Out of all of my toys, my Mind Machine might very well be my favorite. I’ve had it for years and employ it for a variety of different purposes. While primarily I use it for meditation and relaxation, its also a huge hit back at the festival campgrounds. The flurry of colors running over your eyes while the binaural beats entrain your brain will make you forget about your surroundings and take you off into your own little world.
So what exactly is a mind machine? The mind machine consists of two main parts. Headphones which produce binaural beats, and lights frames which display lights patterns over the wearers closed eyelids. Together the binaural beats combined with the synchronized light patterns work to create a process called brainwave entrainment where brainwaves move toward a particular frequency. What all this means is that the mind machine can be used to induce a variety of states of consciousness. It can make you relaxed, awake, sleepy, focused or even take you on a journey up and down through different states.
The particular model of Mind Machine I own is called a Proteus. Its comes preprogrammed with 50 different sessions, each designed to put you in a different state of consciousness. You can also hook up a CD player to the unit and play Audio Strobe CDs which are encoded to control the light patterns on the lightframes in addition to providing sound. And for those who want more, you can download additional sessions or even create your own.
Some of the times I’ve used my Proteus:
- To relax when coming home from work.
- At night to help me fall asleep.
- To help me get energized in the morning or before I go out.
- In conjunction with a hypnosis track to make the hypnosis more effective.
- To entertain myself with the auditory and visual stimulation.
- At festival campgrounds to provide entertainment for myself and for friends.
If you are interested in learning more about Mind Machines or potentially buying one, check out Mind Modulations. They’ve got a few different models and some great info. That’s where I got my Proteus.
For more information on the science behind it all. Check out some of the following links
