3rd European Conference on Positive
Psychology, University of Minho, 3-6 july 2006, Braga,
Portugal
Modulating the
state of consciousness through induced microsynchronization of sound waves. Phenomenology of
the experience and
application potentials
Gubert Finsterle
PDF 1 MB
Recent
studies (Trzopek, 2002) detected a direct relationship between the listening of
particular sound waves and the synchronizing of cortical waves on these
signals.
Moving from
this premise, we developed an audio technology based on a holophonic sound
field obtained through the microsynchronization of two sound fields, which is a
“virtual” reconstruction by an electro acoustic system of one sound
field that is perceived as existing potentially all around the listener. The
specific listening setting used for this study – labelled as
“Setting a” –
involves the use of a fractalic structured sound stimulus (a = 1/f), which is
perceived as a noise deprivated from any recognizable form, thus resulting
always identical in time and neutral in relation to mental events.
The phenomenology of the experience associated
with this particular kind of listening session can be described as a diversion
of attention and consciousness events, from “external” phenomena
(the sound stimulus, the perception of the body), to
an “internal” field created by the mind itself that has reality evidence
for the subject, as happens in dreams.
The fact that participants are awake and
conscious allows for a precise phenomenological description of the event, that
reveals some structural regularities:
- the sound stimulus
tends to disappear while forms begin to arise in the mental space. This
transition of the state of consciousness is often perceived as normal and
“obvious”;
- a contemplative
dimension of the experience is reported, where participants observe without
being involved by the emotions related to the scenes that unfold in the mental
space;
- the events produced by the mind are usually
related to specific personal issues; similarly to insight experiences,
participants often get new ways to combine information in order to find answers
and solutions, reporting a feeling of
wonder;
- after the session,
participants feels deeply relaxed and awake, with a spontaneous tendency to
smile.
The existence of two neural circuitries –
a high pathway and low pathway – involved in transmitting sound related bioelectrical
information to the sensorial cortex and to amygdale and hippocampus,
respectively (LeDoux, 2000), can provide a neurophysiologic basis to this
experience, also considering the increased amount of general cortical
synchronizations during the session.
The
microsynchronization of sound waves has proved useful in preliminary clinical
applications for the treatment of affective disorders.
Aiello G., Finsterle G., Modulazione dello stato di coscienza mediante l’ascolto di una stimolazione sonora a struttura casuale in un campo olofonico: fenomenologia dell’esperienza, ipotesi teoriche e prime analisi elettroencefalografiche, in Atti congresso AIAMC 6-8 maggio 2005, Milano
LeDoux J., Il cervello emotivo, Raffaello Cortina Editore, Milano, 2000
Trzopeck, H. G. et al., An auditory electrophysiological intervention
on migraine: a randomized placebo controlled Add-on trial, in
“Journal of Neurotherapy”, Vol.6, nr. 2, The Harworth Press INC,