The Brain And NeurOptimal®

The Brain
The brain is the center of our central nervous system.  It is a sophisticated command and control center that is responsible for controlling all the other systems in your body.  It receives and processes information from your body and the environment and enables you to process and store information and formulate appropriate responses, much of it without your conscious awareness.  This is all made possible by a vast and wonderful neural network.  

It is estimated that the human brain has 15-33 billion neurons and each neuron may have as many as 10,000 synaptic connections.  Neurons communicate with each other using electrical signals.  The electrical signals emanating from the brain are measured as brainwaves.  The frequencies of the brainwaves tells us a lot about the state of the brain at a given moment.

Brainwaves
Brainwaves are categorized based on the frequency of the wave which are measured in cycles per second (hertz or Hz).  1 Hz (or 1 times a second) is a very big slow wave as far as the brain is concerned, and 40 Hz is a very fast small wave. Researchers have, in the past, grouped some of these waves together and given them names based on which were discovered first. Some of the traditional groupings would be disputed today, now that we can obtain very precise digital data compared with that obtained from old analogue equipment, but the types of waves are still often discussed according to these names. If we start at the bottom, the biggest slow waves of 1 and 2 Hz are called Delta, and these are dominant in a person who is sleeping. Then comes Theta. There is "good" Theta" and "bad" Theta. "Bad" Theta pulses predominantly at 3Hz and 5Hz, and can carry emotional and cognitive reactivity. Old traumas can be carried here. But "good" Theta, or 7 Hz, brings with it tremendous healing and sometimes wonderful realizations. Alpha is 8-13 Hz (these numbers do vary a little depending upon the researcher and the equipment they are using), and is present particularly when you relax with eyes closed. It can bring with it a feeling of well-being and peacefulness. SMR is 14 Hz or sensory motor rhythm. We call it the "cat frequency", because cats produce a lot of it when sitting very still with their eyes closed. But if something (like a little mouse) were to cross in front of them, they would be on it in a flash. It's a state of great physical stillness, with awareness of what is going on both in your body and around you, but not having any thoughts about it. Beta on the other hand (15-18 Hz), is very focused narrow attention, and the focus is "out there". Unfortunately, it is also the "stress response", so can feel very uncomfortable if the client is trained to increase beta, as most approaches do. It is not a frequency that is used in NeurOptimal® any longer. There are other frequencies that give you all the focus and attention and other benefits without the unpleasant side effects. There are many other, higher frequencies that are worked with in NeurOptimal®, but those four categories are the most well known. The description and use of some of these frequencies are original and unique to Zengar.  Click here to see Zengar's Cartography (or Map) of Consciousness.