Binaural Beats and Epilepsy? Mixed Message.

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AndrewIrish

AndrewIrish

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http://www.ehow.com/list_6573607_dangers-binaural-beats_.html

I was beginning to experiment with audio waves for sleep and have come across this... I think it's similar to an effect where tattoo artists get antsy around people with epilepsy... it's kind of 'intense' when I listen to binaural beats, such as this: , but you'll even notice in the youtube disclaimer, it strongly discourages people with epilepsy to listen.

Anyone have experience with this or can verify that it might cause issues with someone whom hasn't had an 'audio triggered' seizure, to my knowledge?

"People with a history of epilepsy are generally discouraged from using binaural beat therapy unless under medical supervision because there is a risk that the auditory stimulation will cause seizures. Since epileptic seizures are the result of abnormal neurological impulses, introducing the 'frequency following techniques' used by binaural beats can trigger the seizure reflex.

Binaural beat therapy should be discontinued if the user experiences uncontrollable twitching, full-body jolts or sudden jerks. In a few cases, children who have no history of seizures have experienced them while using binaural beat therapy. It is therefore recommended that children only be allowed to use binaural beats under adult supervision."
 
Hi Andrew, i guess it's similar to when i was first diagnoesd - i had to stop DJing, as matching beats in my headphones against the speakers (worst were just very slightly out of sync 1s) would make me collapse almost instantly.

funny thing is, i don't actually have any other triggers aside from the usual cyclic or stress/tiredness induced ones.

i'm not sure if that qualifies me as having no audio triggers but still being affected by this - but i still didn't want to check out that vid, just in case....
 
Yea, I was a bit trepid to post the video at first but I didn't know exactly how to describe a 'sound' without an example. It's good to know that someone HAS been affected by this, so there's some science behind it. When I listen to it, it makes me feel very... odd, kinda choked up... as if a pressure is building in my head. I don't know if that's the binaural beats doing their job or if it's a friction with my epilepsy.

I'm hoping for some more experiences or thoughts on the matter before I try to experiment with them any further.
 
that sounds like a good plan tbh mate - that 'build up of pressure' feeling is almost exactly how i'd describe the feeling before a seizure, so i'd be wary of this for sure...

as an aside, i've experimented over the years, and i've found that forcing processing of 2 similar inputs nearly always makes me feel 'odd'.

i don't know if you've seen the rotating mask illusion, but at the jump point it can make me feel very weird, as my vision adjusts
 
What you were feeling is bothsides of the brain working at the same time. I have done Therapy and BEO work for about 15 yrs using Hemisyc and Binaural Beats for meditation. Yes, this can cause siezures going from Beta to Alpha can confuse the brain while awake.
 
Funny, I've never heard of that before, but it reminds me this music I was listening to once. It was Ruth Crawford Seeger's 1931 String Quartet, 3rd Movement. I got the weirdest headache/nausea inducing trippy feeling. When I mentioned my reaction to other people, they looked at me like I was crazy. This was before I knew I had partial seizures. I'm still not even completely sure as to whether I had some sort of seizure or if that's supposed to happen.

People don't usually think of auditory-induced seizures, but everyone is aware of the risk of strobe light. What I find interesting, though, is that I read that strobe lights are dangerous when there is a flash frequency of between 5 and 70 Hz, with most people being triggered between 15 and 20 Hz. So I went and calculated the frequency of the beats in one of the sections of the string quartet I mentioned (by subtracting the frequency of one note from the other note) and discovered that the beats had a "strobe light effect" of right around 18 hertz. (I can't remember for sure, but I remember it was right in the center of the "trigger" zone).

Anyway, the binaural beats seem to be right in this frequency range. I'm surprised it's not a "thing" that people talk about, considering there's so much public awareness about strobe lights. Then again, I'm a musician, so I probably come across these sorts of things more often than the average person. I'd love to see some research on this stuff.

(I'm new to this forum; I hope this was a worthy first post) :)
 
I'd say it is!

Yea, if anyone knows more about this, we could use some solid research info!
 
I used to be a drummer in a band, and really didn't notice any changes. However, if I listen to something that has a lot of stereo effects (constantly phasing from one speaker to the other), especially faster pace industrial/techno, I start to get terrible migraines, and usually have staring spells (petit mals) for a good hour or so after.


There was an article I found "The Mozart Effect" and epileptics. I decided to test it out, and it was weird because I felt something in my head I've never felt before. Not sure if it was an aura or not, but it was an experience to say the least!

Here's a part of the summary:
"In 1998, researchers asked 29 people with epilepsy to listen to Mozart K448 while having an EEG test. The people who were chosen had shown lots of epileptiform activity in part or all of their brain during previous EEG tests. For 23 people who took this test, the EEG test showed less epileptiform activity in their brain while they were listening to the music."
 
Positive Binaural Beats

After my brain surgery 4 years ago, I have not had any more auras or seizures which is wonderful and so fortunate after 40 years. But, my sleep has been difficult so I have tried many healthy alternatives and binaural beats on YouTube have been very helpful, in many other ways too. They also help me relax my mind which is challenged daily to recall lost memories.
 
Hi Andrew,

I know there are some people who are audio sensitive and certain sounds can trigger seizures. What I find helps me the most is music with serotonin which is a different frequency it helps relax me and lowers my seizures. Wishing you only the best and May God Bless You!

Sue
 
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