Whether it's meditation, autogenics, yoga, Silva, Superlearning, Hypnosis, NLP, and maybe, even taiji and qigong, success (to achieve whatever goal one has set) hinges on one's being able to get into the alpha brainwave state. In fact, all the mental techniques train one, or induce one, to get into an alpha brainwave state.
Many don't bother or just don't have the time and/or money and/or discipline to go through the training to make alpha induction a voluntary thing. (We all go through the various brainwave patterns depending on our state of consciousness. The point is being able to get into alpha voluntarily, or even remain in alpha most of our waking time.)
Well, the good news is that we can be induced to get into the alpha state, whether we like it or not, by listening to a particular type of music: music with the largo beat (50 to 60 beats per minute). Such music is common in Baroque music (Vivaldi, Bach, Corelli, Telemann, etc.), most having the largo or adaggio movements. However, in selecting the music, one must check that those sections indeed are in the 60 beats-per-minute range because some performers or conductors may prefer to go through those movements at a faster pace. Slower would be no problem.
From easiest (no training needed) to the more difficult (training and discipline needed), I would present this list of methods of getting into, or learning to get into, the alpha state:
1. Listening to music with largo beat. In fact, even listening to a metronome beating at 60 per minute will get the same effect.
2. Looking at lights flashing at particular intervals (visual entrainment) - not recommended for those with epileptic tendencies.
3. Listening to stereo sound with asynchronous left ear-right ear tones (binaural beats)
4. Autogenics and similar relaxation technics. (
Click here for a good description of first level autogenics.)
5. Qigong or pranayama breathing technics
6. Silva mind control and similar technics such as self-hypnosis
7. Transcendental meditation and similar technics
8. Raja yoga with or without hatha yoga
9. Taiji and similar martial arts based technics
Once in alpha, one can work using techniques like visualization or affirmations to effect various goals, a partial list including:
- health improvement
- pain control
- body healing
- mind healing
- habit forming or breaking
- superlearning or supermemory
- decision making
- psychic powers like disease diagnosis, telepathy, remote viewing, etc.
and the endeavor's success is greatly accelerated.
Just an introduction... to stimulate more contribution of ideas.
Do you have a technic of your own? or intended application?
Gerry