Does Audio-visual Entrainment Work for Anxiety?

Does Audio-visual Entrainment Work for Anxiety?

AVA, or audio-visual entrainment, is a type of therapy that uses sensory stimuli to help patients with anxiety disorders. The most common form of using Audio-Visual Entrainment Therapy to reduce anxiety is via pulsating lights and sounds to guide the patient's brainwaves into a more relaxed state. As a result, it can help reduce their anxiety symptoms.

One of the biggest reasons people fail to beat anxiety is not complying with the treatment. And since anxiety is still incurable, you can not ignore treating it. In that case, patients need to switch from traditional therapy to something less intrusive and more comfortable, like audio-visual entrainment.

AVA therapy is a great example of how far medical science has come in recent years. It is a non-invasive, drug-free advanced addition to anxiety treatment, producing customized sound-light waves to treat altered brain waves.

It effectively reduces anxiety symptoms and provides long-term relief, and is even used to help treat PTSD.

How is AVE therapy different from other types of anxiety treatments?

Other types of anxiety treatments can be effective, but they tend to be more invasive. For example, traditional anxiety medication comes with a number of potential side effects, including weight gain, drowsiness, and addiction.

Behavioral therapies, such as exposure therapy, can also be effective, but they can be difficult to stick with and may not be suitable for everyone. On the other hand, AVE therapy is non-invasive, does not require medication, and can be used in the comfort of your home.

Audio-visual entrainment may be worth considering if you are looking for a new treatment for anxiety. And it's been proven effective in the long run. So let's see how audio-visual entrainment sessions help with anxiety miraculously.

Anxiety in terms of brainwave activity-an overview

Our neurons communicate via electrical impulses sent in the form of waves having varying frequencies. Each frequency denotes a response that directly relates to the intensity of the waves. Thus, the higher the frequency, the more intense the response exhibited by the brain. Such waves are called brainwaves.

So, when a person is suffering from anxiety, the following waves are altered:

• Alpha waves (produced in 9 to 14 cycles per second and occur in daydreaming, meditative, and relaxing states)
• Beta waves (produced in arousal and active stages and have a frequency of 12 and 30 Hz)
• Theta waves (faster than alpha waves and produced during deep sleep stages having a frequency of 3.5 to 7.5 Hz)
• Delta waves (produce restorative and healing sleep in the range of  1 to 4 Hz).

When we look at the above-mentioned waves, it is pretty clear that anxiety affects all four types of brainwaves. Anxiety medications work by targeting these brainwaves and helping to bring them back into balance.

Many studies support that anxiety occurs when beta waves overpower alpha waves, even in the resting stage. Why? Because beta waves are for alertness and alpha for slow activity. And since anxiety arises from the plethora of unwanted thoughts, alpha waves help cancel negative thoughts and dissociate the person from worldly problems.

So, when beta waves are produced in a prolonged manner and alpha waves insufficiently, they invite anxiety attacks. Plus, alpha waves also produce serotonin, a chemical that boosts mood and reduces anxiety symptoms. But excessively fast alpha activity in the resting stage is also seen in anxious and OCD patients, and hence should be produced in the normal range for less stressful activity.

On the other hand, beta waves are associated with flight and fight responses and release stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. And theta waves are linked with emotional response and are higher than usual in anxious patients. In contrast, alpha waves aren't associated with emotional induction or regulation. 

Lastly, delta waves are seen as less prominent in anxiety patients as they are associated with the release of GABA, a chemical that reduces excitatory response in the brain.

So, to treat anxiety, our goal is to increase alpha, beta, and theta waves in the correct frequencies and reduce beta waves. 

What's the science behind using Audio-visual Entrainment to reduce Anxiety Symptoms?

To achieve the desired goal of combating anxiety, there are two popular treatments; pharmacological and psychotherapy (therapeutic sessions taken by a psychiatrist). Unfortunately, even though both treatments improvise brain waves to reduce anxiety, most patients tend to skip them. Why? Because long-term use of anti-anxiety drugs promotes side effects, whereas psychotherapy can be costly and time-consuming. 

Audio-visual entrainment therapy can be a life-saving alternative treatment choice compared to the other options. It helps normalize altered brain waves through sound and light impulses sent through an audio-visual entrainment device. It's cost-effective, safe, and produces rapid effects without any complicated use of understanding.

By Increasing Alpha Activity

Producing alpha waves at the frequency of 10.2 Hz via binaural waves has been proven effective in reducing anxiety symptoms. It means two audio waves of different frequencies were pulsated together from the audio-visual device, and the difference of both frequencies was equal to 10.2 Hz. Even isochronic tones (audio waves having the same frequencies) at that range are known to keep anxiety at bay.

By Increasing Alpha-theta Activity

Alpha-theta activity is the stage of sleep where the person is at a thin line between sleep and wakefulness. It's like you are in the state of a nap, and anxiety patients need that. Producing neurofeedback for alpha-theta training has been proven effective for many anxious patients, and this neurofeedback can be stimulated through audio-visual entrainment.

By Reducing Beta Activity

According to research, anxiety can also be reduced by pairing neurofeedback with SMR training. SMR or Sensory motor rhythm is a common term for brain waves in the frequency of 12 to 15 Hz, sitting at the marginal frequencies of both alpha and beta. So, in this way, you can use your Audio-visual entertainment device to produce alpha waves at their highest and beta at the lowest frequencies and reduce anxiety.

By Inducing Delta waves to improve sleep

Sleep affects more than 50% of anxiety patients worldwide, and delta waves play an integral role in promoting sleep. A study on students proved that producing binaural delta waves at 3 Hz reduced sleep-associated anxiety.

What does a Regular Session of Audio Visual Entrainment Looks Like?

A regular audio-visual entrainment session is short, comfortable, and relaxing. You just need to put on a pair of headphones, close your eyes, and let the device do its work. The frequency and intensity of the audio-visual stimuli will be increased gradually, so there's no need to worry about discomfort.

As your anxiety decreases, the binaural beats or isochronic tones will also change to accommodate your needs. A single session of AVA therapy can last anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour and is usually done in a therapist’s office. The patient sits or lies in a comfortable position and wears headphones or goggles that emit flashing lights.

The therapist then uses the AVE machine to generate a pattern of flickering lights and pulsing sounds. The patient does not need to do anything other than relaxing and let the therapy work.

During this session, flashing lights stimulate the visual cortex, while sound pulses stimulate the auditory nerves. Combining both stimulations can help induce changes in brain activity and relaxation.

AVA therapy is usually done in a series of sessions. The number of sessions necessary will depend on the treatment condition and the symptoms' severity. Some people may only need a few sessions, while others may require several sessions over time.

Overall, AVA therapy has been shown to be effective in reducing anxiety symptoms, including fear, panic, and avoidance behaviors. It can also help to improve sleep quality and reduce stress levels. A single session of AVA therapy can provide long-lasting relief from anxiety symptoms, and most people only need a few sessions to see significant results.

Bottomline

You can treat anxiety with audio-visual entrainment, and a multitude of studies support that. All you need to get is an audio-visual device, wear headphones and/or glasses, and set the desired waves using control buttons.

The pulsating binaural or light waves stimulated through the device will adjust the brainwaves (alpha, beta, theta, and/or delta) and help cater to anxiety symptoms in a hastened, patient-friendly, and cost-effective way.

Using Audio-Visual Entrainment Therapy to reduce anxiety can help provide long-lasting relief from symptoms with only a few sessions. So if you are looking for a safe and effective way to reduce anxiety, audio-visual entrainment may be the right solution for you.