# AVS Therapy, binaural beats, light and sound



## MissLana (Jan 12, 2014)

Some time ago, before my DP, I got into meditation, relaxation, and brainwave entertainment. I purchased several devices called light and sound machines (sometimes referred to as brain machines or AVS therapy)

These are rather costly but there are some cheaper versions of them out on the market. I am oh so glad that I purchased these before this madness started happening.










This one is called the Laxman. You can find it priced for $450 - 600 depending on if it's used or not. There are some much cheaper alternatives to this. This one is hyped up because you can use it with your eyes open.

Most light and sound machines are meant for closed eyed sessions. And, most of them look like this:










This is the Proteus by Mindplace. It has a series of LED lights in the light frames, and, it has built in binaural beats which range from delta ~ theta ~ alpha ~ beta ~ gamma. The lights flicker in a way that goes with whatever tone is being played. Delta and theta, the two I use for relaxation, have slower frequencies so the lights and sounds have a very low flash / pulse rate. The higher frequencies come with faster flashing and blinking and are meant to give you a more alert and focused state of mind.

What does it look like behind closed eyes? Well, it looks like kaleidoscopes in many different shades of color. I know that this sounds trippy. To be staring at LED lights with your eyes closed?! I thought it was going to trip me out after I got DP. But, it does the opposite, for me. These devices trick your brain to follow a frequency. Delta, theta, alpha, beta, or gamma. We produce these waves in our brains naturally. If you are stressed, for example, and you want to calm down or sleep, then a good delta tone would be good because deltas are the most slow moving waves out of the bunch. Delta waves get produced when we are in a deep restful sleep. If you want focus, attention, and visualization, they have sessions for that, too.

My biggest ordeal with DP/DR has been brain fatigue, body fatigue, blurry vision, everything being out of focus, etc. Three months ago, I had full blown 2D vision. It looked like I was looking through a lense, and, everything was so 2D looking that it scared the crap out of me to even walk through doorways because it looked like I was walking into something that wasn't even three dimensional! My perception of depth was way off and still is somewhat off.

I'm no longer in 2D vision and I no longer really feel like I'm in a "dream", but, I feel like I haven't quite woken up yet, either. My anxiety is still annoying, my vision is foggy and hazy, and, it feels like my brain wants to sleep for a whole year because that's how badly this whole DP/DR thing has fatigued my brain. If my vision cleared up, and my depth perception got better, and if that slightly dreamy and foggy feeling went away, I'd be SO much happier.

Back on topic to the light machines. These babies make you feel rested while you wear them. You stop caring about your DP, you stop caring about your problems, and, you start existing in a world where all that exists is the most relaxing and hypnotic flashing light, followed by a matching frequency. When I wear these, I literally feel like someone is massaging my brain and my eyes.

Scientists have studied these machines and have found that they do alter brain wave activity (in a non-dangerous way, don't worry! - we produce these waves naturally)

Studies show that these may improve accelerated learning, increase mental clarity, help with mental fatigue, help headaches (this is a biggie. I suffer from migraines and these work wonders on me), reduce stress, anxiety, and promote feelings of well being. I'm sure these do so much more than that but those are some of the key benefits I learned about while researching these.

Many people use these for meditation, with self-help audios, and some people even use these for getting into the out of body astral projection state. Trust me, though, this won't induce an out of body experience... unless you try really hard and want it to.  What it does for me is, it puts me into a very deep relaxed state. It's a state where problems and worries melt away. Your brain becomes so hypnotized and fascinated with the hypnotic kaleidoscopic lights and frequencies that it forgets to worry and care about things like anxiety, stress, and all that BS. I even used a light machine with one of those affirmation CDs where they keep repeating how great and awesome you are over and over. Not gonna lie, it did make me feel empowered.

Apparently, studies showed that these devices can put your brain in a place where it's more open to suggestion. I haven't tried this, yet, but, I should totally record myself saying positive DP affirmations to see if it works!  "You WILL recover from DP" "You WILL gain mental clarity" "You ARE real and you are POWERFUL and can overcome ANYTHING" -- you get the jist. If you go deep enough into the relaxation, I'm pretty sure it's very similar to how hypnotherapy works. You can relax your brain, delve deep into your mind, and tell your brain that everything is going to be okay.

What happens after you take the goggles off after an hour session or so? For me, it feels better than sleeping. I sleep and sleep and sleep but my brain is still tired. My brain is so tired of focusing on things. Things are hazy and blurry. First two months of my DP, I mentioned that I was in a constant 2D environment and I felt like I was high as a kite despite the fact that I was sober. For months, I felt like I was in a dream and was very high and intoxicated. Now, it's nowhere near as bad. I don't really feel high but I feel like I just ran a mental marathon and my brain is crying out for relief from this constant exhaustion. I swear, just looking at things makes my brain more fatigued which elevates my DP. It makes me want to go around blindfolded for a week to see if it helps. I'm serious. I'll get a mini fridge and I'll figure out how to use the bathroom blindfoldedly. My brain is just THAT tired no matter how much I sleep.

Luckily, these devices are like a brain massage. My brain says "Thank you so much" after I use one. I get increased clarity, less brain fog, clearer vision, and less anxiety and stress after a relaxing session with one of these. I highly recommend trying one out. If they have a return policy, I'd take advantage of that in case you don't like it. The Proteus by Mindplace is $159 on Amazon but I got mine used on Ebay for $40, once. I always check Ebay to see if there's one available for cheap. In my collection, I have... six of them. Some of them don't come with binaural beats and tend to be cheaper. I have one that's binaural beat free and it isn't as good.

I don't know the whole story of how they work, so, if you're interested in giving them a shot, then do some research. There are many on the market. In fact, I'm going to go put one on right now. It's such a good feeling knowing I can escape my DP/DR while wearing one of these. No stress, no worries, nothing but a good old brain massage and a deep relaxing journey into kaleidoscopes and color. It feels so refreshing after a session. It actually feels like a nap! Can't tell you how many times I've fallen asleep wearing these, though. They relax you and are very hypnotic. Sometimes, I'm out within ten minutes of starting a session.

Binaural beats

These are also very powerful forms of brainwave entertainment. Yes, they have showed promising signs of success when it comes to gaining focus, concentration, mental clarity, relaxation, etc.

Many binaural beats can be found on Youtube. They require headphones because they use pulses and different frequencies to manipulate the brain waves, Studies have shown that a person's level of alertness / or relaxation is much higher, based on brain scans. These have helped me with my DP tremendously.

My favorite beats and the ones I've found to be most effective with my DP/DR have been the ones from the Immrama Institute,

Link: http://www.immramainstitute.com/brainwave-technology-for-health-wellness/whole-brain-synchronization/

They sell CDs here and 'Insight' and 'Focus' are my favorite ones. I bought these several months ago. These binaural beats -- unlike others -- use Hemi-Sync technology. This stands for hemispheric synchronization. Headphones are required, and, truly do make me feel relaxed and focused. When I listen to binaural beats, especially ones using Hemi-Sync technology, I can feel a lot of tension and pressure lift off of my head. Sometimes, it even gives me a headache because it almost feels like certain energy blockages are being cleared when I listen to these. To me, this just proves to me that my brain hemispheres are out of whack, because, everytime I listen to a binaural beat that is coded with Hemi-Sync properties, I feel so much intense stuff going on in my head area, I always feel more alert and relaxed afterwards, though, and my DP lessens because I get some newfound clarity after listening to these.

I bought a DP recovery self-help course from Harris Harrington, who, did lots of research over the years on DP and even cites his sources. He claimed that in DP/DR people, the brain hemispheres are not in sync with each other. One part of the brain is the logical side and one is the creative. One is the observer and one is the experiencer. Imagine if there was a disconnect between logic / creativity and experiencing / observing. What does that sound like? A bit like DP, because, DPed people have a hard time, often times, dealing with logical esistential conundrums, and, on the flip side, find it hard to become creative or motivated to enjoy life the way they used to before DP. So, it makes sense that brain synchronization may be a huge piece of the puzzle in DP.

Here is a sample of some of Immrama's Hemi-Sync binaural beats: 




These require headphones. I use my Beats stereo headphones and get amazing results!

There are other companies out there that offer binaural beats, isochronic tones, monaural tones, or Hemi-Sync technology. This Immrama Institute is one of many to use the hemisphere synchronization technology. Many studies have been done on brainwave entertainment, even actual scans of the brain, etc. All sorts of test studies have been done. And, it's not something too new, either. Studies into brainwave entertainment and its benefits have been going on for a while, now. They are sort of trending now and are much more mainstream, but, these have been around for quite a bit.

I've been listening to a focus based binaural beat for an hour, now, and I'm gaining tons of clarity. I do get a headache, sometimes, when I use brainwave entertainment, but, I never got headaches this bad with brainwave entertainment before I got DP. And, I've been researching and delving into brainwave entertainment for 8 years or so! The fact that I can literally feel tension and pressure dissipate from my brain and from behind my eyes is probably a sign that DP does stress out the brain. Binaural beats help with neural pathway signals, especially the full brain synchronizing ones, and, I sense that DPed people's neurotransmitters get stressed and over-worked very easily.

I'm not saying light and sound machines (AVS therapy) and binaural beats will be a magic cure, but, they have helped reduce my symptoms greatly and they truly improved my quality of life. I haven't even stuck to it religiously. I don't use my machines or listen to my Hemi-Sync CDs on a daily basis, but, I think I'm going to see if I can correct whatever is 'off' with my brain by listening to these binaural beats every day. Many people report that after weeks of steady and constant use, they gain more clarity, alertness, and what feels like a more balanced brain. Anxiety and stress may also become greatly reduced after prolonged use of brainwave entertainment.

So, that's all I have to say about that. I know many people are skeptical of brainwave entertainment and that's fine. I'm saying it helps me out A LOT, and, it might help some of you guys out, too.


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