The Mindful Migraine

In our brains, there is a lot going on. I’m no neurologist, so I can’t even begin to fathom it all, let alone try to explain any of it to you… that said… there is something that has been floating around in my mind to write about for some time now: brain waves.

About a year ago, I did a review of a book called “The neuroscience of mindfulness” by Australian scientist Stan Rodski (2019). It included a reference to brain waves (full post here), which I summarized like this: “…you want to get your brain into alpha-theta wave mode.  Theta waves apparently appear when we’re falling asleep or waking up, or even daydreaming as you walk along and can’t remember the journey.  Alpha waves are generated by repetitive actions; restful yet awake.  Coloring in apparently is an alpha-wave-generator.”

The idea of brain waves, alpha-theta waves in particular, has been coasting along in my mind as I said, and it was while writing up a more recent book review (Noa Belling’s “The Mindful Body” (2018) here) that I decided it was time to take note.

[Disclaimer – I’m not a scientist, so no hate if I get this super-short summary wrong!!]

Belling’s book states there are 5 bands of brainwaves, that range from slow, moderate to fast: Delta, Theta, Alpha, Beta, Gamma (page 19). As humans, we cycle through the range, up and down, all day and night; there is no ‘best’ or ‘optimal’ place to be. When we’re in the slow-wave mode, we might feel relaxed and calm, or tired and dreamy, whilst the higher waves suggest a focused and attentive state, right up to feeling ‘wired’ and hyper-alert. (20)

In broad terms, each wave depicts a particular mode of being, as follows (pp20-27):

+ Gamma (30-200Hz): Super thinking / loving – vision and hearing sharpens, other senses are heightened, perception and memory recall increases. Our brains apparently slip into this state at some point during sleep, and we can engage this higher wavelength in episodes of heartfelt compassion and deep bliss. (It is also associated with meditation, out-of-body experiences and some more mystical events).

+ Beta (12-30Hz): Thinking / planning / organizing / speaking – this is probably your brain mode right now as you read this. It covers everything from idle ideas (daydreaming), right through to complex concentration.

+ Alpha (8-12Hz): Relaxed / balanced / grounded / meditative – when you take a walk in nature, this is the sort of mindset you have. Other ways to move into this state include exercising, praying, creating, meditating.

+ Theta (4-7Hz): Dreamy / emotional / imaginary – this is a form of deep relaxation that comes when you are drifting off to sleep, or meditating at length. It sits at the threshold of your conscious mind and can assist you process emotions and memories. Shamanic and Buddhist chanting or drums can move you towards this state.

+ Delta (0.1-3/4Hz): Deep dreamless sleep / restoration – external awareness is suspended and your body repairs itself while your brain rests.

If we return to the Rodski book, he suggested “you want to get your brain into alpha-theta wave mode” – that’s the deep relaxation mode.

A quick web-search suggested that yoga, mindful breathing, doodling and forest bathing could all help you slide your brain into alpha-theta mode.

Another recurring theme was situating yourself in a space with low lighting and warm air – in other words, a cozy, not over stimulating environment.

‘Binaural beats’ was another idea to try, where you listen to a specific type of music with headphones on, and a different frequency is played into each ear [my migraine-brain will be giving this option a miss (I’m not a fan of headphones, let alone ones that are making two different sets of sounds!)]

The ‘Silva method’ was another suggestion, which I’ll have to read more about and report back on, but I believe is a form of self-hypnosis / mind-control / manifesting (?)

Lastly – any activity that gets you in a ‘flow state’ is beneficial. When you’re “in the zone” you’re dropping into the exact space between an alpha and theta mind (aware yet calm). For some people, getting in the flow, can come from jogging or surfing, for me, I would say that I drop into the zone when I’m listening to divine music, crafting or free-writing; the inner-critic goes quiet, and the words or sewing long-stitches seem to come automatically and effortlessly.

So, what’s the real upside of being in alpha-theta mode?

Simple: increasing relaxation means you’re also decreasing your stress and anxiety.

This is something I’m going to explore further, but if you go looking, be cautious of what’s out there, including a lot of companies trying to sell you brain-enhancing supplements, as well as videos promoting get-rich-quick benefits of brain-hacking… which might be your ultimate goal… you do you.

I’ll end with a (8 min) video on YouTube which is music with a pulsating mandala similar to my home-made healing mandala (that I use for my ‘logo‘) – their channel has many similar options, and I enjoyed just listening to it with my eyes shut as a pseudo-meditation-moment of slow breathing, while concentrating on my heartbeat (which also slowed down):

[Video source: 8-Minute Theta Alpha Waves with 40hz Binaural Beats | Meditation Music]

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On that lovely, floaty note, I’ll leave you to enjoy your day, or night, as blissfully as possible.

Take care taking care, my lovely friends,

Linda x

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PS – Don’t forget I have a whole channel of similar sounds (that absolutely shifted my relationship with migraine-pain and helped reduce my suffering) – it’s over on Spotify and goes non-stop for more than 50 hours, AND it has a mind-blowing 7,000+ supportive-saves: Healing Music for Migraines – playlist by www.TheMindfulMigraine.Blog | Spotify

PPS – shout out to the following bloggers and their sites who have recently crossed my digital path and joined The Mindful Migraine Team – YAY:

daninmaya – Poetry, spiritual, nature, oceans, love, trees

Northern Desert Photography – Living on the Edge of the Sagebrush Ocean

Palliser Pass – Stories, Excerpts, Backroads

Random Thoughts – Be a voice, not the echo.

The ancient eavesdropper | Nature’s nuances in a nutshell

The Green Stars Project – User-generated ratings for ethical consumerism