MP3 question and question about restfulness

Hi,

I'm new here this is my first post.

My first query is...I have been listening to hemi-sync Cds for some time, after being given a gift of 5 or so from a lovely friend. However, I just read recently that if you burn the CDs to mp3, you may as well just listen to them without headphones. The hemi-sync part of it doesn't work.

Today I was looking into buying a huge capacity, expensive mp3 player to put the files on as standard wav files, but they are very expensive and many say they only support mp3 fomat, so I'm not even sure the wav files would play anyway.

Does anyone know, can you in fact get the hemi-sync benefits if the files are mp3 format, if you listen to them using good quality headphones? What about the highest quality mp3?

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Query 2: The whole hemi-sync thing...does it make the brain work more than it would if you just listened to mozart say.. even when you are using it for relaxation?

I am very ill and need extreme rest. Even a few words spoken, or light viewed or one turn in bed can make me ridiculously ill (cardiac insufficiency and a mitochondrial disorder plus brain injury etc. etc.) as can even thinking...if I do all this when I am meant to be resting, which is most of the time, sigh. I wonder then if hemi-sync is counter productive for someone like me? I need all rest I can get.

I know absolute rest would be better, but... I get so bored doing absolutely nothing though..and like idea of improving my brain while I rest if I can too. Plus slow music helps me to relax and not be itching to get up and do what little things I can still do. It's maddening.

And is there a big differnce between what the 'concentration' type CDs do to the brain, and those for sleep, or is hemi-sync the same old hemi-syncing in each and just the feel/mood of the music is differnet??

Thanks so much for any responses:):) I want to buy some new hemi-sync CDs and maybe a speaker pillow but need to know this stuff first.

I should also say, I'm an artist (can still paint a tiny bit occasionally, in a modified way) so I am also interested in HS for the benefits to creativity talked about, and also I am very interested in mediation, although too ill to do more than mildest levels right now, but I do want to at least do that. (Meditation is actually very mentally taxing, same with soft slow realatation CDs...not for vast majority of people, but for some of us; some friends with same disease can't listen to a single thing, for years, so I'm lucky in fact as I can a tiny bit:))

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Originally Posted by jodi-hummingbird

Hi,

I'm new here this is my first post.

My first query is...I have been listening to hemi-sync Cds for some time, after being given a gift of 5 or so from a lovely friend. However, I just read recently that if you burn the CDs to mp3, you may as well just listen to them without headphones. The hemi-sync part of it doesn't work.

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That is technically true, but there is equipment and procedures that allow you to do it. It's more technical than I know how to do, perhaps one of the other members can give you more details.

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Today I was looking into buying a huge capacity, expensive mp3 player to put the files on as standard wav files, but they are very expensive and many say they only support mp3 fomat, so I'm not even sure the wav files would play anyway.

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Some players will work, some won't. I suggest listening to the disks with a CD player, it's probably less expensive than option #1, and you'll get the full benefits.

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Does anyone know, can you in fact get the hemi-sync benefits if the files are mp3 format, if you listen to them using good quality headphones? What about the highest quality mp3?

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Any stereo headphone will work, but if the mp3 is very compressed and 'cleaned up', it won't matter.

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Query 2: The whole hemi-sync thing...does it make the brain work more than it would if you just listened to mozart say.. even when you are using it for relaxation?

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What Hemi Sync does is to play tones at a frequency difference, to make your brain hemispheres synchronize. This is beneficial for many things, but I don't think your brain will work 'more' or 'less'.
However, it's my opinion that brainwave synchronization may be beneficial to you because it helps reinforce the corpus callosum, which is beneficial for lots of reasons, especially if your oxygen saturations are not 100%. Just my opinion, I'm not any kind of expert.

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I am very ill and need extreme rest. Even a few words spoken, or light viewed or one turn in bed can make me ridiculously ill (cardiac insufficiency and a mitochondrial disorder plus brain injury etc. etc.) as can even thinking...if I do all this when I am meant to be resting, which is most of the time, sigh. I wonder then if hemi-sync is counter productive for someone like me? I need all rest I can get.

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Hemi Sync will be beneficial for your brain injury unless you've developed epilepsy. But if you haven't, I think it is a good thing to listen to.

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I know absolute rest would be better, but... I get so bored doing absolutely nothing though..and like idea of improving my brain while I rest if I can too. Plus slow music helps me to relax and not be itching to get up and do what little things I can still do. It's maddening.

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I'm sorry this is your case- Have you had surgery recently, am I making you work by asking questions?

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And is there a big differnce between what the 'concentration' type CDs do to the brain, and those for sleep, or is hemi-sync the same old hemi-syncing in each and just the feel/mood of the music is differnet??

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Each 'activity' (awake, concentration, asleep, relaxation, etc.) uses different brainwave frequencies, so each one should synchronize to the desired frequency. However, all synchronization is good for your corpus callosum, and may even help recover from a brain injury. Once again, I'm no expert, this is my personal opinion only as a layperson.

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Thanks so much for any responses:):) I want to buy some new hemi-sync CDs and maybe a speaker pillow but need to know this stuff first.

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If you are going to go through the expense of buying the CDs (which ones are you getting?) See if you can get a discount from glidewing. Explain your situation. They don't offer all of them, but they do offer Journeys Out of the Body. If you're going for the Gateways you'll have to get them from TMI. But see if your friend can burn them as a CD, so you get the benefits of HSync.

I hope what I wrote wasn't too confusing.
Any tech people here can correct where I messed up, please.

why don't you buy a portable cd player ? you're even supposed to buy a cheap one because it cannot have dolby noise reduction system and if it does, it should be disabled. a good sony one costs 40 or 50 dollars..

That's what I wanted to say, in my long and boring way. :D

You weren't boring in the least CFTraveller, thanks so much for your reply.

Thanks to all who replied too:)

Sorry, should have explained...I do have a portable CD player, but chnaging the CDs is beyond me. Is too complex a task neurologically with too many steps..most days I just can't make myself do it. So I end up listening to same CD for as long as I can take it (a few weeks at most), get so bored and then just stop doing it at all.

Then weeks or months later, have a good day and change the CD and the same pattern repeats.

I really think I need some variety to keep me going, make me stick to it and not get too bored with it. I would like to listen to say 2 differnet HS CDs each day, and alternate these at least 3 times a week. This is why I want to buy 4-6 new ones. When they are new I can listen to same one for ages and still pay attention, is only whenyou have ehard it many many times i find I need variety to keep me going.

Have decided for now to use laptop computer as one big non-portable music player...annoying, but at least is v easy to choose which tracks to listen to, and the wav files fit fine on the huge hard drive. Will buy v big capacity MP3 player when they get v much cheaper though.

I am thinking of buying: De-Discomfort (verbal 60m), deep 10 (guided 60m), guide to serenity (verbal 39m), transcendence (verbal 39m) and the visit (verbal 44) and maybe also dreamland.

The ones I have now are: cloudscapes, higher, energy walk, azure skyes and concentartion and attention, although can only listen to the second track on that one. Too stimulating.

Thanks for te suggestion, I'll email the site suggestied to see if they can possibly sell me these CDs at a good price, worth a shot:)

What Hemi Sync does is to play tones at a frequency difference, to make your brain hemispheres synchronize. This is beneficial for many things, but I don't think your brain will work 'more' or 'less'. However, it's my opinion that brainwave synchronization may be beneficial to you because it helps reinforce the corpus callosum, which is beneficial for lots of reasons, especially if your oxygen saturations are not 100%. Just my opinion, I'm not any kind of expert.

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I'll admit this is what I wnat to hear:) Thanks:)

(Sorry couldn't work out the quoting thing)

BTW about the epilepsy thing, no I don't have epilepsy, no grand mal seizures, but very much do have a low level seizure disorder, absense seizures occasionally and constand low level seizures with flashing lights,or too much movement or light and so on, listeining to speech can do it and listening to high pitched sounds like water pouring and so on. Cause horrible neurological events, but not loss of consciousness and bodily jerking.

I read ages ago HS not good if you have epilepsy...but this seems a kind of grey area for someone with milder seizure problems. So I decided to pretend i hadn't read it. I do have to avoid some titles with high pitched noises and no gaps in noises (where your brain can rest) but they don't seem to trigger seizurety stuff so I'm hoping its okay.

Sorry, have to reply in sections:)

No I didn't have surgery recently, or a car accident etc. My brain injury is caused by a virus, similar to MS and polio in some ways, caused by a virus in same family as polio ones. Virus with affinity for brain but which also affects heart a lot, and mitochondrial and so everything.

Virus got me 15 years ago. Houseboudn and bedbound since 2001. Finally, last few years seeing some small improvements whihc is so great, could never have written all these emails years ago:) Questions are fine, I get 2 hours a day i can be online and 2 hours a day I can talk or watch TV or paint etc, its only the rest of teh time have to be in alsmot complete rest state. I get by, many far sicker than me, sadly.

Sorry, hard to summarise complex disease, and I know its boring, I bore myself LOL!

Tahnsk agaisn for all replies:) This was SO helpful:)

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Originally Posted by jodi

I read ages ago HS not good if you have epilepsy...but this seems a kind of grey area for someone with milder seizure problems. So I decided to pretend i hadn't read it. I do have to avoid some titles with high pitched noises and no gaps in noises (where your brain can rest) but they don't seem to trigger seizurety stuff so I'm hoping its okay.

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Well, if you have already been listening to them with no problems, then chances are they are safe for you. But please make sure that you are not alone and under someone's care when you do listen to them.
God Bless and I hope you do get better soon.

Thanks so much for your help, it has been so useful:):) Thanks again:)