Have you ever wondered what a brainwave was? Did you know there are various types of brainwaves that manage different aspects of your body? A brainwave is generated by the building blocks of your brain—your individual cells and neurons. Your body’s neurons communicate with each other by electrical charges. When we view these electrical charges, we call them brainwaves and we are able to see them with a test called a qEEG (Quantitative electroencephalogram).
These brainwaves are measured in cycles per second called Hertz (Hz), similar to that of radios, sound, and light waves. When discussing brainwave activity, frequency is often the topic of conversation. Frequency is the number of times a brainwave repeats itself within a second. To get a better understanding of brainwaves we look to the 4 types of traditional brainwaves.
Delta waves (below 4 Hz) normally occur during sleep. They are slow, loud brainwaves. Delta waves suspend external awareness and are the source of empathy. Healing and regeneration are also stimulated in this state and that is why deep restorative sleep is so essential to the body’s healing process.
Theta waves (4-7 Hz) are associated with sleep, deep relaxation, and visualization. Theta waves are considered our gateway to learning, memory, and intuition. With theta waves, our senses are withdrawn from the external world and more focused on signals that originate from within. While in theta, we are in a dream, we have vivid imagery, intuition, and information beyond our normal conscious awareness. This is where we hold our fears, troubled history, and nightmares.
Alpha waves (8-13 Hz) occur when we are relaxed and calm. Alpha waves are dominant during quiet flowing thoughts and in some meditative states. Alpha waves are the “power of now” being here, in the present. Alpha waves are also the resting state for the brain; their main function is to aid in overall mental coordination, calmness, alertness, mind/body integration, and learning.
Beta Waves (13-18 Hz) are dominant during our normal waking state of consciousness when attention is directed towards cognitive tasks and the outside world. Beta waves are considered as “fast” activity, present when we are alert, attentive, and engaged in problem-solving, judgment, decision making, or focused on other mental activity.
Two other brainwaves that help regulate the body are The Sensory Motor Rhythm (SMR) and is around the 14 Hz range. SMR activity looks to link the brain and body functions. The other is Gamma brainwaves (39-100 Hz) and are involved in higher mental activity and consolidation of information.
Wonder what kind of brain waves you produce?
Our brains produce a mix of all the frequencies at the same time, but some are at a greater strength than others. During your daily activities, your brain produces the various waves needed for your body to function properly. Over-arousal in certain areas of the brain is linked with anxiety, sleep problems, nightmares, hyper-vigilance, impulsive behaviors, anger/aggression, and depression. Under-arousal in certain areas of the brain can lead to depression, attention deficit, pain, and insomnia. A combination of both is seen in cases of anxiety, depression, and ADHD.
When the mix of all the frequencies are not in tune with each other, it causes our brain rhythms to become off, correlating with symptoms of tics, OCD, aggressive behavior, panic attacks, explosive behaviors, and many other issues. Balance of brainwaves is key, just like when we need to be flexible and be able to shift our ideas or activities around when things do not go as planned. With our brain, we need to have the same flexibility and be able to shift our brainwave activity to match what we are doing.
How can Dandelion Family Counseling help?
Just like with regular therapy, any process that changes one’s perception also changes their brainwaves. Chemical interventions such as medications are the most common methods to alter brain functionality; however brainwave training like that of Neurofeedback is our method of choice. Brian training is not a cure, but in collaboration with other methods can be an alternative to medications.