what are the different brain waves?

the human brain operates through electrical impulses that create different brain wave patterns. brain waves are rhythmic or repetitive patterns of neural activity in the central nervous system. they can be measured by an electroencephalogram (eeg) and are categorised into six main types, each associated with different states of consciousness. these brain waves influence our thoughts, emotions, and overall state of consciousness. the ajna light is a powerful tool designed to influence brain wave patterns through light therapy. it uses flickering lights at specific frequencies to stimulate and entrain brain waves, guiding the mind into various states of consciousness.

delta

1–4Hz

dreamless sleep

deep physical restoration of body

connection to the unconscious mind

extreme bliss

states of empathy

should be avoided if you have add or adhd

your brain is in this state when it’s in the deepest and most restorative phase of sleep. advanced healing of body and mind occurs during this period and it’s where the unconscious mind and intuition are born from. extreme bliss and states of empathy are experienced when the mind is awake and aware that it’s in this state. 

theta 

4–8Hz

drifting into sleep

dream imagery

reduced anxiety

powerful creativity and insight

spiritual connection

as you are drifting into sleep your brain accesses this frequency and moves in and out of it throughout the night. reported benefits are reduced anxiety, heightened creativity and insight. vivid visualisations are often reported. theta is the state that is often stimulated by meditation and is naturally accessed more frequently by creative people. rem sleep (the part where you dream) happens here. 

alpha

8-12Hz

pre sleep

relaxed

bridge between the unconscious (theta) and the conscious mind (beta)

pain relief

stress and anxiety reduction

lucid, blissful states of mind

this is the stage where you can program your mind happening just before you wake up or fall asleep. after much experimentation, this became my preferred setting. the sense of letting go and lucidity was combined with heightened sense of awareness throughout my body and i reliably left the sessions feeling relaxed and focussed.

beta 

12-30Hz

this is an important frequency to understand at the beginning of an ajna journey. 

a healthy balance between the brainwave states is key. in the west, a large proportion of society is overworked. this results in the brain being in a beta brainwave state too much. this leads to an unhealthy amount of cortisol (the stress hormone) being released into the body, an inability to turn off the mind, sleeping disorders and eventually more serious conditions. increasing beta waves in these individuals can make their symptoms worse. 

having acknowledged the above, in healthy balance, beta waves can provide the following benefits:

motivation

enhancement of language and reading skills

effective treatment against add

reduces fatigue

gamma

30-100Hz

increased focus

improved learning and short term memory

enhanced senses

bliss and compassion

this is the state of hyper brain activity, great for learning and gamma waves are associated with the formation of ideas, language, memory processing. for me it felt like consuming high quality caffeine - gives great stimulation and focus for several hours but it's using a lot of brain energy. at the end of the day you need a good nights sleep after an intense gamma session.

lambda 

100-300Hz 

extraordinary states of consciousness found in the highest states of meditation 

deepest levels of insight 

personal original creative problem solving 

mystical out-of-body experiences 

high degree of self-awareness 

this is reportedly the state that monks can get into after years of meditation. i tried this on the 'pure' setting - 20 minutes of only lambda using binaural beats on the headphones at a matching frequency and found it to be too much. i left feeling disoriented.