What Is Gamma Meditation?

Gamma meditation is a relaxation technique based on the concept of brain wave entrainment. This means that when certain sounds are made, the brain will respond by producing brain waves that mimic the same vibration. The goal in gamma meditation is to cause the brain to produce gamma waves. Experiments have demonstrated that gamma wave meditation can improve health and engender a feeling of well being.

The human brain mainly produces alpha, beta, theta, and delta waves. These brain waves are emitted during different stages of waking and sleeping. The brain emits beta waves during the fully awake state when people think, drive, communicate, and perform other activities that require a state of alertness. These beta brain waves have a frequency between 12 and 30 Hertz (Hz).

Alpha waves are produced when someone is awake but feeling relaxed. They have a frequency between 8 and 11 Hz. When a person is drowsing or lightly sleeping, the brain produces theta waves with a frequency between 4 and 7 Hz. Delta waves are formed when the person is in the deepest stage of sleep and have a frequency between 0 and 3 Hz.

Although these four brain wave states have been recognized since the beginning of the 20th century, gamma brain waves are a more recent discovery. The gamma meditation technique was developed by Dr. Jeffrey Thompson, an American neuroacoustic specialist, who devised a series of experiments using precise tones. He discovered that gamma waves could effect physical, mental, and emotional healing. Gamma waves of 40 Hz can be produced by listening to an entrainment CD and are considered by some to be the frequency of peak brain performance.

The gamma meditation practitioner assumes a comfortable position and listens to a CD designed to produce gamma waves. Proponents of this technique claim that the gamma state produces feelings of happiness and compassion in addition to relaxation. Listening to a brainwave entrainment CD that causes the brain to produce gamma waves can induce a state of meditation quickly and easily.

People who regularly practice gamma meditation have reported improvement in conditions such as high blood pressure, chronic fatigue, pain, premenstrual syndrome, and attention deficit disorder. Some claim that gamma meditation has cured their depression. Gamma waves increase the levels of serotonin and endorphins in the brain, improving mood and relieving stress and anxiety. Practitioners claim that gamma meditation increases their energy level, helps them think more clearly, makes them feel optimistic, and helps them learn more quickly.