4 Mind 4 Life - New Brain Power Info.

What are gamma brainwaves?

Gamma brainwaves are considered the brain’s optimal frequency of functioning. Gamma brainwaves are commonly associated with increased levels of compassion, feelings of happiness, and optimal brain functioning. Gamma brainwaves are associated with a conscious awareness of reality and increased mental abilities. Gamma brainwaves range from the frequency of 38 Hz - 70 Hz and have a tiny (virtually unnoticeable) amplitude. Gamma brainwaves can be found in virtually every part of the brain. They serve as a binding mechanism between all parts of the brain and help to improve memory and perception.

Benefits of increasing gamma brainwaves:

• Boosted memory - High amounts of gamma brainwaves have been associated with a boosted memory and ability to recall past events. The 40 Hz gamma frequency has been associated with a well-regulated memory. If you are currently struggling with maintaining a great, healthy memory, consider increasing your 40 Hz gamma brainwave.

• Enhanced perception of reality - Gamma brainwaves can provide you with an enhanced overall perception of reality and understanding of consciousness. Because gamma brainwaves can be found in virtually every part of the brain, it allows parts of the brain to communicate. Through their communication, your reality and perception is formed.

• Binding of senses - The gamma brainwave is what allows us to experience: smell, touch, vision, taste, and hearing altogether. It allows our brain to process multiple sensations at the same time and allows us to identify environmental forms of stimulation. It also improves our overall perception of our senses by enhancing our levels of focus.

• Increased compassion - Advanced meditation practices and yogic traditions have associated the gamma brainwave frequency range with a pure state of compassion. Richard Davidson hooked long-time meditators up to an E.E.G. at the University of Wisconsin Madison and found that the more meditation experience a person had, a higher amount of gamma brainwave was displayed. Since most people aren’t able to cultivate a pure state of compassion like many monks, they may not ever understand or feel the wonderment of the gamma brainwave range.

• High-level information processing - Gamma brainwaves are associated with high-level information processing in the brain. Basically, the brain is able to operate more efficiently at a higher level. Thoughts are easily processed and the brain is able to easily absorb and understand new information and changes in one’s environment.

• Natural antidepressant - The gamma brainwave is a known natural antidepressant. Not only does it increase our level of compassion for others, it boosts our overall levels of happiness. Many people claim that listening to the gamma brainwave while meditating has proved to be extremely effective at completely eliminating their depression. The gamma brainwave decreases during stress, anxiety, and cases of depression. No wonder that increasing your gamma brainwaves will make you feel much less depressed. In people with depression, the amount of gamma brainwave tends to be much lower than average.

• Advanced learning ability - Since gamma has been associated with a higher level of information processing, quicker thinking, and an enhanced perception of reality, people with high amounts of gamma brainwaves tend to have an advanced learning ability. People with learning disabilities, ADD, and those under a lot of stress, tend to have a significantly smaller amount of the gamma brainwave than others.

• Intelligence (I.Q.) Increase - The gamma brainwave has been associated with higher than average levels of intelligence. People with lower I.Q.’s and learning disabilities tend to have very low amounts of gamma brainwave compared to smarter individuals. Increasing your gamma brainwave, especially 40 Hz, will probably correlate with at least a slight intelligence increase.

• Positive thoughts - Are you a person that always thinks positive and one who has compassion for others? If you already think positively and are relaxed, you probably have high amounts of the gamma brainwave. In people with depression, there is relatively little amounts of the gamma brainwave that can be observed in an E.E.G. If you have depression or are a chronic negative thinker, you may want to really consider naturally increasing your gamma brainwaves.

• Higher energy levels - Higher brainwave frequencies in the beta and gamma brainwave ranges correlate with increased physical and mental energy. Since the gamma brainwave range is among the highest of known brainwave frequencies, it definitely will give your energy level a jolt upwards. If you currently have low amounts of energy, consider increasing your brain’s gamma brainwaves.

• High level of focus - The mind is extremely focused on just one thought while in the gamma brainwave range. It is important to cultivate a high level of focus in order to efficiently complete tasks and succeed in the world. It is very difficult when you have a learning disability or are lacking in focus to be successful. Sustaining a high level of focus can be done easily by increasing the amount of 40 Hz gamma activity in the brain.

• Improved perception / consciousness - Gamma brainwaves have been linked to improved perception of reality and the ability to be aware of one’s consciousness. Gamma brainwaves are very powerful and may feel like quite an awakening to increase if you don’t have much natural gamma activity. Advanced meditators have much more gamma activity than the average person which is why it is easy for them to control and understand their state of consciousness.

Who has high amounts of gamma brainwaves?

• Advanced Meditators - Advanced meditators tend to have a large amount of gamma brainwave activity compared to non-meditators. The amount of gamma brainwave and its amplitude increases as one’s ability to go deeper into meditation increases. Though most meditation practices increase the amount of slow brainwaves in the alpha and theta range, the gamma brainwave frequency increases as well. The gamma brainwave is what allows meditators to distinguish the alpha, and possibly the theta brainwave ranges. As you are able to gain more meditation experience, you’ll learn to naturally boost your gamma brainwave activity. Research has shown that the more experience you have with meditation, the more gamma brainwave activity you’ll display.

• Peak performers - Peak performers tend to have large amounts of gamma brainwave activity compared to others. Though alpha bursts in the left hemisphere has been scientifically proven to be linked to peak performance, gamma brainwave activity is suggested to be essential to performing at an optimal level. If you are interested in manipulating your brainwave patterns to help create a state of peak performance, you may want to try alpha and gamma and be the judge as to which one works better. I’ve heard of several brainwave training regimens that claim it is best to use 10 Hz alpha for visualization several hours before your sporting event, then the gamma brainwave around 30 min. - 1 hour before your event. The combination of alpha, followed by gamma, is supposed to create a state of peak mental preparation and performance.

Just like any of the other brainwave patterns, too much of a dominant rhythm can cause problems. By no means would it be recommended to increase a brainwave that you already have high levels of. Though it is extremely rare, it is possible that the gamma brainwave could cause a couple problems.

Problems associated with too many gamma brainwaves:

• Some anxiety - Though gamma brainwaves are usually not correlated with stress and anxiety, they can be. When a person mostly displays high amounts of beta brainwaves in combination with gamma on an E.E.G., the individual probably has very high levels of anxiety. Though gamma brainwaves usually decrease when we are under stress, the dopamine released from gamma brainwaves can actually cause us to feel overanxious, nervous, or tense. It is best not to increase both gamma and beta brainwaves at the same time. Depending on your current brainwave state, it is important to recognized that though you are usually safe with increasing gamma, overdoing training time or frequency of training may make you feel unpleasantly anxious.

• Clear, conscious perception of reality - Some people are not prepared for the mental awakening that is associated with gamma brainwaves. If you are currently living a fairly unfocused life and happen to begin entraining the gamma brainwave, it may feel like a huge jolt to your consciousness. If I was extremely unfocused, I’d definitely work on entraining the gamma brainwave, but I’d do it slowly and in moderation. Too much gamma entrainment will actually give you a headache! It is important to not become disturbed by your brains initial reactions to an increased gamma brainwave and perception of reality.

Healthy ways to increase gamma brainwaves:

• Brainwave entrainment - As I mention a lot, brainwave entrainment is great for fine tuning your state of consciousness and awareness. If you want to easily and naturally experience gamma brainwaves, I highly recommend trying any of the programs in my “recommended products” section. Brainwave entrainment is an easy process that involves simply listening to a tone (stimulus) and your brainwaves will automatically, naturally shift in order to match the desired frequency associated with the acoustic tone. If you have Neuro-Programmer 2 or Mind Stereo, I recommend creating a customized gamma brainwave session at 40 Hz. Why 40 Hz? 40 Hz is the brainwave of choice and has been linked to the most powerful, positive effects which are currently associated with the gamma brainwave.

• Getting a good night’s sleep - Gamma brainwave activity is present in Rapid-Eye Movement (R.E.M.) Sleep and is sometimes associated with dreaming. Getting a good night’s sleep is important for staying healthy, keeping a healthy, powerful brain. Gamma brainwaves also increase the moment we awaken. Though we are in the theta brainwave for most R.E.M. sleep, the gamma brainwave is present along with the theta. Most non-dream, deep sleep is linked to an increase in delta brainwave activity, whereas dream-sleep is mostly linked to gamma and theta brainwave activity.

• Meditation - The goal of most types of meditation is to lower the brainwaves into the alpha-theta brainwave range. With that said, as you learn to become more aware and increase awareness of your brainwave state, your gamma brainwave activity will naturally increase. A very safe, healthy way to attempt to increase your gamma brainwaves is to make the act of meditation a daily habit or start up a meditation routine. If you are already meditating, great - you’ll naturally increase your awareness. As you increase your awareness, your gamma brainwave will increase.

• Hypnosis / Self-hypnosis - The goal of all hypnosis and self-hypnosis programs is to target the lower brainwave ranges (i.e. alpha and theta) and implant new beliefs. Though you are slowing your brainwaves, your concentration levels are skyrocketing as well. Only having large amounts of alpha and theta without gamma would make self-hypnosis very difficult and an ineffective practice. The more often you participate in self-hypnosis, the more your gamma brainwave amplitude will increase.

• Yoga - Like meditation, yoga is yet another activity that promotes relaxation and wellbeing by shifting your brainwaves and increasing your perception of reality. Brainwaves of yogis have shown that they are able to increase their gamma brainwaves to higher than average amounts. Though there are many different types of yoga, if they are practiced correctly, they can be utilized to increase awareness and gain valuable insight from within.

Unhealthy ways to increase gamma brainwaves?

• There are no known unhealthy activities that increase gamma brainwaves

• Virtually all activities that are detrimental to mental health, decrease the amount of gamma brainwave activity in the brain - Things like general anesthesia, stress, and killing brain cells will decrease your brain’s natural production and amount of gamma brainwave activity. As gamma brainwave activity decreases, susceptibility to depression, stress, and unfocused or impulsive thinking may overtake the brain.

Final evaluation of gamma brainwaves:

I personally think that gamma brainwaves are very invigorating, reality enhancing, and great for everyone to experience. The advanced focus, learning ability, and perception of consciousness is something that everyone should experience. The gamma brainwave is a natural antidepressant and experiencing the power of 40 Hz feels awesome. However, you should be the judge as to whether or not increasing gamma is the brainwave you want to experiment with. If you are already experiencing many of the listed “benefits,” your gamma brainwave could be within it’s healthiest range.

Are you already a very smart, compassionate person? If so, chances are high that your brain could be naturally producing a fair amount of gamma brainwave activity. However, most people do not experience large amounts of the gamma brainwave unless they are in a state of compassion meditation. If you think you are one of the rare people that actually have too much of a conscious perception of reality and are slightly anxious, you may not want to increase your gamma brainwaves.

I highly recommend entraining the 40 Hz gamma brainwave to see how you react. Most people don’t produce large amounts of gamma naturally and most people can benefit. There is not much documented evidence that the gamma brainwave can even be entrained, but most people that I’ve talked to claim that it does have an effect. I have also given the 40 Hz gamma brainwave a shot and have found it to be extremely effective for increasing my focus. If you purchase Neuro-Programmer 2 Professional or any of my recommended brainwave products, you can create a customized 40 Hz gamma brainwave session or use a specialized one that’s already built into the library. The built-in gamma brainwave sessions are supposed to be great. I usually stick to creating my own gamma sessions with custom frequencies. If you are confused about your brainwave pattern, consider giving Neuro-Programmer 2 Professional some experimentation and seeing how your brain reacts and your reality is shifted.

If you’d like to experience Gamma brainwaves:

If you have ever given gamma brainwaves a shot, I’d really like to hear about your experience in the comments section. If you are interested in experiencing some gamma brainwaves or have any questions for me, feel free to send me a message through my contact form. I appreciate when you buy products through my referral ads to help me pay for blog hosting services and the promotion of this blog! Increasing your gamma brainwave pattern is definitely an experience that has potential to boost your brain power and take your brain to a higher level of functioning.

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What are delta brainwaves?

Delta brainwaves are considered the most relaxing brainwave frequency range. Delta brainwaves are commonly associated with the deepest sleep [stages 3 & 4] and a state of unconscious awareness. Delta brainwaves are the lowest in brainwave frequency: ranging from 0 - 4 Hz, but are the highest in amplitude. Delta brainwaves, like other slower brainwave patterns, are generated in the right hemisphere, though they may be observed in widespread patterns throughout various parts of the brain. The delta brainwave range is associated with empathy, the unconscious mind, and a decreased sense of awareness.

Benefits of increasing delta brainwaves:

• Release of Anti-Aging hormones - One of the associated benefits of increasing your delta brainwaves is the release of anti-aging hormones. The delta brainwave pattern stimulates the release of melatonin and DHEA, 2 powerful anti-aging hormones. The delta brainwaves are also associated with decreased levels of cortisol - a hormone linked to stress that has been scientifically proven to speed up the aging process.

• State of empathy - Delta brainwaves can provide you with the ability to read other peoples emotions and determine their feelings at unconscious levels. In healthy amounts, delta brainwaves cause a person to have an advanced state of empathy, understanding, and compassion for others. If you are always able to relate to others and can “read other people’s minds,” you probably have more delta than the average person. If you find yourself getting into trouble for not being considerate enough or for “stepping on other people’s toes,” you may have less overall delta brainwave activity.

• Extreme bliss - Advanced meditation practices and yogic traditions have associated the delta brainwave frequency range with a feeling of all-encompassing bliss. Since most people aren’t able to consciously experience the delta brainwave state, it may be tough to feel extreme bliss from the delta waves like the yogis, monks, or advanced meditators. With that said, there have been people that have testified to feeling the bliss associated with the delta brainwave while performing extremely deep meditation.

• Advanced healing of body and mind - The delta brainwave rhythm is known to completely rejuvenate, replenish, and heal the entire body and brain. The delta brainwave revives the body after a hard day by rejenerating necessary chemicals while a person is asleep. Due to the deepest levels of relaxation that the delta brainwave provides, the body and mind are easily able to restore themselves after minor stress, a rigorous workout, or after boosting your brain power.

• Human Growth Hormone (H.G.H.) Release - The delta brainwave is associated with the stimulation of the pituitary gland, which in-turn, is able to release human-growth-hormone — commonly referred to as H.G.H. It doesn’t release enough for you to skyrocket in height and weight. The delta brainwave will not provide adults with a second version of puberty. With that said, there is evidence that it does release slight amounts of H.G.H. in certain individuals. If you are looking to increase your H.G.H., you should definitely consider using delta brainwave entrainment and evaluate how it works out for you!

• Connection with unconscious mind - Though the alpha and theta brainwaves are capable of bridging the gap between conscious thoughts and the subconscious mind, the delta brainwave allows us to connect deeper: it allows us to connect with the deepest possible level of our consciousness. The goal of many meditation practices is to experience and consciously control the unconscious mind. The subconscious mind, or our brain’s right-hemisphere, becomes activated when slower brainwaves like alpha, theta, and delta waves kick in. If you spend too much time in beta, it may feel incredible to finally relax and give yourself a chance to connect with your deepest sense of awareness.

• Deepest possible level of mind / body relaxation - Delta brainwaves while a person is conscious or awake, are extremely rare. However, advanced meditators and infants, are 2 groups of people that are able to enjoy the deeply relaxing benefits of the delta brainwave. Remember what you felt like when you were an infant? Probably not - the delta brainwave is associated with extreme relaxation, yet completely unconscious mental processes.

• Perfect intuition - Ever have a powerful gut-instinct that helped you make a good decision? Or a gut-instinct that you should’ve followed? If we get ourselves too caught up in the upper brainwave patterns of beta, our intuitiveness becomes severely damaged. As you increase your theta brainwaves and your delta brainwaves, your intuition will increase and so will your ability to recognize the feelings in your “gut.” There are some disagreements as to whether or not the theta brainwave patterns are better for intuition vs. the delta brainwave patterns, but most research suggests that if you can become consciously aware in the delta brainwave state, you will have a nearly perfect sense of intuition.

• Connecting with the spiritual body - Many consider the delta brainwave to bridge the conscious mind with higher planes of reality, the subconscious mind, and / or the unconscious mind. Advanced spiritual gurus have considered the lowest brainwave pattern, delta, one that connects their spirit and their body to a universal life energy. Becoming consciously aware of experiencing the delta brainwave frequencies has been associated with the deepest sense of spirituality, highest sense of internal awareness, and feeling directly connected to a Higher Power.

• Paranormal Experiences - People are especially open to O.O.B.E.’s (Out Of Body Experiences), astral travel, connecting with spiritual beings (i.e. “spirit guides,” “angels,” etc.), E.S.P., and other phenomenon in the delta brainwave range. Though most paranormal and psychic experiences can be argued to be real or fake, there is evidence that most people tend to have them when their brain is producing higher than average amounts of delta, and /or theta brainwaves. Though spiritual experiences and phenomena are commonly experienced in the theta brainwave state, the delta brainwave state has been associated with many too!

• Boosted immune system - Increasing your delta brainwaves can lead to a boosted immune system due to the fact that delta brainwaves are associated with age-reversal or slowing, the production of healthy hormones, and significantly decreased amounts of stress. Increasing your delta brainwaves can lead to a boosted immune system due to the fact that delta brainwaves are associated with healing and rejuvenation of the body. Stress and too much anxiety can do harm to the immune system by releasing harmful chemicals such as epinephrine (adrenaline) and too much of the hormone: cortisol, associated with the adrenaline release. The delta brainwave releases pleasant chemicals and neurotransmitters to help keep your immune system at arguably its highest rate of performance.

Who has high amounts of delta brainwaves?

• Advanced Meditators - The goal of many meditation practices is to increase the amount of slower brainwave patterns. Usually, after practice, meditators are able to become consciously aware in the alpha, and possibly the theta brainwave ranges. It takes a rigorous amount of meditation and dedication to become consciously aware during the delta brainwave state. After you gain a lot of meditation experience, you can eventually learn how to shift your brainwaves from the beta range, through the pleasant calmness of alpha, into the extraordinary theta range. If you get lucky, you’ll eventually cultivate awareness in the delta range. Experienced meditators are able to recognize and control their state of awareness and brainwaves. Like any practice, the more you do it, the better your chances of passing through the alpha brainwave range, into theta, and from theta into the delta brainwave rhythm.

• Infants - The delta brainwave is the dominant rhythm in infants up to 1 year of age. It would be extremely rare for an infant to display any of the upper range brainwave frequencies like beta. The delta brainwave really promotes great neural development and molding of the brain formation.

• Young Children - Younger children tend to have extremely high levels of theta and delta brainwaves compared to adults. Most young kids display very low amounts of higher brainwave frequencies like beta brainwaves, yet display a lot of lower frequency brainwaves in the alpha, theta, and delta ranges. Though most children with A.D.D. have abnormally high amounts of theta brainwave activity, some have large amounts of delta — making it nearly impossible for them to concentrate.

• Individuals With A.D.D. or A.D.H.D. - The majority of individuals with ADD or ADHD tend to have brains that produce too much theta brainwave activity. With that said, it is not uncommon to find an individual with ADD or ADHD that cannot concentrate because they have too much delta brainwave activity and not nearly enough beta brainwave activity. Individuals with ADD can exhibit a number of different brainwave combinations. Some people have: high amounts of delta brainwave activity or a combination of theta and delta brainwaves with virtually zero beta activity. Having too much of the delta brainwave activity explains why ADD people aren’t able to concentrate well and find it impossible to stay on task. (On a personal note, I have been able to cure my ADD by staying disciplined to a set of 5 daily steps).

• People with brain damage - People with head trauma, concussions, and other forms of brain damage, tend to have much higher amounts of delta brainwaves than other people. People in a coma, with brain tumors, or any other problem that can cause brain injury or damage usually produces many of the slower delta brainwaves or theta range brainwaves. When people say they got “knocked out,” they really were “knocked out” due to the increased production of delta brainwaves as a consequence of their injury. Allowing things to kill your brain cells will not help promote a healthy delta brainwave.

• People who’ve had N.D.E.’s (Near-Death Experiences) - People who have had a Near-Death Experience, tapped into their delta brainwave activity during their experience. Many times people often report a disconnection from their body, getting a glimpse of the afterlife, and / or floating sensations. Though this topic is highly controversial, most agree that the person with the N.D.E. was in the delta brainwave range.

Just like any of the other brainwave patterns, too much of a dominant rhythm can cause problems. By no means would it be recommended to increase a brainwave that you already have high levels of. In fact, you may experience some negative affects from too many delta brainwaves.

Problems associated with too many delta brainwaves:

• Packing on excess “emotional baggage” - If you’ve ever been told that you worry too much about the emotions of others or literally “feel what others are feeling,” chances are good that you have too much delta. While some people may enjoy increased empathy, others may feel like they are too caught up in other people’s emotional lives. The delta brainwave can definitely make you pack on too many extra emotions if you aren’t prepared.

• Extremely unfocused mind - Not everyone may particularly enjoy an increased amount of delta brainwaves in their waking E.E.G. The delta brainwave range has been linked to extremely unfocused, unconscious thinking, and ADD. The delta brainwave range can increase mental fogginess, dreaming, and forgetfulness. If you are already extremely unfocused, increasing your delta brainwaves isn’t recommended.

• Extreme sleepiness - Since the delta brainwave pattern has been linked to the deepest stages of dreamless sleep, increasing this brainwave may make you feel more sleepy than you normally do. The delta brainwave is found in individuals that are sound asleep. Drowsiness and extreme sleepiness will occur if the delta brainwave is displayed while a person is awake. When increasing your delta brainwaves, it is extremely common to fall asleep as your brain is being trained. You will wake up feeling refreshed though. It is very difficult to stay aware in the delta state of consciousness unless you are advanced in the practice of meditation.

• Hyperactivity - Because the brain is functioning at the slowest possible brainwave pattern, the central nervous system uses up virtually zero energy. All of the energy that you’ve accumulated throughout the day from eating food needs to be put to use somehow. Having too much delta brainwave activity allows your brain and CNS to get by with very little energy. Since the brain and CNS use less overall energy, the excess energy is expressed in some people through hyperactivity.

Healthy ways to increase delta brainwaves:

• Brainwave entrainment - As I mention a lot, brainwave entrainment is great for fine tuning your state of consciousness and awareness. If you want to easily and naturally experience delta brainwaves, I recommend trying any of the programs in my “recommended products” section. Brainwave entrainment is an easy process that involves simply listening to a tone (stimulus) and your brainwaves will automatically, naturally shift in order to match the desired frequency associated with the acoustic tone. While delta brainwave states usually occur in deep sleep, it is possible to train yourself to remain awake while experiencing the delta brainwave.

• Getting a good night’s sleep - Delta activity is present in stages 3 and 4 of sleep. Getting a good night’s sleep is important for staying healthy, keeping a healthy, powerful brain. Though delta brainwaves will not increase when you wake up the next day, they are highly prevalent in your brain while you are deeply asleep. Most non-dream, deep sleep is linked to an increase in delta brainwave activity, whereas dream-sleep is mostly linked to theta brainwave activity.

• Meditation - The goal of most types of meditation is to lower the brainwaves into the alpha-theta brainwave range. A very safe, healthy way to attempt to increase your delta brainwaves is to make the act of meditation a daily habit or start up a meditation routine. If you are already meditating, great - you’ll naturally increase your flexibility to travel through the alpha brainwave range, possibly through the theta brainwave range, and into the depths of the delta brainwave range.

• Hypnosis / Self-hypnosis - The goal of all hypnosis and self-hypnosis programs is to target the lower brainwave ranges (i.e. alpha and theta) and implant new beliefs. If you practice frequent enough, and long enough, you may find that you are able to tap into your inner delta brainwave awareness.

• Yoga - Like meditation, yoga is yet another activity that promotes relaxation and wellbeing by shifting your brainwaves to the calming patterns of alpha, theta, and sometimes delta. The yogic phenomenon of suspended animation has been claimed to only take place in the delta brainwave range. Though there are many different types of yoga, if they are practiced correctly, they can be utilized to slow brainwaves to tap the delta awareness and insight from within.

Unhealthy ways to increase delta brainwaves:

• Skipping sleep - Depriving yourself of a good night’s sleep or completely skipping sleep will increase the amount of cortisol (a hormone associated with stress and aging) and will flood your brain with a combination of unfocused brainwaves: mostly theta, some delta and in some cases high-beta. If you have ever pulled an “all nighter,” you’ll know that skipping sleep makes you feel extremely unfocused, dizzy, and confused. This is due to to a combination of unbalanced chemicals, hormones, and brainwaves. Not a wise idea to skip sleep to increase your delta brainwaves.

Final evaluation of delta brainwaves:

I personally think that delta brainwaves are very unique to experience and everyone has a different reaction. The deep spaced-out connection associated with delta activity can feel great. You should be the judge as to whether or not increasing delta is the brainwave you want to experiment with. If you are already experiencing many of the listed “benefits,” your delta brainwave could be within it’s healthiest range.

Are you already a mentally fogged person? If so, chances are good that your brain could be naturally producing some delta brainwave activity. However, most people do not have large amounts of the delta brainwave unless they are in the deepest sleep stages. If you are experiencing too many of the listed negative effects, you may want to consider speeding up your brainwaves into the beta range.

I personally recommend entraining the delta brainwave to see how you react. Most people don’t produce large amounts of delta naturally. There is no evidence that the delta brainwave can even be entrained, but there are people who claim that sessions help heal the body and brain during sleep if entrained with Neuro-Programmer 2 Professional. If you purchase Neuro-Programmer 2 or any of my recommended brainwave products, you can create a customized delta brainwave session or use a specialized one that’s already built into the library. The built in delta sessions are great — I’ve personally had success with them. If you are confused about your brainwave pattern, consider giving Neuro-Programmer 2 Professional some experimentation and seeing how your brain reacts and your reality is shifted.

If you’d like to experience Delta brainwaves:

If you have ever given delta brainwaves a shot, I’d really like to hear your experience in the comments section. If you are interested in experiencing some delta brainwaves or have any questions for me, feel free to send me a message through my contact form. I appreciate when you buy products through my referral ads to help me pay for blog hosting services and the promotion of this blog! Increasing your delta brainwave pattern is definitely an experience that has potential to boost your brain power and help you connect with your deepest, spiritual sense of awareness.

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Ever wondering why your teen is a wild, risk-taking, party animal? Well, it probably has a lot to do with his or her brain. During the teen years of life, their brain is still being shaped and is not yet fully developed. Teens are faced with some of the most risky situations and many can’t help their risky behavior. Getting drunk, taking drugs, having sex, are all too common of risky behaviors that teenagers engage in! Below are some collected teenage facts that will help you understand why teenage years are so risky.

Some quick teenage facts:

• Car accidents — Males and females between age 16 - 20 are at least twice as likely to be in car accidents that drivers between the ages of 20 - 50. A quick fact check shows that car accidents are the leading cause of death in the range of 15 to 20 year olds. Roughly 30 % of all younger drivers that were killed had been drinking alcohol prior to the accident.

• Sexually Transmitted Diseases — More than 50 % of all new HIV cases occur below 25 years of age. This makes AIDS the 7th leading cause of death in the 13 to 24 year old range. Every hour, about 2 teens contract HIV. Three million young people are diagnosed with STD’s every year.

• Alcoholism – Slightly less than half (40 %) of all adult alcoholics have reported that their first drinking problems occurred in their teenage years of life.

• Gambling – There is evidence of pathological gambling among 1 in 10 teenagers.

Risk-taking may be a natural part of the teenage brain

Many behaviors that are adopted during the teenage years will affect health as an adult. Risky activities like getting drunk, trying drugs, and gambling, may have a severe impact on their life as an adult. Stopping risky behavior before it happens is still a matter of choice by teens and is critical to helping them develop a healthy, powerful brain. Research shows that much of the risk-taking done by teens, was probably hardwired into their brains.

MRI’s have shown that the brain does some major reorganization of structure from the teenage years into the adult years. These changes could account for the risk-taking, impulsiveness, and attention seeking that affect teenagers. The major problem is the fact that teens brains are “unfinished” and not yet done developing. There is so much restructuring and remodeling going on that teenagers are unable to “grow-up” and think like adults.

Recent studies have shown that teens usually focus on the benefits and undermine the risks involved when making decisions. After they carefully consider the risks and benefits of certain situations, the teenage brain only focuses on the pleasurable results and doesn’t really care about the harm that their decision could cause to themselves or others.

Teens actually overestimate risks?

For many years people have made the stereotypes: teens are bad drivers, have unprotected sex, binge drink, and gamble. These stereotypes were made because the public and health professionals agree that teenagers think that they’re “invincible” to all harm. Many adults think that teens completely underestimate their risks or they wouldn’t be taking such bold actions. The funny thing is, studies have shown that teens are more likely to consider themselves “vulnerable” and actually “overestimate” rather than completely dismiss their risks. Another fact to note is that adults actually consider themselves more invulnerable to risks when compared to teens. So are teens really the ones that actually have poorer judgment in risky situations? No.

Then why do teens even take risks?

Studies have shown that when teens actually do decide to engage in a risky behavior, it’s not due to the possible dangerous consequences; it’s because they think that the benefits of their actions outweigh the risks! A 2002 study by Julie Goldberg at the University of Chicago showed that teens thought that the benefits of alcohol significantly outweighed the risks associated with the behavior. Teens understand the risks involved with drinking the alcohol, but find that the drinking of alcohol itself is too satisfying for them not to do it! The teenage brain puts such a huge focus on rewards, that the rewards almost always outweigh the negative associated consequences.

Teens Vs. Adults recap

It seems that teens ability to think “too logically” actually interferes with their decision making. Most adults would agree that they think more logically than teens, but studies show that they don’t. Then how is an adult able to make better decisions? Adults actually think more illogically and use more intuition when making decisions! Adults actually make decisions by being more intuitive rather than being too logical.

Two types of teen risk-takers:

1) Risky-deliberators — This type of risk taker relies on reasoning that is age-appropriate and logical. The majority of teens are in this category. Before doing something dangerous, teens trade off risks for benefits. Though most of the time, risky deliberators think that since the benefits outweigh the risks, a potentially dangerous action is alright to engage in. Unfortunately, this type of risk taker could be involved in a tragedy.

An example of a situation that would most likely trouble a risky-deliberator: A friend suggests to the “risky-deliberator” that they should steal playstation games from Target. The “risky-deliberator” would think about getting caught and the trouble that he could get into. If the value of the games was more worthy than getting caught, the “risky-deliberator” would go steal the games.

2) Risky-reactors – This type of risk taker just doesn’t think deeply or analytically. They act impulsively because of some pleasurable temptation in their surroundings. Risky reactors don’t intend to do anything dangerous, but due to many factors (i.e. peer pressure) they get pulled into risky situations that they aren’t able to successfully evaluate. Luckily, the majority of risky-reactors grow out of their behavior by adulthood.

An example of a troubling situation for a risky-reactor: Everyone is at a high-school football game and one friend tells the “risky-reactor” and other friends around the “risky-reactor” that he smuggled in some alcohol and wants them to try it. The “risky-reactor” would not think this situation through, may get excited in the heat of the moment, and would probably have some alcohol — while remaining unaware of the danger and potential consequences.

Here are some suggestions to help reduce your teen’s risk-taking behavior:

Talk to your teen. Inform them, debate with them, and demonstrate why they should resist risky behaviors. Present them with some facts about their social norms. Provide them with safe alternatives for the potential risky-behaviors that they may engage in. When you talk, teens actually do listen.

Help them understand. Help your teenager understand the truth about potential situations that they may face. Tell them the real truth about alcohol, drugs, and HIV. This will help get the risks in their memory.

Make some rules. Though you shouldn’t have absolute authority over your teens life, you should make some rules. Rules can be things like telling them to be home at a certain time, having a limit on the number of passengers in their car, and reducing exposure to alcohol.

Monitor and watch over. It is important to monitor and watch over your teens whenever possible. When you are around, they will be much less likely to engage in risky behavior. You don’t need to try to get involved in their life, but keep an eye on them ;)

Show and encourage healthy behaviors. Encourage your teens to develop positive, healthy behaviors and good friends. Friends and behaviors go hand-in-hand. When they hang out with positive people that have healthy habits, they will be much more likely to turn out the same way!

Teens need YOU, their brain is still developing!

It doesn’t really matter whether your kid is a “risky-reactor” or a “risky-deliberator.” What matters most is that they get the extra guidance from their parents that they need. Their brains are still developing and making significant changes in neural-networking. As a parent, it is important to nurture your child’s brain in the best possible way by being around for support!

References: Scientific American Mind. December 2006 / January 2007 Issue.  Article: “Is The Teen Brain Too Rational? Authors: Valerie F. Reyna and Frank Farley

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