5 Recommended Spotify Playlists for When Your Brain Needs a Massage

Some days, it feels like two small stones live pressed against my temples.

I don't feel actively distressed or overwhelmed, I'm not dehydrated, I've breathed deeply...

No matter how much I unclench my jaw, though, or unstick my tongue from the roof of my mouth, my brain just can't let go of this ambiguous tension.

My therapist and I had been practicing "Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing" (EMDR) therapy. This was to help me (and my brain) learn how to process my feelings, and the world around me.

She explained to me that EMDR activates both sides of the brain by engaging one side of the body, then the other. For example, when your eyes move from left to right repeatedly, it is a mode of EMDR as it engages the right, then the left side of the brain. This allows the brain to fully process whatever is at hand. Your brain naturally does this when it enters REM-cycle sleep. This can also be done by tapping one knee with your hand, and then the other, over and over again.

My therapist went on to explain that, there is a kind of music that is theorized to have similar soothing effects on the brain. It does this by engaging both ears with different sound frequencies: binaural beats.

What are binaural beats?

The word, binaural means "relating to both ears." To experience binaural beats, you must wear headphones.

When you listen to two tones simultaneously, with slightly different frequencies coming through each ear, your brain processes the sound as a binaural beat. This is different from a monaural beat, which is when the same frequency enters both ears at the same time.

The frequency of this binaural beat is the difference between the frequencies of the tones. For example, if a tone with a frequency of 100 Hertz (Hz) is entering your left ear, and a tone with a frequency of 110 Hz is entering your right ear, the binaural beat will be at a frequency of 10 Hz.

Why Is This Important?

Your brain enters different "brain states" by processing different frequencies. This is known as "auditory beat stimulation."

This means that when your brainwaves fall in sync with specific frequencies, certain behaviors, and mental states may be encouraged.

Some of these effects can range from deeper sleep to reduced anxiety, to increased focus and creativity.

To follow our previous example, a binaural beat at 10 Hz would fall under the Alpha range, which is purported to help with relaxation, focus, positivity, and stress reduction.

Several brain states may be activated by different frequencies:

Please note, there have been no recorded negative, long-term side effects of using binaural beats as of date. It is recommended, however, that people who experience epilepsy speak to their doctor before using binaural beats.

Delta (1-4 Hz) is associated with deep sleep and relaxation.

Theta (4-8 Hz) is associated with REM sleep, reduced anxiety, meditation, and creativity.

Alpha (8-14 Hz) is associated with relaxation, focus, positivity, and decreased anxiety.

Beta (14-30 Hz) is associated with increased concentration and alertness, problem-solving, and improved memory.

Gamma (30-100 Hz) is associated with information processing, memory recall, and awareness.

Each person's experience will be different when using binaural beats, however, many people report feeling the benefits of these auditory stimulations.

So, What Does This Mean for Me?

By listening to specific playlists made up of songs with certain frequencies, you can potentially change the way your brain (and you) feel.

It is important to note, though, that binaural beats are also auditory illusions.

That's right: the beat you hear isn't real. It is the product of the two different frequencies coming together to create a perceived new frequency. The frequency you hear itself, though, isn't actually there.

It has also been noted that for this phenomenon to occur each tone has to have a frequency of less than 1000 Hz with the difference between them being no more than 30 Hz.

These specific requirements can make it difficult to find songs that are true binaural beats. Hopefully, the playlists I included will help give you a starting point as you discover your own favorites.

Whether you are meditating to the Theta playlist, writing to the Beta playlist, or sleeping to the Delta playlist, your brain will thank you. Try it out for twenty minutes a day, or for an hour a day - every person is different, and you'll have fun learning what relaxes or engages your brain.

Self-care can look like cooking a great meal, taking a hot bath, or even treating your brain to a little massage. The average person has over 6,200 thoughts a day - don't forget to take a moment and spare a few of those kind thoughts for yourself, too.

You deserve it.

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