Welcome to Neuroscience 101

Within the two hemipheres of the human brain (and within deeper areas of the brain structure which do not concern us here) there are billions of brain cells or neurons. Neurons communicate with each other by generating electrical impulses. The combination of millions of neurons all generating electrical impulses creates waves of electrical activity within the brain which can be measured using EEG machines.

Electrical activity in the brain changes according to mood, stress levels, physiological status and environmental factors. Although there are millions of possible brainwave combinations, brainwaves pulse within distinct frequencies and can be grouped into five ‘bands,’

In day-to-day activity, as we engage with and handle life, brains emit shorter-frequency waves, called Alpha and Beta waves. Alpha waves are typically associated with dream states so it is beta waves that dominate in day-to-day activity. In the range of 14 to 30 cycles per second, beta waves respond to the demands of life with higher frequencies reflecting increased demands from the outside world. Alpha waves range between eight and 13 cycles per second and are typically associated with conscious dreaming and meditative states of consciousness.

Away from the pressures of life, the brain slips into deeper and slower cycles of brainwave activity. In a relaxed mood, Theta waves in the range of four to eight cycles a second dominate, It is theta waves that dominate during normal sleep and in the early stages of meditation, although low frequency alpha waves also have a part of play here. In deeper sleep and in deeper meditation, Delta waves -- in the range of one to three cycles per second -- are generated. Delta waves indicate a state of profoundly deep rest.

From a state of generating extremely long-frequency waves some interesting things can happen. Gamma brainwaves, which oscillate at between 25 and 100 cycles per second, are associated with higher states of meditation. According to Wikipedia, gamma waves have a role in attentive focus and are observed as creating a state of neural synchrony. Research involving Tibetan Buddhist monks shows a correlation between transcendental mental states and gamma waves. Neuroscientist Sean O'Nuallain suggests that ‘the very existence of synchronized Gamma indicates that something akin to a singularity - or, to be more prosaic, a conscious experience - is occurring.’ The research indicates that skilled meditators have the ability to put their brain into a state in which it is maximally sensitive and consumes power at a much lower (possibly, even zero) rate. Gamma brainwaves, in which coherence is its maximum, are considered to be the optimal functioning frequency for the brain. Brainwave coherence is indicated in the waveforms and rhythms of the heart and reflected in a synchronous alignment of all the physiological systems. In such a state mind and body work together in perfect harmony, with maximum efficiency and with very little energy wastage.

Commonly associated with increased compassion and feelings of happiness or bliss, the production of gamma brainwaves has many benefits. According to a number of scientific studies, higher levels of brainwave coherence are associated with more dynamic and effective thinking and behaviour, increased intelligence, greater creativity, improved learning ability, emotional stability, ethical and moral reasoning, self-confidence and reduced anxiety.

Sounds good, huh? But how do we achieve such states?

Although carried out using the latest scientific equipment and methods, the subject of the TM movement’s research was an ancient technique that goes back thousands of years. The TM movement says that the technique: ‘is based on the ancient Vedic tradition of enlightenment in India. This knowledge has been handed down by Vedic masters from generation to generation for thousands of years.’ Despite the technique’s antiquity and its ancient associations with spirituality, the TM movement’s attitude to it is unremittingly up-to-date. At the Introductory Talk that is a prelude to learning TM, the lecture is entirely science-based. God doesn’t get a look in.

There are, of course, many people who learn to meditate for spiritual reasons. However, bringing this technique (and I am talking here about the technique of meditation generally rather than the TM technique alone) into the spiritual dimension makes for many complications of belief and understanding. Meditation is a technique that operates on many levels and some of those levels are much closer to the needs and understanding of the majority than others.

So, let me define what meditation is. Meditation is a technique that allows the mind to experience finer and finer states of thinking until it reaches the source of thought and passes into a state of pure consciousness. This is the transcendental bit of TM; one transcends day-to-day thought, transcends deeper levels of thinking and eventually transcends thinking altogether. This process is generally one of increasing peace and serenity. And it is one that has a powerful effect on the physiology. As the mind becomes calmer so the whole physiology responds. And at the same time the brainwaves start to become increasingly coherent.

Essentially, meditation provides the entire system with very deep rest. The TM movement claims, and research would seem to confirm, that the levels of rest experienced in deep meditation are up to two and half times deeper than in the deepest sleep. One of the functions of deep sleep seems to be the removal of day-to-day stresses from the nervous system. It seems to do that quite efficiently for some but for others, as the stresses build up, they accumulate to become a powerful destructive force within the body that bends people out of shape both mentally and physically. What is more, there are stresses buried so deeply within the nervous system that deep sleep simply cannot reach them.

The deep rest experienced in meditation systematically dissolves stresses in the nervous system, among them, many that cannot be removed in any other way.

There are many other beneficial effects of meditation. (For a discussion of these, please visit our Meditation pages.) However, these effects only become obvious with regular practise of the technique. The TM movement and others recommend meditating twice a day for between 15 minutes and half an hour -- in the morning before eating and in the evening, again before eating. (Personally, I find 20 minutes to be the ideal time as it does not take too big a chunk out of my day and it is long enough for me to have very deep experiences. But everyone should find the ideal time for themselves.)

Meditation is a technique that has cumulative effects. Through regularity in the practise the mind gets to experience finer levels of thinking on a daily basis. As it does so it becomes familiar with those levels of mental activity and slowly they come into day-to-day use. At the same time stresses are being removed from the nervous system that impede its ability to support higher levels of consciousness. As the nervous system becomes healthier its ability to support higher levels of consciousness increases.

As individuals we are nothing but consciousness. It is consciousness that creates us and defines our interface with all aspects of life. To do that consciousness must redfined itself as action. The mediator between consciousness and action is the nervous system. The nervous system is the pivot between mind and body. As the nervous system supports increasing consciousness our increasing mental abilities are translated into more effective action, more creativity, greater understanding and increasing self-confidence. Indeed, all the qualities associated with increased brainwave coherence. And these qualities are reflected in our day-to-day lives.

The clear implication of this is a higher level of individual functioning, which sounds like evolution to me.

There are many misconceptions regarding meditation. It is often thought to involve a high level of self-discipline and control. But, in fact, the opposite is the case. Many spiritual texts say that in meditation one should be free of thought which seems to suggest that thought should be controlled or suppressed. Again, not the case. One of the main misconceptions is that meditation involves concentration. Sorry, but concentration is the antithesis of meditation. One of the most crucial processes in meditation is conscious dreaming and that cannot happen if one has the mind in the grip of concentrated thought.

Although benefits such as those described above might suggest that meditation is a difficult skill or requires special knowledge, that is not the case. It is, in fact, surprisingly easy. It is a very simple and natural technique that gently reverses the direction of the outward-flowing mind.

Traditionally meditation is taught on a face-to-face basis and, indeed, that is how the TM movement teaches it -- but one pays for the privilege. It is said that one cannot learn to meditate from a book. However, these days there are many texts that provide instructions that seem to work, Indeed, we offer one ourselves (see below.)

If you would to know more about the history, practise, processes and benefits of meditation, please take a look at our Meditation pages.

The state of restful alertness is not, of course, unique to meditation. It is a state that many of us will have experienced. In such a state the body experiences deep rest and the mind relaxes control over itself and wanders more or less freely. With the mind surfing those slow rolling delta waves, it is in this state that conscious dreaming occurs. It is not, however, the only state in which conscious dreams occur.

Conscious dreaming is also associated with the smoking of cannabis and the use of other hallucinogens. Although personal observation of regular and long-term cannabis smokers would seem to indicate a higher level of brainwave coherence, there seems to be no scientific research that might validate that view.

Increased brainwave coherence is not only associated with states of ‘restful alertness’ that offer the opportunity for conscious dreaming. It has also been associated with the use of ORMUS, an orbitally rearranged monoatomic element. Associated with the Philosophers’ Stone, ingestible ORMUS has been shown to have significant effects on brainwave coherence in EEG studies.

Each of these methods for achieving higher levels of brainwave coherence will be discussed separately and in detail in future articles in this series. However, neither the smoking of cannabis nor the ingestion of ORMUS require much instruction. For the first you need to know the right people and for the second to be able to read the instruction label on a bottle. Achieving the state of ‘restful alertness’ is, however, another matter.

Although meditation is by far the most accessible means by which to influence brainwave activity and develop more coherent thinking, there are other ways, though most include meditation-like practises.

Brainwave entrainment is a process that involves the use of audio sounds on CD containing a subliminal pulse that replicates a particular brainwave frequency. Many of these are designed to lead the meditating mind into deeper levels of meditation and are somewhat like meditating but without any internal focus. Some even claim to produce levels of meditation only experienced by adept yogis. In a relaxed state the brain naturally responds to the outside stimuli by producing brainwaves of the same frequency. Although most CDs these work with waves in the gamma frequency, a number offer stimulation of alpha, beta and theta waves.

Entrainment is a principle of physics that is defined as the synchronization of two or more rhythmic cycles. The principle of entrainment appears in many sciences and seems to have an almost universal application.

Personal training through courses involving EEG monitoring and guided meditations teaching relaxation and breathing techniques are also available. It is claimed that these train the mind to regulate brainwave activity. As it is the mind's natural inclination in meditation to head towards the production of gamma brainwaves, such claims are open to dispute.

Both brainwave entrainment and personal training will be discussed in more detail elsewhere within this site.