controlled pilot study investigating the effectiveness of electroencephalogram (EEG) neurofeedback and neuro-cognitive processing (brainwave training)in an educational environment of a small unique private arts-based elementary / middle school.

Method.
The sample size of the study was twenty-four (N=24) divided into 12 control and 12 neurofeedback subject groups. The study divided the groups by first and second semester providing two 18-week sessions containing a total of 25 one-hour therapeutic periods, using EEG neurofeedback and neuro-cognitive coaching sessions.

Results.
Results indicated that the students using the EEG neurofeedback and neuro-cognitive therapy made improvement in overall academics and in the behavioral aspects of attention problems: hyperactivity, internalizing problems, and adaptive skills. The area of greatest statistical significance, was in auditory discrimination (p=<. 001).

Conclusions.
Neurofeedback and neurocognitive training show promise in improving auditory discrimination, concentration and focus skills, and nonverbal intelligence in both special needs and normal children.

STUDY: Brainwaves and Cognitive Performance

THE FUNCTIONAL MEANING AND POSSIBLE PHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS OF THETA AND ALPHA OSCILLATIONS FOR COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE
W. KLIMESCH, PHD
DEPARTMENT OF PHYSIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF SALZBURG, SALZBURG, AUSTRIA

Introduction
Studies from our laboratory and other investigators indicate that different frequency bands in the theta and alpha range are associated with different types of cognitive processes. Whereas event-related changes in the theta band appear to be related to encoding and retrieval processes of a complex working memory system, the upper alpha frequency range responds selectively to sensory-semantic memory processes of a complex long-term memory system and the lower alpha band attentional processes.

Method
In a series of memory experiments spectral estimates for a resting period (resting power) and ERD/ERS during task performance were calculated. In addition, phase locking and evoked oscillations were measured by wavelet analyses.

Results
Findings from several experiments indicate that cognitive performance is superior when alpha ERD and resting power is large, but when theta ERS is large and resting power is small. Most interestingly, we have found a similar relationship for evoked oscillations and ERP components. In addition, recent results indicate that increased theta and alpha phase-locking is related to improved cognitive performance.

Discussion
The reported findings suggest that cognitive performance may be based at least in part by an interplay between the synchronous activation of three neuronal network systems: a working memory, attentional, and semantic memory system, each operating with a different frequency, the first in the theta (about 6 Hz), the second in the lower alpha (about 8 Hz), and the third in the upper alpha (about 12 Hz) frequency range. The implications of this theoretical framework are discussed by considering phase sensitive measures to analyze local and large scale integration processes between different neural networks.

STUDY: EEG and Intelligence

EEG and Intelligence
M. Doppelmayr, PhD and W. Klimesch, PhD
University of Salzburg, Department of Physiological Psychology, AUSTRIA michael.doppelmayr@sbg.ac.at

Introduction

Since the pioneering work of Hans Berger, there have been many attempts to find electrophysiological correlates of intelligence by using a variety of different measures which in most cases were based on event-related potentials (ERPs).Method.We report findings from a different approach which is based on the analysis of small frequency bands that are dynamically adjusted to individual alpha frequency and bandwidths (Doppelmayr, Klimesch, Pachinger, & Ripper, 1998). Previous work indicates that increasing demands on working memory are associated with an event-related increase in theta band power whereas increasing demands on semantic (long-term) memory are reflected by a selective decrease in upper alpha band power (Klimesch 1997; 1999).Findings.Based on a similar methodological approach Neubauer, Freudenthaler and Pfurtscheller (1995) and Neubauer, Sange, and Pfurtscheller (1999) have obtained interesting results with respect to intelligence. As an example, they have found that the extent of decrease in upper alpha power (event-related desynchronization or ERD) is negatively associated with intelligence: More intelligent subjects exhibit a smaller ERD than less intelligent subject. This finding was interpreted on the basis of the 'neural efficiency' hypothesis.In a recent study from our laboratory (Doppelmayr, Klimesch, Stadler, Pollhuber & Heine, 2002) we have found different effects for the lower and upper alpha band in a resting situation with respect to the performance of tasks with high demands either on attentional or long-term memory processes. Whereas intelligence tasks with high attentional demands (such as the LGT-3) selectively affected the lower alpha band, those with high demands on long-term memory (such as the IST-70) primarily affect the upper alpha band. These findings could be replicated and extended by analyzing the EEG while subjects were performing a combination of the Ravens Standard and Progressive Matrices. Analyzing task performance according to an additional intelligence test (CFT-3) and the amount of band power changes for individually adjusted frequency bands and bandwidths revealed several significant results for different time segments, frequency bands and topographical positions.

Discussion

The findings of the different studies show several significant differences in band power changes between higher and less intelligent subjects, mainly in the alpha bands. While the results underline the different functional meaning of specific frequency bands as reported by Klimesch (1999) not all of the findings of Neubauer et al. (1999) could be replicated. The results will be discussed in detail with respect to the neural efficiency hypothesis.

References.
Doppelmayr, M., Klimesch, W., Pachinger, Th., & Ripper, B. (1998). Individual differences in brain dynamics: Important implications for the calculation of event-related band power measures. Biological Cybernetics, 79, 49-57.
Doppelmayr M., Klimesch W., Stadler W., Pöllhuber D, & Heine C. (2002). Alpha power and intelligence. Intelligence, 30, 289-302.
Klimesch, W. (1997). EEG-alpha rhythms and memory processes. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 26, 319-340.
Klimesch, W. (1999). EEG alpha and theta oscillations reflect cognitive and memory performance: A review and analysis. Brain Research Reviews, 29, 169-195.
Neubauer, A. Freudenthaler, H., & Pfurtscheller, G. (1995). Intelligence and spatiotemporal patterns of event-related desynchronization (ERD). Intelligence, 20, 249-266.
Neubauer, A., Sange, G. & Pfurtscheller, G. (1999). Psychometric intelligence and event-related desynchronization during performance of a letter matching task. In G. Pfurtscheller & F. H. Lopes da Silva (Eds.) Event-Related Desynchronization (ERD) - and related oscillatory EEG-phenomena of the awake brain, Handbook of EEG and Clinical Neurophysiology, Revised Series, Vol. 6 (pp. 219-231). Amsterdam: Elsevier.

STUDY: Efficacy of Neurofeedback for Autistic Spectrum Disorders

Efficacy of Neurofeedback for Autistic Spectrum Disorders
Betty Jarusiewicz
Atlantic Research Institute, Atlantic Highlands, NJ

The purpose of this study was to characterize, quantify and document efficacy of neurofeedback for individuals in the Autism spectrum. Neurofeedback, a process of neuro-regulation based on operant conditioning of EEG spectral features, has been proven to assist many with behaviors similar to those seen in the autistic spectrum. This methodology has been used successfully with those exhibiting ADHD behaviors, anxiety, sleep disorders, and addiction. Preliminary work with individuals in the autistic spectrum has shown promise. The neurofeedback protocol of augmenting specific frequencies in the 4-20 Hz. region, while inhibiting excess amplitude in the lower and higher-frequency regions, challenges the brain toward more optimal functioning in terms of both physiological arousal generally, and emotional regulation specifically.

The study involved a comparison of 16 individuals trained with neurofeedback with 16 individuals who did not receive training, but continued other ongoing therapies. Eighty-eight percent of those trained reduced their levels of autistic symptoms within months, as assessed using the ATEC behavioral checklist of the Autism Research Institute. The average reduction in symptoms severity was 26% compared with a control group average of less than 5%. Before and after videos (Greenspan method) were also used for comparison purposes. There were significant improvements on average in the areas of speech (30%), socialization (34%), sleep (29%), anxiety (29%), tantrums (29%), and cognitive awareness (16%). When compared with other treatment modalities using the Rimland Treatment Effectiveness Survey, neurofeedback is rated on a par with occupational therapy, and is surpassed to date only by behavior modification and speech therapies, even in this early-stage comparison.

STUDY: Executives and Brainwave Training

EXECUTIVE PROFILING: QEEG AND BF IN ASSESSMENT AND TRAINING OF EXECUTIVES
V. E. Wilson, PhD, M. Thompson, MD, J. Thompson, BSc, York University, ADD Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Introduction.
This pilot project investigated the use of neurofeedback and biofeedback within an integrated assessment and training program for enhancing the health and performance of top-level executives.

Method.
Five pharmaceutical executives had a QEEG, IVA continuous Performance Test, a Stress Profile (HR, RR, 2EMG, RR, Temp) under baseline, stressors and recovery, and a paper and pencil Self Regulation Assessment to determine personal risk factors (personality, family background, life style) and success enhancement factors (hardiness, attention, cooperation, etc).

Results.
Results showed three had abnormal QEEGs while the other two had moderately abnormal results as assessed by a neurologist. Three had elevated EMGs, three had breathing disorders, two had extremely low temperatures and four EDRs did not return to baseline during testing. The IVA showed high impulsivity and mind wandering in three executives. Type A behavior with perfectionism, poor life style habits, and family histories were common risk factors among most executives. Enhancement factors were universally high hardiness scores and good communication/cooperation scores. Subjective assessments were more favorable than objective measures. Intensive feedback interviews confirmed the validity of the profiles and determined the areas for training. All executives reported that the QEEG was the most impactful and the first they wish to train.

Conclusion.
In conclusion, performance and health enhancement must include objective and subjective assessment of both the mind and body prior to training top level executives. Top-level highly functioning executives have areas that can be improved and the use of the QEEG is highly viewed as part of self-discovery and personal enhancement.

STUDY: music increases brain synchronization

 Attending to music increases brain synchronization
Iwaki, Tatsuya; Hayashi, Mitsuo; Hori, Tadao. (1997).

Changes in alpha band EEG activity in the frontal area after stimulation with music of different affective content. Perceptual & Motor Skills, 84:515-526.

Summary: Cognitive activities may involve cooperative interactions among different regions of the cerebral cortex. In particular, the frontal lobes have been implicated in processes of attention. To probe cortical processing of attention to music, brain wave (electroencephalogram, EEG) recordings were obtained simultaneously from twelve cortical areas under the following conditions: during a baseline quiet period, during stimulating or calming music, and during a post music rest period. The subjects were ten university students. Compared to the pre and post music control periods, the relationship between the left and right frontal lobes increased during stimulating music, i.e., brain waves became more similar between the frontal areas of the two hemispheres. This did not occur for relaxing music. The authors believe that attention to music involves increased cooperation between the right and left frontal lobes.

Aside commentary:
Science and study has found that using both sides of the brain in unison, a state of brain synchronization, has extreme ramifications on mental performance. Dr. Lester Fehmi has found that this integrative means of thought processing aligns your senses, allowing you to be more intuitive, focused and “in the zone”. Neurologist Jerre Levy of the University of Chicago says that “great men and women of history did not merely have superior intellectual capacities within each hemisphere [of the brain]. They had phenomenal levels of emotional commitments, motivation, attentional capacity – all of which reflected the highly integrated brain in action.”

STUDY: Neurological Basis and Neurofeedback Treatment of ADHD

Neurological Basis and Neurofeedback Treatment of ADHD
Joel F. Lubar, Ph.D., and Judith O. Lubar, LCSW, BCD

Recent evidence based on regional cerebral blood flow, PET scan studies and quantitative multichannel EEG have shown that attention deficit disorder, particularly of the inattentive subtype has a neurological basis. Our data supports and extends these findings and provides a rationale for employing neurofeedback as a significant part of a multicomponent treatment program.

We will demonstrate the relationship between EEG changes and success in learning neurofeedback, objective measures of change and the effect of stimulant medication on the QEEG. Cerebral substrates of different types of selective attention will be covered in relation to ADD/HD and learning disabilities. The direct influence of family dynamics on the EEG and ability to change certain EEG parameters is critical for achieving long term success.

STUDY: Palliative for Wandering Attention

The Science behind iMusic

What are Brainwaves?

Brainwave Entrainment in the News

Brainwave optimization and observation technology.  It's beginning to spark radical change.  And its receiving global news attention in the process.

NASA is adopting the technology to improve pilot flight performance.  Medical  science is using the findings and advancements to help patients overcome paralysis-- giving sufferers the ability to do normal things like read their email, by simply thinking about it.  Rising technologies like Thought Computing are giving people the power to manipulate computers and robots with the  power of their brainwaves (BusinessWeek). Disabled people will soon be able to communicate by using a device that will read their brainwaves (CNN).

And now, the findings have been leveraged to create iMusic: making it possible to optimize the mind, artificially stimulate peak performance/experience and dramatically improve the intellectual power and strength of the human brain. By just hearing music.

The Truth About Binaural Beats

To date, the most well known form (but certainly not the most effective) of brainwave entrainment methods is called binaural beats, where a slightly different tone is presented into each ear.  Binaural beats have become very popular over the years, so much so that for many people the idea of "brainwave entrainment" is inseparable from them.

It is a widespread, misleading myth that binaural beats and the products that rely on this form of brainwave entrainment are an effective way to enhance the mind and improve mental performance. 

What are binaural beats? When pure tones are mixed together, their waveforms add and subtract from one another, resulting in a pulse. In the case of binaural beats, the two tones are mixed by the brain itself (one in each ear). The pulses, called "beats", formed by mixing these tones, cause brainwave entrainment to occur, as brainwaves are affected by rapid pulses of sound, light and other sensory stimuli.  However, binaural beats induce very weak brainwave entrainment when compared with more effective, modern entrainment methods.

Because any kind of pulse can be used to entrain the brain more effective methods that allow more control than binaural beats have been developed by neuro-scientists and people intimately involved in brain science. One simple and far more powerful method is called Isochronic Tones; a tone is manually spaced, turning on and off in a precise pattern.

Below is an example of an Isochronic entrainment pattern.

Notice how individual and separated each pulse is. This type of stimulation produces incredibly powerful electrical responses in the brain, and when compared with binaural beats, it becomes incredibly obvious just how ineffective, dated and clunky binaural beat methods are.

1) Binaural beats require headphones or special speaker assignments. This creates a tremendous constraint, limiting the usability and applications for binaural beats. Brainwave entrainment with iMusic does not require headphones or speaker assignments. For veteran users of brainwave entrainment, this may seem strange since headphones have always been a traditional part of the brain training experience. The reality of the matter is that headphones have never been required for use with anything except binaural beats, and are part and parcel of a poor brainwave entrainment experience.

 
2) Binaural beats are not capable of entraining the Hemispheres individually (because they require BOTH ears). This can be a major disadvantage because many of the modern entrainment protocols used in clinical studies today involve separate stimulation to each ear, useful for deeper meditation, cognitive enhancement and particularly for depression and ADD reduction.

Notice how shallow the wave is. The above pulse would be barely detectable.  This is the full effect that a binaural beat audio product has on the brain.  Now take a look at a soundscape that you would find in an iMusic release and the powerful effect it has on the brain.

iMusic Soundscape:

Which do you think will leave more of an electrical imprint on the brain? The answer is obvious.  It's because of these differences that it has been concluded by many researchers, such as Oster, Siever, Manns and others, that binaural beats are not likely to produce much actual brainwave entrainment at all.

There are many more effective, precise and powerful ways to stimulate the brain and induce peak performance.  Leading edge methods, all of which which have been integrated into IMAGINCE, the power house technology behind iMusic.

A Brief History of Brainwave Entrainment

Brainwave entrainment was first identified in 1934, although its effects had been noted as early as Ptolemy.

Not long after the discovery of the Alpha brainwave by Hans Berger in 1929, researchers found that the strength of the wave could be "driven" beyond its natural frequency using flickering lights. This is called "Photic Driving", which is another word for brainwave entrainment using photic (light) stimulation. In 1942 Dempsey and Morison discovered that repetitive tactile stimulation could also produce entrainment and in 1959, Dr. Chatrian observed auditory entrainment in response to clicks at a frequency of 15 per second.

By the 1960s entrainment started to become a tool rather than a phenomenon of the brain. Anesthesiologist M.S. Sadove, MD, used photic stimulation to reduce the amount of anesthesia needed for surgery. Bernard Margolis published an article on brainwave entrainment used during dental procedures, noting less anesthesia required, less gagging, less bleeding and a general reduction in anxiety.

In a 1973 issue of Scientific American, Dr. Gerald Oster examined how combining 2 pure tones resulted in a rhythmic beat which he called Binaural and Monaural Beats. In comparing Binaural beats against Monaural beats, Oster noted that Monaural beats were shown to elicit extremely strong cortical responses, which is the electrical activity responsible for entrainment. Oster concluded that while Binaural Beats produced very little neural response (because the depth of a Binaural Beat is only 3db or 1/10 the volume of a whisper), they could be useful in diagnosing certain neurological disorders.

In the 1980's studies continued with Dr. Norman Shealy, Dr. Glen Solomon and others researching entrainment for headache relief, Serotonin and HGH release, as well as general relaxation. Michael Hutchison wrote his landmark book MegaBrain in 1981, outlining the many possible uses of entrainment from meditation to super-learning. In 1980, Tsuyoshi Inouye and associates at the Department of Neuropsychiatry at Osaka University Medical School in Japan found that photic stimulation produced "cerebral synchronization". Dr. Norman Shealy later confirmed the effect, finding that photic stimulation produced synchronization in more than 5,000 patients. In 1984, Dr. Brockopp analyzed audio-visual brain stimulation and in particular hemispheric synchronization during EEG monitoring. He said "By inducing hemispheric coherence the machine can contribute to improved intellectual functioning of the brain."

In 1981, Arturo Manns published a study which indicated the amazingly strong entrainment value of Isochronic Tones, as opposed to Monaural or Binaural beats. This was later confirmed by others such as David Siever.

Studies continued into the 90's with researchers such as Dr. Russell, Dr. Carter and others who explored the vast potential of using entrainment with ADD and learning disorders. Research has also been conducted into PMS, Chronic Fatigue, Chronic Pain, Depression, Hypertension and a number of other disorders. Steady research continues today with the work of Dr. Thomas Budzynski, David Siever, psychologist Michael Joyce and many others. The results of entrainment have been so promising that many modern clinical EEG units presently come with built in entrainment devices.

There is over 70 years of solid research behind brainwave entrainment . So why hasn't it become more well known? Mainly because our culture is very much dependent on drugs, and, in comparison to the pharmaceutical giants, there is not a lot of money to be made in entrainment: it is inexpensive, easy to use at home and can be a viable solution to a huge variety of problems. Also, the idea that music is able to directly affect the brain sounds preposterous at first, until you read the research and discover the science behind it. We have found that most people are skeptical until the day they actually use iMusic. Despite the combination of solid scientific, empirical and a huge amount of anecdotal evidence, the world is still very skeptical of entrainment and brain training. But the word is spreading. Every day more psychologists, mental health clinics, coaches, teachers and professionals are discovering entrainment, and finding it remarkably useful.

Responses to Clicks from the Human Brain: Some Depth Electrographic Observations, Gian Emilio Chatrian, M.D., Magnus C. Petersen, M.D., and Jorge A. Lazarte, M.D. - Rochester State Hospital (1959).

Academic Performance Enhancement with Photic Stimulation and EDR Feedback, Thomas Budzynski, Ph.D., John Jordy, M.Ed., Helen Kogan Budzynski, Ph.D., Hsin-Yi Tang, M.S., and Keith Claypoole, Ph.D., Journal of Neurotherapy

Repeated stimulation induced neuronal activation (SINA), with cognitive and behavioral functioning changes in ADHD children., Harold Russell, Ph.D., Journal of Neurotherapy

A Comparison of Depths of Relaxation Produced by Various Techniques and Neurotransmitters by Brainwave Entrainment, Shealy, N., Cady, R., Cox, R., Liss, S., Clossen, W., Veehoff, D., Shealy and Forest Institute of Professional Psychology A study done for Comprehensive Health Care.

Auditory beats in the brain., Oster, G., Scientific American, 229, 94-102.

Isochronic Tones and Brainwave Entrainment, David Siever, C.E.T.

The central effects of rhythmic sensory stimulation., Walter, V. J. & Walter, W. G., Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 1, 57-86

Visual Evoked Responses Elicited by Rapid Stimulation, Kinney, J.A., McKay, C., Mensch, Lurisa, Encephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, Vol 34: 7-13

The Interaction of Certain Spontaneous and Induced Cortical Potentials, Dempsey, E., Morison, R., American Journal of Physiology, 135, 310-307

Neurochemical Responses to Cranial Electrical Stimulation and Photo-Stimulation via Brain Wave Synchronization., Dr. Roger K. Cady, Dr. Norman Shealy, Study performed by the Shealy Institute of Comprehensive Health Care, Springfield, Missouri, 1990

The Application of Audiostimulation and Electromyographic Biofeedback to Bruxism and Myofascial Pain-Dysfunction Syndrome, Dr. Arturo Manns, Miralles, R., Adrian, H., Oral Surgery, 1981, Vol. 52

BrainIgnite | A Scientific Overview

The Peak Experience Event

We've all experienced a moment when we seemed to be at our best, a moment when our mind and body functioned together with the precision of a perfectly calibrated machine, churning out an exceptional effort: A truly peak experience event. What happens in the brains of people who encounter a peak performance event and experience illumination, extreme clarity, enlightenment, flow and ingenuity?

Finally, science has allowed us to fully explore these distinctive states of peak performance. Neuro scientists around the globe have investigated the brains of celebrated artists, monumental geniuses, mathematicians, top physicists, monks, yogis, top performing athletes and numerous field-leaders using cutting edge brain observation equipment such as the EEG (electroencephalograph), PET (positron emission topography), SPECT (single photon emission computerized tomography), MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and SQUID (superconducting quantum interference device); watching with full attention as these very special subjects experienced rapid brain state changes and entered amazing states of cognition.

These observations have been integrated with clinical studies, anecdotal and empirical research by psychiatrists, psychologists, educators, therapists, physicians, sports trainers, counselors, researchers and clinicians, leading to this universally accepted and unified conclusion: heightened states of mental functioning are consistently linked to specific and clearly defined patterns of activity and events in the brain and more specifically, changes in the brain's electrical activity.

The High Performance State

The brain is powered by a vast network of neurons that discharge waves of electrical energy in different frequencies and patterns; it is this phenomenon that we call brainwaves. Brain observation equipment allows us to read and monitor every tiny electrical signal and flash that happens within the brain much the way an anemometer records the currents and gale forces of the wind. We can accurately measure the electrical patterns within the millions of neurons that comprise the vast neural network of the human brain and determine the frequency and intensity of the pulsations that occur. With this ability, experts in the field have been able to match peak performance states with the actual physiological brainwaves that allow them to occur.

Exceptional performers have been monitored, and it has been found that certain brainwave frequencies and states are associated with high performance in certain tasks. We know the exact frequencies of brainwave activity that are present when geniuses such as Einstein and Edison conceive amazing new ideas, when artists such as Da Vinci and Picasso paint brilliant art and when grandmasters such as Bobby Fischer mentally play out a chess game 8 moves ahead.

Take a look at Your Guide to Brainwaves to learn more about brainwaves and mental states.

The Frequency Following Response

How do I optimize my brain, enter the ideal mental state and perform at my best? The answer can be found by looking at the principle of the Frequency Following Response. If you have ever jogged in pace with another, walked in rhythm with another, or sung in harmony with another, you've experienced this universal force.

CASE IN POINT
In 1656, a Dutch scientist named Christian Huygens patented the first pendulum clock, greatly increasing the accuracy of time measurement. About 10 years later, Huygens discovered that mounting two of his pendulum clocks side by side created a strange effect. The pendulums would slowly synchronize with one another and form a mutual rhythm;a shared beat and concurrent cadence that was so precise, not even mechanical intervention could more accurately calibrate them synchronously. According to George Leonard, this occurs due to nature seeking the most "efficient energy state and it takes less energy to pulse in cooperation that in opposition". This phenomenon has come to be known as mutual phase-locking of two oscillators, or the Frequency Following Response.

Solar systems spin and twirl in accord, dust flies through the air at the same speed as the wind blows and a stick floats down river at the speed of the current because it's more efficient, so says the principle of the Frequency Following Response.

Rhythms and patterns affect our brain and more specifically, our brainwaves in much the same way.  If you apply a stimulus to the brain at a certain frequency or tempo, the brains neurons will start to fire a response and vibrate at the same frequency. This occurs because of a powerful Frequency Following Response within the brain.

For instance, if you listen to music containing a frequency that the neurons of monks and very relaxed people fire at when they feel very relaxed, it will cause you to feel very relaxed, because your brain will begin to follow this frequency and reproduce the rhythm in the music. You will automatically generate more brainwaves at a frequency that is relaxing. (See Your Guide to Brainwaves to learn more about the different brain states).

Virtually any repeating stimulus that is applied to your brain or body, whether it be sound, lights, visual images, vibrations or electrical sensations, causes the electrical activity in your brain to change. If you watch the intense pyrotechnics of a rock concert or the strobe light in a night club, your brain will respond in a different way and produce different types and frequencies of brainwaves, than if you are watching a ceiling fan. You've probably experienced this without ever realizing it, if you've ever stared at a camp fire, felt the physical rush and natural mental high from night club dance music, or felt relaxed by the vibrations felt while sitting in a car.

The principle of the Frequency Following Response has been applied, knowingly or not, among civilizations of the past and super achievers of the present. Even politicians and statesmen benefit from it. How? The most basic and well understood way many of us benefit from this principle is to focus our mind and attune our body by taking slow, steady and deep breathes that bring us into a more relaxed and centered state, readying our physiology before doing anything important such as a public address. We've witnessed this phenomenon at work as professional sports teams form together and chant fast paced team mantras to charge their minds and tune their brains into a high energy state, in preparation for intense physical action.

For thousands of years, primitive cultures have taken advantage of it through breathing techniques, visual stimuli, music and ritualistic dances to lift the spirit, galvanize the soul and repair the body. The repetitive chants, mantras and rhythmic drum beats of Tibetan monks, Native American shamans, Hindu healers, Sufi dervishes, and practiced Yogis are central to their cultures and have been chronicled by anthropologists for centuries. Many believe such primitive, ancient cultures were aware of the Frequency Following Response and the power it has to alter the state of the mind before modern science did.

The Power of BrainIgnite

Music has a powerful influence on our thoughts, mood, state of mind and even attitude. Amid the vast variety of consumptive activities and pop-culture experiences that vary from delightful to euphoric rapture, few modern day experiences can match listening to music in pure evocative power. It can soothe the most savage of beasts, captivate the soul, promote order within the mind, stir our emotions, incite energy in our loins and cause a broad range of intense emotions from cloud 9 level euphoria to abysmal sadness.

"Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without." Confucius

Music has a scientifically documented ability to diminish the electrical resistance of our skin, cause the pupil of our eye to dilate, quicken or slow down our respiratory system, increase our heart rate and blood pressure, increase our muscular tone, entrain the brain and change the amplitude and frequency of our brainwaves. But with the advent of BrainIgnite, never before has sound elicited such a precise, powerful and performance enhancing response from the brain.

People of the past and present have uncovered countless ways of arousing, stimulating and stoking the human brain, but none are more effective, convenient and more simply applied than tools that contain BrainIgnite.

How does BrainIgnite work?

While BrainIgnited music, or iMusic sounds like regular music, it contains powerful mind activating characteristics.

The ear is the super highway to the brain, a channel through which BrainIgnite sends nearly undetectable beats (all you hear is beautiful music) and pulses through your ear drums into your brain creating subtle vibrations that echo into the sensory cortex, causing a precise cortical evoked response that causes a change in neuro frequency, eliciting an immediate and powerful change in mental state. No matter your age, intelligence, cultural background or system of beliefs, this physiological phenomenon is a hardwired and natural behavior that we all share. Whether we're learning, thinking, relaxing, working, training or playing, with BrainIgnite, the experience can become richer, more powerful, higher in intensity and produce better quality results.

The science of psychomusicology and the principles of the brain have been united to create a zenith of understanding; a powerful foundation upon which BrainIgnite has been built. For the first time ever it requires zero training, commitment, discipline nor effort to access your peak performance state, dial into your best self and activate permanent improvements in your intellectual abilities.

BrainIgnite | The Technology Behind iMusic

BrainIgnite IMAGINCE Neuro Audio Technology

The world's most powerful neuro technology and the climactic conclusion of years of research and development.

BrainIgnite infuses music (of any genre) with formulaic beats, digital modulations, soundscape modifications and brain piquing characteristics giving the soundtrack robust neuro guidance capabilities.

BrainIgnite transforms regular music into iMusic. Listening to iMusic channels acoustical stimulants through the ear and into the sensory cortex, leaving repeated and distinct imprints on the brain; creating what is called a cortical evoked response. This physiological response manifests in a wave of neural ignition and firing: a phenomenon that is called the Frequency Following Response.

With BrainIgnite Imagince, something as basic and natural as sound can be endowed with brain regulating and performance enhancing properties. Giving us the ability to dial into the perfect mental state for any task or action in a matter of minutes, with virtually no situational constraints.

Further Reading - Research

Academic Performance Enhancement with Photic Stimulation and EDR Feedback. Thomas Budzynski, Ph.D., John Jordy, M.Ed., Helen Kogan Budzynski, Ph.D., Hsin-Yi Tang, M.S., and Keith Claypoole, Ph.D., Journal of Neurotherapy, 3(3), 11-21.

Differences in EEG Alpha Activity Related to Giftedness. Jausovec, N. (1996)., Intelligence, 23, 159-173.

Resting EEG theta activity predicts cognitive performance in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Hermens DF, Soei EX, Clarke SD, Kohn MR, Gordon E, Williams LM., 2005

EEG Average Frequency and Intelligence. Giannitrapani, D. (1969)., Electroencephalography & Clinical Neurophysiology, 27, 480-486.

EEG Alpha Rhythm Frequency and Intelligence in Normal Individuals. Anoukhin, A., Intelligence, 23: 1-14

EEG differences in ADHD-combined type during baseline and cognitive tasks., Swartwood JN, Swartwood MO, Lubar JF, Timmermann DL.

Intelligence, Academic Achievement, and EEG Abnormalities in Hyperactive Children, Am J Psychiatry 131:4, April 1974, James H. Satterfield, M.D., Dennis P. Cantwell, M.D., Ronald E. Saul, M.D., Alvin Yusin, M.D.

Exceptional Results with 'Exceptional Children', Lynda Thompson, Ph.D. and Michael Thompson, M.D., Journal Of NeuroTherapy

New Visions School Neuro Technology Replication Project 2000 - 2001, Michael Joyce

Electroencephalographic Biofeedback of SMR and Beta for Treatment of Attention Deficit Disorders in a Clinical Setting, Lubar, J. O., and J.F. Lubar. Biofeedback and Self Regulation 9, no. 1 (1984) 1-23

Righting the Rhythms of Reason: EEG Biofeedback Training as a Therapeutic Modality in a Clinical Office Setting. Tansey, M.A., Medical Psychotherapy 3 (1990): 57-68

EEG Training for ADHD and Learning Disorders, Othmer, S & Othmer, S.F., March, 1989

Attention deficit disorder. Othmer, S. (1998). EEG Spectrum Training Syllabus. Volume 3. Encino, CA: EEC Spectrum.

EEG and behavioral changes in a hyperactive child concurrent training of the sensorimotor rhythm (SMR). A preliminary report. Biofeedback and Self-Regulation, 1, 293-306. Lubar, J.F., Shabsin, H.S., Natelson, S.E., Holder, G.S., Whitsett, S.F., Pamplin, W.E., and Krulikowski, D.I. (1981).

The Physiological Response to "Beta Sweep", Gontgovsky, S., Montgomery, D., Proceedings AAPB Thirteenth Anniversary Annual Meeting (1999)

Discourse on the development of EEG diagnostics and biofeedback for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Lubar, J. F. (1991)., Biofeedback and Self-Regulation, 16, 201-225.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of EEG neurofeedback training for ADHD in a clinical setting as measured by changes in T.0.V.A. scores, behavioral ratings, and WISC-R performance. Lubar, J. F., Swartwood, M. 0., Swartwood, J. N., & O. Donnell, P. FL (1995). Biofeedback and Self-Regulation, 20, 83-99.

Quantitative analysis of EEG in boys with attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder: Controlled study with clinical implications. Mann, C. A., Lubar, J. E, Zimmerman, A. W., Miller, C. A., & Muenchen, R. A. (1992). Pediatric Neurology, 8,30-36.

Intellectual, auditory and photic stimulation and changes in functioning in children and adults. Russell, H. L. (1997). Biofeedback, 25(1), 16-17, 23, 24.

A pilot study of the effect of 18 Hz audio visual stimulation (AVS) on attention and concentration symptoms and on quantitative EEG (QEEG) in long-term chronic fatigue (CFS).Trudeau, D. L., Moore, J., Stockley, H., & Rubin, Y. (1999). Journal of Neurotherapy 3~4), 76

A controlled study of the effects of neurofeedback training on IQ and EEG patterns for ADD subjects. Utter, C. P. (1996). Unpublished manuscript. College of Wooster.

Brain metabolism in teenagers with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Zametkin, A. I, Liebenauer, L. L., King, A. C., Minunkas, D. V., Herscovitch, P., Yamada, E. M., & Cohen, R. M. (1993). Archives of General Psychiatry, 50, 333-340.

NASA: Brainwave Training Developments

The same techniques used to optimize and measure brain activity in NASA pilots during flight simulation exercises are an integral part of iMusic. For years, scientists from NASA's Langley Research Center have researched and developed various physiological methods for assessing sustained attention, engagement, awareness and pilot stress in laboratory flight simulators. Such tests are crucial to maintaining the focus of pilots, taking into consideration that the task of flying a plane can sometimes be monotonous.

One of the most progressive physiological methods to spawn from Langley biofeedback research is iMusic, a real world application that will improve overall mental awareness for indiviuals of all ages.

These training methodologies have been also been transferred to a technology called Extended Attention Span Training (EAST). As a modification of biocybernetic technology used to increase the mental engagement of pilots, EAST transcends conventional neurofeedback systems by taking the form of a video game that responds to brain electrical activity and joystick input.

Extended attention span training system
Pope, Alan T.; Bogart, Edward H.
NASA Center for AeroSpace Information (CASI)
NASA, Washington, Technology 2001: The Second National Technology

Transfer Conference and Exposition, Volume 1, p 368-374 , 19911201
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is a behavioral disorder characterized by the inability to sustain attention long enough to perform activities such as schoolwork or organized play. Treatments for this disorder include medication and brainwave biofeedback training. Brainwave biofeedback training systems feed back information to the trainee showing him how well he is producing the brainwave pattern that indicates attention. The Extended Attention Span Training (EAST) system takes the concept a step further by making a video game more difficult as the player\'s brainwaves indicate that attention is waning. The trainee can succeed at the game only by maintaining an adequate level of attention. The EAST system is a modification of a biocybernetic system that is currently being used to assess the extent to which automated flight management systems maintain pilot engagement. This biocybernetic system is a product of a program aimed at developing methods to evaluate automated flight deck designs for compatibility with human capabilities. The EAST technology can make a contribution in the fields of medical neuropsychology and neurology, where the emphasis is on cautious, conservative treatment of youngsters with attention disorders.

Letting Thoughts Take Wing
Jorgensen, Chuck; Wheeler, Kevin
NASA Center for AeroSpace Information (CASI)
Aerospace America, 33-37 , 20020301; March 2002

Scientists are conducting research into electroencephalograms (EEGs) of brainwave activity, and electromyography (EMG) of muscle activity, in order to develop systems which can control an aircraft with only a pilot's thoughts.
Document ID: 20030107489

REPORT: Neurofeedback, A breakthrough with learning disabilities

Neurofeedback: A breakthrough with learning disabilities?

Psychotherapy Networker Inc 2003
7705 13th Street, N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20012,
Phone 202-829-2452; Fax 202-726-7983

By Sebern Fisher

All brain function—normal and pathological, intellectual and emotional—is bioelectric as well as biochemical. In fact, the brain communicates to itself and organizes its activity through its constant creation of brain waves of differing frequencies. The degree of our mental or emotional arousal largely depends on the frequency of our predominating brain waves. We know that large-amplitude, slow brain waves—known as delta waves—are associated with sleep. Theta waves are associated with a dreamy, sometimes hypnogogic, state. Alpha waves are usually associated with a relaxed meditative state of “open focus.” Narrowly focused states of attention, needed to perform tasks, are characterized by beta-frequency brain waves.

Although the brain's electrical activity plays a major role in how an individual functions, until recently, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the electrical aspect of the brain. Instead, we've tended to view the brain solely as a biochemical organ, devoting billions of dollars to the development and promotion of psychotropic drugs.

At the same time, researchers and therapists have been teaching people to change their brains' bioelectric activity—and hence their functioning—without chemical intervention. Today, this method, called neurofeedback, is being used by therapists around the world to address an increasing number of disorders, from ADD and AD/HD to bipolar illness, autism, and learning disability.

Neurofeedback is biofeedback to the brain—a form of operant conditioning that rewards the brain for activity at desired frequencies while discouraging activity at other frequencies. As a therapeutic intervention, neurofeedback training can reduce symptoms quickly, allowing the therapist and patient to better focus on broader psychological issues. Their attention need no longer be riveted to disruptions of emotional regulation, like rage, or the attempt to quell them, like excessive drinking. Emotional symptoms are seen and treated as indicators of firing disregulation in the brain.

Since integrating neurofeedback with psychotherapy seven years ago, I've used it in the treatment of more than a hundred people, some with diagnoses as severe as dissociative identity disorder, Asperger's syndrome, borderline personality disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The case that follows highlights its particular effectiveness in treating emotional overarousal.

The Unregulated Brain

Tony, a tall, husky, visibly distressed, 27-year-old man with severe dyslexia came to see me because a friend told him that I could “change his brain.” He paced my office as he described what it felt like to live with dyslexia. Since earliest childhood, classmates had teased him mercilessly. By eighth grade, he felt so humiliated, angry, and filled with self-hatred that his parents thought it best to send him to a boarding school specializing in learning disabilities. “If it hadn't been for that school,” Tony said, “I'd be either dead or in jail.”

Being with others who were dyslexic, and with teachers who understood and empathized with his condition, made his life bearable. As with most dyslexics, reading was very difficult, and Tony got through school only with the help of tutors and special programs. He was accepted at a community college with a center for learning-disabled students, but he quit after the first semester, discouraged, bitter, and depressed because it was too hard. Since then, he'd worked sporadically as a manual laborer. He told me he dreamed of becoming a filmmaker, because he “thought better in pictures than in words,” but doubted that he ever could succeed in anything.

Tony attributed virtually every problem he had—his chronic depression and seething anger, his excessive drinking, his inability to find a good job, and his history of unstable relationships with women—to dyslexia, either directly or indirectly. He often flew into rages, breaking anything at hand. He couldn't hold on to relationships or jobs, had panic attacks, couldn't sleep, and chewed his nails. At the point he came to see me, he was drinking a case of beer a night to manage his agitation and despair.

Although I usually use psychotherapy in conjunction with neurofeedback, all Tony wanted was the neurofeedback. No talk therapy. I thought this would be a good case in which to test the effects of using neurofeedback exclusively.

Before beginning the training, I did a complete assessment of the problematic patterns in Tony's brainwaves. I began with a symptom-focused questionnaire to systematically evaluate his arousal. Once I'd completed that assessment, I determined that, to control his temper, drink less, and even stop biting his nails—symptoms that indicate a high degree of arousal in the right hemisphere—Tony needed to learn to produce calming alpha waves on the right side of his brain, the hemisphere devoted to affect regulation. So, one treatment goal was to teach Tony to lower arousal in this hemisphere. Additionally, to address the dyslexia, which Tony considered to be the primary symptom, he needed to increase the arousal in the left hemisphere of his brain. Tony's initial EEG assessment also revealed that he was producing an excess of delta and theta waves in both hemispheres, which interfered with the alertness required for such tasks as driving a car or reading an article. As a result, for Tony, concentrating on reading was like swimming across a lake against huge waves. Another treatment goal, then, was to train Tony's brain to inhibit the production of excess slow waves and excess fast waves, both of which interfered with his ability to remain focused and relaxed, in addition to encouraging him to produce the frequencies that lowered arousal in the right hemisphere and raised arousal in the left.

Putting on the Brakes, Stepping on the Accelerator

We were ready to begin Tony's neurofeedback training. As I do with all clients, I explained that the video game he was about to play was linked directly to his EEG, and that its beeps and displays would encourage and reward his brain for the production of the brain waves that would, over time, change his experience. He sat in a comfortable chair in front of a computer screen, and I applied sensors to his head to detect his brain's electrical activity. The EEG signal was displayed across the top of my computer screen. It showed his brain activity in three bandwidths: the band I wanted to encourage, or the “reward band,” and the two bandwidths I wanted to discourage, or “inhibit bands.”

Tony's screen had a video game with three spaceships set to respond to his brain waves. The middle space ship represented the frequency that I wanted him to increase. The other two represented the very slow and very fast frequencies that I wanted him to decrease. Whenever Tony's brain generated the optimal brain-wave pattern, the middle spaceship would pull ahead, and he'd score points in the video game. It was a simple video game, but without a joystick: Tony had to control the game solely with his brain.

Most clients, including Tony, have difficulty believing that “trying” to make the spaceships move doesn't work. But they don't know, at first, how not to try. Tony asked several times how to do it, and I couldn't tell him, any more than I could tell him how to ride a bike. I just assured him that his brain would learn what it had to learn. When he tried to make the space ship move, it stayed in its dock. When he relaxed, the space ship flew out into space. Every time his brain “happened on” the correct frequencies, the center space ship would move ahead, while the other two would fall behind. Tony's brain gradually began to learn, automatically and without conscious volition, to use this instantaneous feedback as a road map of which way to go. Unlike drug therapies, neurofeedback is a process of learning—the brain learns to regulate itself.

We trained two or three times a week, with 20 minutes of checking in and reassessment and 30 minutes of neurofeedback training each time. I used the quality of his sleep, the amount he was drinking, his appetite, his mood, and the frequency and intensity of his aggressive outbursts for my ongoing assessment of his progress. Changes in these markers indicated shifts in brain function. If the shifts were positive, I'd continue to train left and right hemispheres as I'd been doing. If the shifts were negative and he seemed worse in any of these areas, I'd reassess the training and change the brain-wave frequency of the reward band as needed.

By the fourth session, Tony reported that he was sleeping better, that he felt less angry, and that he'd started taking photographs again. He was also drinking less. But he still felt restless and dissatisfied with himself.

At session seven, he reported that he was bored with TV, that he was no longer sleeping during the day, and that he was feeling calmer and more organized. He could focus better and reported living “a more ordered life.” Tony was, it seemed, beginning to live in a more coherent brain. Neurofeedback training helped him feel increasingly calm and, as that happened, he became less fearful. It was also clear that Tony was beginning to trust me.

As with talk therapy, there are occasionally bumps in the road with neurofeedback. I had to be away for a month, and while I was gone, Tony's father had a stroke. Tony also quit his new job in a rage and went out drinking several times with friends. The bright spot was that he found that soon after the initial binge, he didn't want to drink at all. “I just don't like it anymore.”

The stress of his father's illness, coupled with the absence of training, accounted for the lapses in his ability to regulate his temper. All brains, particularly early in training, can default to older, familiar patterns of firing. Tony, however, was discouraged by his failures. I asked that he withhold his judgment while we continued to train.

Over the next several sessions, Tony spoke to me with increasing openness about his two most important relationships, his father and his girlfriend. He was still reporting problems with anger and depression, but he began to have more insight into these problems. He talked about his anger at his father, who was now recovering, and his feelings about his deceased mother. Talking like this was new to him, but he hardly seemed to notice. Almost inadvertently, he'd started to engage in talk therapy as well as neurofeedback. This isn't uncommon with people who come in only for neurofeedback—the training enhances clients' ability to relate.

At the twelfth session, Tony told me, “You might be interested. I read an entire book, for the first time.”

“What did you read?”

“A book about Vietnam. I've always been interested in Vietnam,” he said nonchalantly.

I couldn't believe that the first book Tony would read, after never voluntarily reading more than a paragraph, was historical nonfiction! The brain's electrical “short-circuits” had repatterned themselves and the printed page became accessible. The training was working. It was organizing him cognitively and quieting him emotionally.

Tony trained for 10 additional sessions. By the end, he was reading every day and we were talking at every session. He was holding down a steady job on a road crew and making plans for his future. He no longer suffered panic attacks, had stopped drinking, and had ended the relationship with his girlfriend, which he realized was destructive. He was sleeping well and rarely had explosive outbursts. He felt that neurofeedback had been more helpful to him than anything else he'd done, and that he'd accomplished most of what he'd sought to achieve. Most important perhaps, he felt good about himself.

I ran into Tony a year and a half later. He'd opened his own retail business. He was working at another job part time to support his fledgling endeavor, but would soon be making enough money to devote himself entirely to his new enterprise. I asked him, with equal parts curiosity and trepidation, if he was still reading. “Oh yeah.” he said, “that stuff you do must work.” He was reading a book on management, and he read fiction for pleasure. An inveterate channel surfer before neurofeedback, he no longer watched TV. The brain regulation that he'd learned in less than 12 hours of actual training time had held for 18 months without any further intervention, without any further training, with little psychotherapy, and with no medication.

Tony's case demonstrates that biofeedback directly to the brain can help organize brain function, both cognitively and emotionally. It can do so predictably and efficiently, and it can do so even for the large part of the population in need of help who, like Tony, have no interest in psychotherapy. Through reducing overarousal, boosting underarousal, and organizing the brain to function closer to its optimal capacity, neurofeedback enhances clients' ability to relate and, in many cases, makes therapy with them not only possible, but more deeply rewarding.

Melodic Therapy Changes Brain Activation and Promotes Language Recovery

Melodic Therapy Changes Brain Activation and Promotes Language Recovery

After Brain Damage Music therapies are in widespread use for a variety of behavioral and neurological problems. When positive effects are obtained on behavior, the brain mechanisms involved remain a mystery. Now comes evidence that a certain type of music therapy has behavioral benefits via measurable changes in brain function. Dr. Pascal Belin and his associates, working at the Service Hospitalier Frederic Joliot in Orsay and other institutions in France report that Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT) promotes recovery from aphasia, a severe language disorder subsequent to stroke. MIT involves speaking in a type of musical manner, characterized by strong melodic (two notes, high and low) and temporal (two durations, long and short) components.

Reporting in the December 1996 issue of Neurology (vol. 47, pgs. 1504-1511), Belin et al studied seven patients who had a lengthy absence of spontaneous recovery. They also evaluated the effects of MIT on the brain by measuring relative cerebral blood flow (CBF) and PET scanning during hearing and repetition of simple words and of "MIT-loaded" words. MIT produced recovery of speech capabilities. Of great interest, a critical regions of the brain was activated by "MIT-loaded" words but not regular words. This is Broca's Area in the left hemisphere, known for over 100 years to be critically implicated in language and speech.

The authors believe that the reactivation by MIT of Broca's Area was critical to recovery of speech. These findings provide enormous promise for both the treatment of aphasia and understanding the role of music in normal and abnormal brain function.

What is Brainwave Entrainment?

 

Brainwave entrainment refers to the brain's electrical response to rhythmic sensory stimulation, such as pulses of sound or light.

When the brain is given a stimulus, through the ears, eyes or other senses, it emits an electrical charge in response, called a Cortical Evoked Response (shown below). These electrical responses travel throughout the brain to become what you "see and hear". This activity can be measured using sensitive electrodes attached to the scalp.

When the brain is presented with a rhythmic stimulus, such as a drum beat for example, the rhythm is reproduced in the brain in the form of these electrical impulses. If the rhythm becomes fast and consistent enough, it can start to resemble the natural internal rhythms of the brain, called brainwaves. When this happens, the brain responds by synchronizing its own electric cycles to the same rhythm. This is commonly called the Frequency Following Response (or FFR):

FFR can be useful because brainwaves are very much related to mental state. For example, a 4 Hz brainwave is associated with sleep, so a 4 Hz sound pattern would help reproduce the sleep state in your brain. The same concept can be applied to nearly all mental states, including concentration, creativity and many others.

Music Alters Brainwaves

Music produces reorganization of brain function, and such change can be detected by analysis of the electroencephalogram (EEG, "brain waves"). Russian investigators have provided the first evidence of these processes in children. Writing in the journal Human Physiology (1996, volume 22, pages 76-81), T. N. Malyarenko and his co-authors played classical music one hour per day over six months to four year old children in a preschool setting.

A control group had no exposure to music but simply the normal classroom sounds. The classical music group had an increase in a part of the alpha rhythm frequency band and, greater similarities ("coherence") between different regions of the cerebral cortex, most pronounced in the frontal lobes. Greater coherence is thought by some workers to indicate better "cooperation" among brain regions but others view it as typical of increased relaxation.

A particularly noteworthy aspect of this report is that the EEG changes occurred in a passive listening situation, in which the children were not required to pay attention to the music. Whether the effects are specific to a particular type of music remains to be studied. Also needed are controls for mere exposure to novel sounds.

Your Guide to Brainwaves

Just as our physical system operates at peak exertion during intense athletics and at a relaxed pace while sleeping, our brain operates at different levels of intensity— consistently cycling through these different levels throughout the day and night.

The following chart outlines the four main levels of brainwave activity with a description of the mental state they induce.
 

Brainwave Frequency	Brainwave Type	Associated Mental State
13-40 Hz	BETA	ATTENTIVE, CONSCIOUS, NARROW FOCUS, COGNITION You are awake, attentive, highly cognitive and alert.  Your mind is sharp and focused.  It makes connections quickly and easily, as you're primed to do work that requires your full attention.  In the Beta state, neurons fire in great number and in rapid succession, helping you achieve heightened performance—but barring you from flashes of intuition.  When you are creating excessively high beta brain waves, anxiety and panic is the result.    * A low Beta brainwave frequency will make you feel focused and increase mental abilities, cognition and IQ.  Use iMusic | Intelligence Suite to enter this mental state and realize these benefits.   * A mid Beta brainwave frequency will put you in a super focused, physically relaxed, hyper alert, mentally quick state: optimizing attentive abilities.  This specific Beta state is best for tackling intense information and making the initial effort to understand something.
7-13 Hz	ALPHA	VISUALIZATION, RELAXATION, INGENUITY Your brain activity slows from the brisk patterns of Beta into the more mellow waves of Alpha.  In the Alpha state, you are truly relaxed and your awareness expands.  Accelerated learning occurs.  A creative energy begins to surface.  New ideas and solutions to problems flash like lightning into your mind.  Fears vanish.  A liberating sense of peace and well being is experienced.   When Alpha brain waves become more dominant, logical left-brain activity—which normally acts as a filter or censor to the subconscious—drops its guard.  This allows the more intuitive, emotional and creative depths of the mind that exist just below the threshold of consciousness to become increasingly influential.
4-7 Hz	THETA	INTUITION, DEEP THOUGHT As your brain slows, you fall into a subtle and mysterious theta state of deeper relaxation, where your mind slows almost to the point of sleep.  Theta is the brain state where the unexplainable occurs in the wake of your own neurological activity.  Theta brings forward flickers of dreamlike imagery, heightened receptivity, early memories and surges of inspiration.  Theta can bring you deep states of meditation, where you experience a sensation of suspension or floating.     As Theta is an expansive state, you may feel your mind expand beyond the boundaries of your body and enter the energy fields that circulate around your physical self.
0-4 Hz	DELTA	DETACHED AWARENESS, SLEEPING The slowest of all brain wave frequencies, Delta brain waves are long, deep and undulating, most commonly associated with deep dreamless sleep.   Your deep Delta state of brain wave activity is one of harmonious relaxation, where both sides of the brain work in synchronization.  The Delta state promotes accelerated physical healing.
* The human brain typically operates in all of the above brain wave frequencies however there always exists a dominant brain wave frequency.  It is this dominant and abundant brain wave frequency that determines our state of mind.

Our Changing Brains

"The human brain can readily change its structure-- a phenomenon scientists call neuroplasticity," writes Jim Holt in the New York Times.  "A few years ago, brain scans of London cabbies showed that the detailed mental maps they had built up in the course of navigating their city's complicated streets were apparent in their brains.  Not only was the posterior hippocampus-- one area of the brain where spatial representations are stored-- larger in the drivers; the increase in size was proportional to the number of years they had on the job."

These cabbies of the urban jungle are living proof that exercising your brain strengthens and conditions your mind.

How can you present a stimulus below 20 Hz since that is below the limit of human hearing?

There is often a confusion in regards to the definition of Hertz, or cycles per second. When we refer to Hertz (Hz) we are referring to pulses per second, as opposed to the pitch. The pitch of the stimulus can be anything within the range of human hearing (20-20,000 Hz), but the frequency of sound bursts per second is usually below 20, since the most important brainwaves range from 0 - 20 Hz. It is the pulse, not the pitch, that leaves the electrical imprint on the brain. If the pitch of the stimulus is below that of human hearing, no entrainment will occur in most cases.

The confusion here is often because of the marketing of other companies, who claim that binaural beats produce a "third sound" that can be below 20 Hz. This is not true. What occurs is a "beat" or pulse, which consists of the combination of the 2 tones. The same effect can be replicated using Monaural beats, drums, flashes of light or any form of repeating pulse. It is the beat that matters, not the pitch.

Picture a metronome set at 5 clicks per second. It could be said that the metronome is clicking at 5 Hertz (Hz). You can hear the metronome clicking 5 times a second, because the pitch of the clicks are well within the hearing range. A 5 Hz wave, or pitch, on the other hand, could not be heard.

General

What have others said about iMusic?

Do I need headphones when listening to iMusic?

Every brainwave entrainment or binaural beat product available requires headphones.

With our revolutionary audio technology called IMAGINCE, you do not need to use headphones to benefit from iMusic.

To learn more about IMAGINCE click here

We often get this question, because unfortunately, there is a common misconception that Binaural Beats, which require headphones, are the only form of entrainment.  We are not producing binaural beats, we are producing brainwave entrainment, which can be induced using ANY repeating stimulus. What makes binaural beats a form of entrainment is that they produce "Beats", or pulses of sound which leave individual electrical imprints on the brain. But obviously beats can be produced in ways other than using binaural tones. A drum, for example, could be used to induce brainwave entrainment, if the drummer could keep a very precise frequency for longer than 6 minutes (many ancient and even modern day cultures use drums to induce meditative states, though they may not know the science behind what they are doing).

If the method of entrainment does not rely on speaker assignments, it can be used effectively without headphones.

What format is iMusic available in?

iMusic is currently available in audio CD via physical shipment to your address, or via encoded MP3 audio files.  Both formats are high quality audio, and a choice of one versus the other will not impact your results or experience.  Convenience is the only factor of consideration.

Does iMusic have a satisfaction guarantee?

With the purchase of iMusic, you get a proven tool for mental change.

Because of the piracy and copyright risks inherent in CD and MP3 media, we do not accept iMusic returns* once the product is shipped, or order cancellations once a download key has been distributed, as is standard in the music and software industry.

We do guarantee to do all we can to accelerate and enhance your iMusic experience!

CD replacement info: If any iMusic audio CD does not play for you, is scratched, is skipping or is not creating audio sound for you within 30 days of receipt of your order, simply let us know (via the information at our contact page) and we'll remedy the situation by sending you replacement media.

* Return Policy for iMusic set by Volition Thought House

Is iMusic proven to work for me?

A qualified test patient is hooked into the EEG gear, allowing their brainwaves to be read on a monitor. We then play iMusic within their environment and observe the change in their brainwaves. Each iMusic release is engineered to cause specific brain states for the listener and change the listener's brainwaves in a very specific way. So we know iMusic works when the test patient enters the bench marked brain state science and research has found to be perfect for reading and learning.

Each iMusic release seems to do similar things. I am confused, and do not understand how each iMusic release differs.

Different iMusic CD's will create similar results and improvements within your brain.

Consider this:As you perform a bicep curl with a dumb bell to increase the strength and size of your bicep, you are increasing your heart rate and you are burning calories and fat. As you do a sit up to workout your abdominals, you are also increasing your heart rate and burning calories and fat.

The same reasoning can be applied to iMusic. Using iMusic dials up your brain and entrains your brainwaves into a peak performance and experience state.

Many of the peak performance/experience brain states that different iMusic releases create, will train your brain and strengthen your mind, leaving you smarter, sharper and healthier.

Here is an example:iMusic | Intelligence Suite will allow you to peak perform while studying, reading and working. iMusic | Energy Suite will increase your energy levels and elevate your mood. Both of these iMusic releases will increase your IQ and train your brain for greater strength, focus and stamina. While using iMusic | Energy Suite to learn or do mental work would only hurt your performance, and listening to iMusic | Intelligence Suite to feel more energized would yield poor results, both of these iMusic releases will train your brain and make you smarter.

Many iMusic releases contain similar benefits and features, but don't let this mislead you to think that they are interchangeable. Each iMusic release is specially designed to deliver a peak performance/experience brain state for a very specific action or situation. Use iMusic as directed for best results!

To learn more about each iMusic release, visit:  http://www.getimusic.com/imusic

How do I purchase iMusic?

Is iMusic subliminal or does it carry any concealed messages?

iMusic is not subliminal. Subliminal audio is intended to bombard the mind of the listener with a particular thought, by embedding words in the music at sub audible levels at very high speeds. iMusic does not contain verbal messages or messages of any kind and is not recorded at high speed. iMusic is designed to assist you in obtaining the brain state that will improve your performance, experience and intellectual functions.

How can you present a stimulus below 20 Hz since that is below the limit of human hearing?

There is often a confusion in regards to the definition of Hertz, or cycles per second. When we refer to Hertz (Hz) we are referring to pulses per second, as opposed to the pitch. The pitch of the stimulus can be anything within the range of human hearing (20-20,000 Hz), but the frequency of sound bursts per second is usually below 20, since the most important brainwaves range from 0 - 20 Hz. It is the pulse, not the pitch, that leaves the electrical imprint on the brain. If the pitch of the stimulus is below that of human hearing, no entrainment will occur in most cases.

The confusion here is often because of the marketing of other companies, who claim that binaural beats produce a "third sound" that can be below 20 Hz. This is not true. What occurs is a "beat" or pulse, which consists of the combination of the 2 tones. The same effect can be replicated using Monaural beats, drums, flashes of light or any form of repeating pulse. It is the beat that matters, not the pitch.

Picture a metronome set at 5 clicks per second. It could be said that the metronome is clicking at 5 Hertz (Hz). You can hear the metronome clicking 5 times a second, because the pitch of the clicks are well within the hearing range. A 5 Hz wave, or pitch, on the other hand, could not be heard.

What does each iMusic release do? I need an overview.

Each iMusic release delivers peak performance and peak experience brain states for different applications, actions and tasks.

Visit the following page, and scroll to the bottom, for an overview of the iMusic product lineup, and the relative strengths of each release.

http://www.getimusic.com/imusic/

What is the difference between Neurofeedback and iMusic?

Can someone with hearing loss still benefit from iMusic?

Yes. Individuals with impaired hearing can still benefit from iMusic. iMusic sends pulses and vibrations into the ear canal which are then carried into the brain, whether the music is heard or not. The brain is entrained and optimized just as effectively.

What is iMusic??

How do the different genre selections for iMusic differ?

For example, when you compare iMusic PeakRead G1 with PeakRead G2, you will find the music to be different, however the brain state that these 2 selections create are identical, as they are both engineered to put your brain in the same wonderful state.If you own iMusic PeakRead G1 and still enjoy the music, then there is no need to add iMusic PeakRead G2 to your collection.

You will notice that each different iMusic selection has a G version number, like G1 or G2.  G = Genre. Each genre selection differs only by style and selection. Each release is given a # based on the numerical order of release. Selections do not differ in intensity, or the benefits that they will deliver.

How to Download and Use iMusic

How to Download and Use iMusic

Once you have successfully completed an order for iMusic, an email is sent to the email address you provided on sign up. This email will contain your invoice. Your invoice will have a link you may access your download with. A second email is sent with the link(s) to take you to the download page.

Once you are on the download page, you will see your purchases available for use. Click on all the items you see. You may download more than one at a time. Downloads may take up to 3 minutes to connect to the server and negotiate the connection. 

Note: If you exceed 10 attempts at downloading, you will have an error message indicating you have exceeded your downloads. You will need to contact the client care team to have your downloads reactivated (contact link is to the top right).

If you do not see any items available to download, you may not have the most recent version of java installed. Java is a free download available at www.java.com. Please be careful to download the correct version of java for your operating system.

As always, be advised downloading anything from the internet has the potential to be seen as a threat to your computers operating system. You may need to disable firewalls, and set your browser security to it's defaults. In some cases it may be easier to turn it off altogether. Please seek assistance from your computer administrator or you Internet Service Provider if you need assistance to do this.

If you have an error message indicating your download has timed out, or you are able to download only a portion of the file, please verify that your security has been disabled. Users should confirm that they have enough physical memory ( RAM min. 128 mb) and at least 70% system resources available. Your operating system HELP files can advise you how to determine this. Too slow of a connection will also result in a time out. Several factors both locally on your computer and on your network can cause slow speeds to occur. You may confirm your connection rates for free at: http://www.my-speedtest.com/speedtest.htm or at a speed test site of your choice.

Using iMusic

How do I use iMusic?

The ear is the super highway to the brain, a channel through which the silent and nearly undetectable digital beats, pulses and modulations in iMusic travel through the ear drums into the brain creating subtle vibrations that echo into the sensory cortex, causing a precise cortical evoked response that entrains the brain into a change of frequency, eliciting an immediate and powerful change in mental state. No matter your age, intelligence, cultural background or system of beliefs, this physiological phenomenon is a hardwired and natural behavior that we all share. Whether you're learning, thinking, relaxing, working, training or playing, the experience can become richer, more powerful, higher in intensity and produce better quality results.

Soon, there will be iMusic for every situation and endeavour. Everything can be more easily executed and accomplished by using iMusic to produce the best mental state for the task at hand.

How do I know iMusic is working for me?

If you are a true skeptic and want to prove to yourself once and for all that your brainwaves are indeed being regulated and optimized through the use of iMusic, simply contact a local neurofeedback or neurotherapy professional and book a session with one of their Electroencephalography (EEG) machines.

Electrodes will be placed at strategic points on your scalp and ear lobes. These electrodes measure the electrical patterns coming from your brain, much like a physician listens to your heart from the surface of your skin. You will be able to see for yourself the change in brainwave frequency that iMusic activates.

EEG machines require a high level of proficiency to operate. If you are willing to learn the details of their operation, you can purchase an excellent, accurate and mobile EEG machine from us to use in conjunction with your computer and iMusic. Contact us for more information.

Learn more about the EEG here: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/brain/scanning/eeg.html

Is iMusic really safe to use? Are there any negative side effects?

iMusic is a powerful tool for enhancing your mental performance. Some individuals may be in too fragile a state to safely benefit from iMusic without first consulting a trusted physician. Those who should consult a physician before using iMusic include: pregnant women, those who wear a pacemaker, those who have had or are prone to seizures, those who are epileptic, knowingly or not, and those are under the influence of medication or prescribed drugs.

iMusic is not to be listened to while under the influence of alcohol or other mood altering substances, whether they be legal or illegal, or while operating a motor vehicle or heavy machinery, as it could be dangerous.

iMusic will increase electrical activity in your brain. This increase causes a temperature increase in your frontal lobes, which are located in the forehead area of your brain. Your body will initiate a natural cooling response by sending more blood to your brain much like your computer activates its case fans to maintain an optimal temperature.

As your brain adjusts to the higher level of performance that iMusic has introduced it to, you may experience what are called vascular headaches, characterized by a mild numbing in your forehead. These subtle discomforts are completely temporary and will pass as your brain adapts to this higher speed and level of functioning.

Just as starting a new fitness training program creates some short term discomforts, so may iMusic. Welcome these short-term discomforts with enthusiasm your body is telling you that you pushed it out of its comfort zone. It needs to build more resources to permanently perform at the higher level that iMusic has led you to enter.

When listening to iMusic, other sounds in your environment can interfere with the effect that it has on your brain.  If other sounds and media sources drown out the iMusic, the stimulus will have a lesser impact on your brain state. In a noisy environment, we usually recommend that iMusic users wear headphones. 

The important thing to remember is, competing ambient sounds won't have too much of a negative effect, but listening to other forms of music, or watching TV, can drown out iMusic. 

The attention you pay to iMusic can impact its effectiveness. Because the mind has the ability to tune out certain sounds in favor of other ones, actively listening to iMusic is an easy way to increase the effect it has on your brain. 

So what's the best way to use iMusic?
In a normal, quiet environment, play iMusic at a comfortable level.  For the first few minutes, pay attention to the music and the different beats you hear, to let iMusic quickly optimize your brain state.  Then go ahead with the task or activity that you have planned, while passively listening.

If the environment is loud with many competing sounds, use headphones for best results.

Just like your muscles need weekly exercise to stay strong, so does your brain.

You want to maintain using iMusic, to maintain the edge that it gives you. Train and enhance your brain and state with iMusic every 4-10 days to keep your mental edge.  Many users have reported, that simply listening for just a few hours every 1-2 weeks keeps them sharp.